Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-30
CLASH OF CLAN ut S =.
Speaker Crisp and Ez-speaker Reed Have
Tilt.
Ii is ON the Subject of the New House
Rules and Some Feeling
Is shown.

At the beginning Of the FTfty-frst Con-
g1ess Mr.. Crisp attracted the attention Of
the House by the speech he made in crit
lcism of the methods Of AIr. Reed as
Speaker Of the House. His appeal from
Philip drunk to Philip sober and his visor-
Gus handling OF the then Speaker gave him
a prominence in the House he had not be-
fore that attained. though then one Of the
leading members from the south
Yesterday these two giants faced each
other In the arena again in a discussion of
parliamentary rules. This time Crisp &C.
cupied the position Of Speaker. and II was
his rules Mr.. Reed was criticising, and this
time both men took part in the debate
With the Speaker and the ex-Speaker pitted
against each other. the interest in the dis
cussion was intense. and though the dis
eussion was not expected, the floor of the
House was crowded, and the debate was
listened to with the most eager attention
Mr. Reed. in speaking OF the code or rules
reported from the committee on rules,
made many filings at the democrats. accus-
ing them Of trying to get as near to his
rules of the Fifty-hrst Congress as they
could without exposing the fact. which car
ried with IL a confession that they were
mistaken In their criticism of his rules, and
that such rules were necessary to secure
action in the House.
Il confess" he said, II am very much
encouraged by what occurs In the report of
the committee on rules In the last Con
gress. when the hall still vibrated with the
outcries of the democratic minority of the
Fifty-frst Congress. one could hardly eA-
pect any very great advance; and yet we
had a great deal of advance even In that
Congress; for that Congress. instead OF
leaving everybody. according to the old
democratic system. to the mercy of any
citizen who might by some providence OF
God have been chosen a member of Con-
gress laughter). they left the House to the
tender mercy of the Speaker and two as
sistants appointed by himself. whereby the
Speaker had the power, which Is great
thing. and also another great thing the ad-
vantage of exercising IL in private.
He admitted that the democrats were
making some progress. but criticised the
placing OF the power In the committee on
rules and thought they had better come to
his position at once. He did not Ike the
round about way of stopping flibustering
do you not think, gentlemen, he said,
ION the other side. it is little pitiful
after declaiming so much against inter
ference with the rights of the individual
member. standing upon his sole leather
and his conscience, to stop the business of
the House, that you should now depute
three gentlemen to put an end to him SO
abruptly? 0aughter) You know you have
be done; that it was wicked for even the
entire House to undertake To do it."
Mr.. Crisp Makes a Speech.
This and further criticism in his most
caustic style called Speaker Crisp to the
floor. Mr. Richardson taking the chair
This move caused something of a sensa-
ton In the House. and the members gath
cred about to hear what he would have to
say:
The criticism of the gentleman from
Maine upon the rules now proposed for
adoption by the committee on rules" he
said. and his laudation of that system of
rules under which the Fffty-first Congress,
to use the language of that hour. did bust
ness. require some reply. There are pro-
visions In this report now before the House
which are taken from the rules of the Fiji
ty-nrst Congress or are substantially pro-
visions embraced in those rules.
Neither myself nor any member of the
committee on rules would refrain from re-
porting to this House in favor of auy prom
osition simply because it was a part OF the
rules of the Fffty-hrst Congress. Very
much OF those rules, perhaps. is 20 be COM
mended; very much of them mas been by
the country absolutely condemned. Zap
plause on the democratic side). The gem
teman from Maine-and this is hobby
country and speaks of the rules of the
Fffty-nrst Congress nearly always omits
or fails To refer to, the practices in the
F1fty-nrst Congress which were so odioIis
TO Its members and which. were so odiJi.s
to the country (Applause).
The first action IN the Fifty-frst Con-
EresS which excited the Indignation of the
country and Of the Rspresen tatiyes on this
floor was not taken under The rules (Which
were subsequently, adop-ed), but it was an
arbitrary, high-helIed action on the part
OF the Speaker, without authority from the
committee on rules or anybody else. zap
plause on the democrats, side)
Mr.. Speaker. when You come to make up
the charges that were entered against IL
that the first great charge was that The
Speaker of the House, without being au-
thorized 50 to do by the House. without
being authorized so to do by me committee
rrrtl xxrfrh
opposition to the uniform usage of the
House-in the exercise of a power not
granted him by any rule-choSe to count
members not voting as present to eonsti-
tute quorum. That question afterward
went to the Supreme Court, out that court
never justified the acton to which / have
Just referred. 1 have heard the gentleman
from Maine on several occasions On this
floor congratulate himself. :ake satissac-
ton as he says, from the fact that the
Supreme Court Of :he United States had
justified that course"
The Supreme Court had hot. he arguad
touched the question The Supreme Court
had said that the House mad u right to
make its rule for ITS own government and
make Its own provisions for the ascertain
ment OF the presence of a quorum, but it
had never said that the Speaker couId
make these rules. CApplause).
The gentleman had referred to the power
lodged in the committee on rules. Let him
Crisp call the gentleman's attention to
the distinction that existed between the
pOlicy OF the gentleman from Maine and
the policy Of the present committee on
rules
The gentleman from Maine believed that
power should be lodg ID in 9he Speaker ab-
solutely to decide what was 1ilatory mo-
ton Under the system proposed by the
committee on rules IL was left to the House
to decide whether the motion was dilatory
Of not The system adopted by the Fifty
second Congress and now readOptsi by the
committee on rules was to maintain. not
the individual Judgment of the chair. but
the Judgment of the majority of the House.
The Speaker was not granted the author
ity to control legislation: the committee
on rules was not granted sucl authority;
the authority rested in the majority of the
House Under the rules proposed dilatory
motions would be avoided. for the House
had the power TO reach that re SUE by 80
port from the committee on rules.
Mr.. Reed Answers Back.
Mr.. Reed. in reply. said that il was I'M
usual for the presiding officer of this body
to leave his exalted position and to par
take In the discussion the floor. 1t was
even question whether he ought to DO
II at all But OF this action he made no
question.
The gentleman from Georgia Crisp alone
was the nudge Of this action If -ha gen