The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-08
FREE SILVER VICTORY.
Speaker Crisp Helps to Choke
Off the Filibusters.
BY AN ARBITRARY RULING,
The Anti-Coinage Democrats in 4
Hopeless Minority on Vote.
BY AN ARBITRARY RULING,
Plain Talk by Eastern Members to the
south-The Pension Appropriation
Bill, Carrying S133, ZOO, 900, Passed
by the House-Debate on Food Bill.

coinage issue will not down. Gentlemen
OF Doth parties who have been hoping it
you'd be postponed until after the cleo
tions are tonight convinced that the issue
must be disposed of in the House before
the date of the national convention. The
free coinage men of both parties are OF
course highly elated. The gold men in
the Democratic party are filled with dis
NAL forebodings, while the anti-free coin
age Republicans, who comprise IS per
cent. of the Republican membership in
the House. are disposed to view the stua-
ton with complaceney. The vote today
indicates that the House will surely pass
the Bland bill, so decisive and overwhelm-
ing was the victory of the advocates of
free coinage. 1t was significant feature
of the proceedings that on all dis
putes that arose on parliamentary
questions the anti-fres coinage men did
most of the talking, To one familiar with
political methods the conclusion would
have been irresistible, after listening to
the denunciation of Speaker Crisp's
rulings and to the impassioned oratory
and direful predictions of those opposed to
the Bland bill, that the free coinage men
were to be swept away in a whirlwind of
popular indignation, yet when the vote
came, not on the silver resolution alone,
bot all auxiliary questions, the free coin
age men came to the front in an unbroken
phalanx. and by vote of two to one
routed their opponents. On the last and
vital proposition, that of setting apart
three days for consideration of the Bland
bill, the free coinage men won by the over
wheiming vote of 1870 to So
Before the reading of the journal Catch
lngs of Mississippi called up the resolution
setting apart three days for the considera-
ton of the silver bill and the clerk pro-
ceeded to read it. and upon its adoption
Catchings demanded the previous ques-
ton. Tracey of New York called atten-
ton to the TACT that the journal had not
been read. The speaker declared that it
was in order to call up the resolution and
the reading of the resolution was con-
cluded.
Dingley-Has the chair ruled that this report
OF the committee on rules can be considered be-
fore the journal has been read?
Speaker-The chair has. That is provisional
rule.
Dingley-Then the chair decides that business
can be done before the reading of the journal?
Speaker-The chair so decides.
lrdcey-l appeal from the decision OF the
chair
Tracey and his colleague, Fitch of New
York, vigorously protested against the
ruling of the speaker, which was defended
by Bland of Missouri, and very warm
colloquy ensued between Tracey and the
speaker as to the right of the former gen.
tleman to the floor.
A warm controversy arose after the con-
clusion of BANDS remarks. In those re-
marks he alluded to conversation he had
with Cochran, of New York, and An
drew, of Massachusetts,. in which these
gentlemen stated that if consideration of
tie resolution shall be postponed until to-
day there would be no tilibustering on the
part of the anti-silver men, and he charged
those anti-silver men with bad faith.
To this charge Cochran made a fiery
denial. He had had conversation with
the gentleman from Missouri, and in that
conversation Bland declined to agree that
the resolution be taken up today. 1t was
only after he had talk with the members
of the committee on rules that Bland con-
sented to it. Not one word about flibus-
tering had been said in his conversation
with Bland. In advocacy of the appeal
he said it would be an unfortunate
precedent to make that the committee on
rules consisting practically of three men,
bers, could come into the House and force
upon 300-odd members for consideration
any resolutions they might desire to call
up. The House must proceed with great
caution. The eyes of the entire country
were on the House this day and on this
resolution. upon a matter which con-
,,1At . h. 10 tlor
that had come before congress for thirty
years. With regard to the question re-
garding the journal, it was customary to
read the journal every morning before pro-
ceeding to business. Knowing this, many
members were absent, and fair oppor-
tunity should be given them to reach the
capitol.
He yielded five minutes to Fitch, who
seconded his colleagues remarks, prefac-
ing his own remarks with an expression of
the highest respect for the fairness of the
chair, but ne concurred fully in what had
been said in regard to the danger of the
precedent which it was proposed TO set
There were Democrats who had sat here
over and over demanding the reading of
the journal in the last House. They knew
that the demand had always been granted.
and that in Democratic House. in a case
ike this, refusal should be made. was as
unfair to his mind as anything that had
been done in the last House. There was q
good deal of talk in his state about a pre-
mature or 'snap" convention. If there
was ever anything premature or unex-
pected to those who opposed silver
legislation il was swapping this reso-
luton on them before the reading of
the journal. The representatives from
New York would stand by what they
thought right with the same steadfastness
and courage that they stood by the pres
ent speaker when as the gentlemen from
Georgia he had protested against things
that were no more unjust than was the
bringing in of this resolution before the
reading of the journal. The party owed
something to the Democrats of New York.
1t had no right to hold them down. and
from them it must expect, as 1t deserved,
a most emphatic protest.
Cochran, continuing, expressed himself
as opposed to tilibustering methods. The
ruling of the chair. he sa'd. was a dan
gerous one. Until the journal was read
no member could tell whether the House
was legally in session.
Craig of Texas inquired whether a mo-
ton 10 adjourn would be in order before
the reading of the journal
The speaker replied that II had also been
50 held and never questioned, and the same
language apylies 10 this rule as applies 10
a motion 10 adjourn.
Lockwood of New York said his recol-
lection was tha; during the Fifty-hrst con-