The morning call., 1893-08-30
RAN A PRETTY TILT.
Crisp Comes Down From the Chair
to Challenge Reed.
The Gentleman From Maine Was
Ready, of Course, and Took
Up the Gauntlet.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29.-In the House
to-day Aitken offered a resolution proviG-
ing for special committee TO investigate
the Ford's Theater disaster, and to deter
mine what action should be taken for the
relief of the families of the victims. 1t
WAS referred to the Committee on Rules.
Caichings called up the report of the
Committee on Rules. and a debate fol-
| lowed. An animated discussion over the
rules was had between Speaker Crisp and
exASpeaker Reed, the latter criticizing the
report. For the first time this session the
Speaker took the floor, having called Rich
ardsOn of Tennessee to the chair, and re-
piled to the criticisms of the gentleman
from Maine. At times the debate was
somewhat personal, and each speaker re-
ceived the plaudits of his party friends.
Reed argued In favor of the rights of the
majority as firmly maintained in the
Fiity-hrst Congress. He criticized that
provision of the rules which, he claimed.
vested the Committee on Rules with au-
thOrity which should be vested in the
Speaker. Why not adopt rules giving the
majority control, and taking away from
6ibusters the opportunity to stop con-
sideration of a measure?
| Fifty-frst Congress were to be amended.
but many others had been condemned by
the country. Among the actions in the
Fifty first Congress which were odious to
the country was the arbitrary. high
minded action on the part of the Speaker
without auth orty of the rules or anything
else. The Speaker had assumed power to
count quorum. and he tReed) had claimed
hot tha i'm 10
! This was not so. The Supreme Court said
the House had right to make its own
rules, bat it had never said the Speaker
should make them. The system adopted
by the Fifty-second Congress. and now re-
adopted, was to maintain, not the indI-
vidual judgment of the chair. but the
! Judgment of the majority of the House.
Dilatory notions would be avoided, for
the House had due power to reach that re-
sult by report from the Committee on
Rules. He Crisp preferred the approval
of the people he represented to the ap-
proval of man who believed he had the
right to exercise all the power and claimed
that in so doing he permitted the ma
! jority to rule. The gentleman from Maine
arrogantly asserted that the Fifty-frst
| Congress should be regarded as an example
that should be followed by all Congresses
He Crisp felt. as the people of the
country felt. that the Fifty-frst Congress
was a usurpation that ought to be repudi-
ated.
Reed. in reply. regretted that the Speaker
had left mis- position to take part in dis
! cussion on the floor sand to introduce
partisanship into debate. This was a pub
lie question. He believed the policy of
the Fifty-frst Congress had received the
approval of the Supreme Court. He re-
gretted the Democrats had merely adopted
half OF the rules of the Fifty-frst Con.
gress. but thought they were on the road
to adopting them all.
The debate was continued by Messrs.
| Springer. Boatner. Hooker, Picker, CulY-
mingS. Hepburn and Bryan. Then the
subject was dropped. and Springer intro
Cuced bill to provide for the coinage of
seigniorage silver in the treasury. This
was referred, and tho House adjourned.