Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-20
END OUT OF SIGHT.
Voorhees, Makes a Third Appeal
to Silver Men,
AND GETS NOT ANY SATISFACTION

Senate History Narrated by the Admins
trRtion Leader. and Moral Pointed
without EGect-DUbois Replies Defiant
ly-Men May Come and Men May Go, but
Senate Eloquence Is Like the Brook
House Democr tic Caucus
WhsHINGTSoN. Sept. 2O.-Voorhees went
into history in the senate and dug up a
little surprise, which in turn brought out
slvery defiance from Dab0is When the
repeal bill came up VOORHEES, proceeded
to make statement to the senate He
said that in the discharge of the duties
entrusted to him he had to beg the indul-
gence Of the senate while he made a few
remarks. He thought that it would not
be misspent time TO instruct the public
mind somewhat in reference TO the organ
izatlon Of the senate, the laws OF which
governed it and the possibilities that sur
rounded it-what could and what could
not be done. l. doing so he addressed
himself TO the great body of intelligent
public opinion as well as (n certain quar-
ters) To dense and Opaque degree of ig-
norance: ignorance in some respects limo
cent, and in others malicious
One of the Rules of the Father"
On the 18th of March, 1889, the senate OF
the United States had convened. or endeav-
ored To convene for there were but eight
members presenD, in the city of New
York. There was no quorum until the
10th OF April. Shortly afterwards At system
OF rUi"- had been reported by a committee
and adopted by the senate. As matter
OF curiosity, as we'll as of enlightenment,
he would read the eighth rule adopted on
the 18th of April:
when question is before the senate
no motion shall be received, except for an
amendment Of the previous question, for
postponing the main question, or to ad-
journ"
lie had no doub5 that that rule would
be surprise to men inside of the chamber
as well rs TO men outside of it. The ninth
rule was:
''rhe previous question having been
moved and seconded, the question from
the chair shall be, Shall the main Gues-
ton now be put etc, etc?"
1t Can Now, go on Forever"
These two provisions had governed the
senate for seventeen years. So thpt there
had been previous question in the senate
for seventeen years-as there was now in
the house of representatives,. 1t had been
borrowed from the old English system of
closing debate. 1t had been tried fully
and entirely; and in lsOG-while Thomas
jefferson was president of the United
States-it had been deliberately abandoned
and never used in the senate to close de-
bate from that hour to the present. He
had been arraigned by public opinion for
not terminating debate on the repeal bill
As well might he be arraigned for not
terminating the tides Of the ocean or the
blowing Of northwest winds
The senator Points IA Moral.
He wished to emphasize the fact that
cloture rule once prevailed in the senate
and had been deliberately abandoned, and
that Ill abandoning it the senate had
placed its government on the sense of pro-
priety, the patriotism and the regard of
the public interest of every senator and
the senate itself-wth the certainty that
no senator would be found TO abuse the
patience of the senate or 10 outrage the
public business or the public duty For
eighty-seven years that condition of things
had existed. From 1896 to the present
time the senate had proceeded under rules
might he say of self-respect, of high pro
priety, not to speak of senatorial courtesy
manhOod-of a sense of fairness to the
public, IA sense of decency to itself, enjoy
ing all the rights guaranteed to it by the
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and liberty of dis
cussiOn, without the abuse of freedom of de-
bate or Of liberty Of discussion.
Takes IA Swipc at the Bankers.
So Il u, in his judgment, the criticisms
of certain class fell and would fall from
the senate, as they fell from him. So far
as personal criticism of himself was con-
cerned he might as we'll embrace the pres
ent opportunity as another to say that
they were met with absolute and stern
defianC And ne treated with scorn and
miserable contempt discussions coming
from New York bankers or anywhere else
as to the motives which governed him
That kind Of criticism came Che added
with much bitterness of tone) of class of
which the Savior of the world never spoke
with respect. "And," said he, neither
do -