The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-10-13
PROCEEDINGS IN DETAIL.
How the Weary Hours Passed from Dawn
Until Midnight.


Until Midnight.
Washington, October 12-The night
session of the Senate was peculiar one.
Senator Allen took the floor yesterday
afternoon and, without any interrupt
tions except such as were purely Incl
dental, held the floor all night. He
proved himself an able and an indefatig-
able talker. At no time did his voice
fail him, and even when the clerk was
calling the roll to secure quorum he
stood erect and ready to proceed with
his remarks. Not for one moment did
he falter.
During the early part of last evening
the galleries were packed to repletion,
and they remained SO until about 2
o'clock. Then they began to lose their
occupants, but several hundred persons
remained.
Mr.. Voorhees, was entirely worn out.
He would occasionally take book in his
hand. but his head would soon fall upon
his chest and his eyes were closed in
slumber. Other senators who desired
to refresh themselves with sleep retired
to the comfortable lounges in the cloak
rooms, or the still more comfortable
lounges in the committee rooms. But
Mr.. Voorhees,, in the performance of his
duty, was compelled to remain in the
hall without rest.
Senator Allen concluded his speech at
s o'clock this morning, having been on
the floor for ID hours and 45 minutes.
from cup of tea, but this was his only
nourishment When he finished, his
eyes were as clear, his voice as strong,
his gestures rs vigorous as when he took
the floor.
During the first 70 hours of the sstest''
ending with O'clock this morning, there
were just an even dozen calls of the
Senate, but it was not until about
o'clock that Senators began to respond in
sleepy and reluctant manner. The
calls toward morning came at shorter in
tervals, and Senators began to show the
effect of broken maps and disturbed
slumbers. About 7 o'clock, the repeal
men, through MI. Faulkner, suggested
to the silver men that recess be taken
till 10 o'clock, in order that Senators
might get 30 winks and breakfast, but
the proposition was spurned by the sill
verites, who replied that if the present
proceeding was to be q test it must be
one in every sense of the word. Then
the Senate settled down to the inevita-
Bile.
This morning, ON the motion of Mr.
Voorhees,, Mr.. Peffer's amendment was
laid on the table by vote of SO to IT,
The amendment was complete free
coinage act in itself. 1t was intended to
supplement the repeal paragraph Of the
VOORHEES, bill. The amendment pre-
scribed the proportions and weight of
the cold and silver coins to be coined
hare1fter and the value of the ALLOW and
provided the necessary machinery for
the execution of its purpose, namely,
free coinage of both gold and silver.
Mr.. Martin Of Kentucky, next took the
floor. He declared.that if Cleveland had
written before election the letter he had
recently written Governor Northen, the
Democratic party would not have been
in it," If Democrats had annoucedd
themselves on the money question before
election as they had within the last sixty
days, Benjamin Harrison would today be
President if the United States by an
overwhelming majority.
Another call of the Senate was an
swered hy a. Senators A Z Aha rAn,.--t of