Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-29
AN UNLUCKYNU NUMBER
A Mississippi Statesman Con-
yulses Congress.
He Moves to Enlarge the House
Foreign Committee.
Aliens Humorous Remarks on tn,
Chilean Controversy.
Tom Reed Criticises the New Code OF
Rules-HaIe Scores Hill in the
Senate and Lauds Jinge
Reciprocity.
Associated Press Dispatches.

|
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 28.-In the house
today, debate on the rules was resumed
but was broken into by the presentation
of the presidents message and Chilean
correspondence. After being read and
referred to the committee on foreign
| affairs, discussion of the rules was re-
sumed.
Reed spoke in opposition to the COM
mittee's report. He favored the rules
of the fifty-tirst congress, and pro-
claimed his adherence to the majority
rule. He criticised the Holman amend
ment, contending that this body ought
to be as free as it could for the purpose
of legislation. He said the majority
were responsible not only for what hap
pened, but for what did not happen.
[Applause on the Republican side.l
Allen of Mississippi drew the atten-
tion of the house to the Chilean contro-
versy again by moving to amend the
rules by increasing the membership of
the committee on foreign affairs from
thirteen to seventy-fve, and delivered
humorous speech in support thereof.
The great struggle to which the mem
bers Of the committee had been SUBJ
jected during the last two days, he
said, prompted him to offer this
amendment. The house had no right
to impose so much responsibility upon
thirteen men. Furthermore, that was
an unlucky number, and he did not
want any unlucky happenings in foreign
affairs. He did not blame the foreign
affairs committee with any haste, ''but
you know how easily thirteen men
might be taken unawares and rushed
into war with some sort of precipita-
tion."
Allen went on to say that he was not
familiar with the diplomatic corre-
spondence between nations, but he did
know the code of honor that governs
gentlemen. In Mississippi if, when one
| gentleman institutes correspondence
NTH another, and brings him down to
the point of difference and finally sends
him an ultimatum--if that man, after
sending that ultimatum should rush
into print. and publish the correspond
ence before he had time to hear from
the ultimatum, he would be persona
non grata in that state. 1t is not a
proper thing when you have sent an ul-
timatum to rush into print and give
your side of the case to the country be-
fore you have reply.
| Allen then read from a newspaper
interview a remark by ex-Speaker
Keifer to the effect that sentiment in
the Republican party is drifting rapidly
toward Harrison. His message on the
Chilean imbroglio was issued just in
time" ''Now," said Allen, "this drift
| mt
might have stopped if he had not got in
here with that Chilean message Just in
time l remember that not great
while ago, when the president was to go
to New York, the train that was to
leave at ten minutes to IL was detained
until ten minutes after IL, lest the pres
yet am informed the president had a
number of printers working all day last
| Sunday to get that message of his Just
in time.'" [Great laughter and Demo
cratic applause
| Allen continued at some length to
make raps at the pan-American con-
gress and reciprocity schemes, much to
the delight of his Democratic brethren.
He wanted to know why we should pro-
ceed with haste to bring the government
of Chile, our sister republic, part OF
the great "pan." into state ofhumilia-
| tion."
| OF course Aliens motion was defeated,
but it had served its purpose in giving
him chance to deliver his speech on
| the subject.
McMillin of Tennessee and Catchings
of Mississippi defended the proposed
rules and animadverted on the code
adopted by the fifty-frst congress and
| Speaker Reeds rulings.
The rules were then read by para
graphs for amendment.
The membership of the committee on
interstate and foreign commerce was
increased from sixteen to seventeen.
Hemphill offered an amendment CIV
ing the committee on District OF Column
bia jurisdiction over appropriations for
the support of the district. Pending
action, Cochran OF New York announced
the death OF Representative Spinola,
and the house as mark of respect ad-
journed.
IN THE SENATE.