New-York tribune., 1893-12-09
BANKRUPTCY BILL LOST.
IT'S ENACTING CLAUSE STRUCK OUT By THE
HOUSE.
A nruocR,r1c CONFESSION OF INCoMPETENCY
STRONG SPEECHES AGAINST THE MOTION
THE VOTE 142 TO Ill
rpy TELEGRAPH 10 THE TRlRuxE.l


THE VOTE 142 TO Ill.
fpy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRlRUYE.l
Washington Dec S-The Democratic House
of Representatives to-day deliberately voted
that II is incapable Of perfecting and passing
bill to provide for National system or pahK-
ruptcy. The bill framed and reported by the
Committee on the Judiciary was an elaborate
and comprehensive one, but IL contained soii'e
provisions which not favored by eoou
many members of the House. and Whlch Woulu
undoubtedly have been modified or ruled out
altogether if an opportunity had been oHereu 70
amend it, No such opportunity was allowed
The bill was debated for many days at the eS-
traordinary" session and during several days oi
the present session, but the debate was OF the
sort which does not command attention unless
the subject is one which eXcites active ana IN
tense interest. and the consequence was that
few members paid any attention to IT,
Another trouble was that the bill was of ex-
traordinary length and contained many sections
and multitude of different provisions, TO un-
derstand which required much study and long
and close applicaton-more than most members
could be persuaded to bestow upon It, Many
strong and able speeches were delivered ana
many clear and lucid analyses and explanations
were given in the course of the long seherai
debate" but members who were too busy or IN
different to hear them We're 100 Dusy OF too
lazy to read them. Everybody looked forwaro
to the debate under the five-minute rule TO eN-
cite attention and interest. and to give members
understanding Of the scope ana meaning
OF the provisions of the measure $500
Everybody except the enemies or the OH was
disappointed. for the House had barely got mo
Committee Of the Whole to-day for ,ha' P Pui-
pose when Mr.. Bland, of Missouri, who has pecu-
lar ideas on many questions besides the lree
coinage of silver moved to strike out the enact
ing clause of the bill and the motion was car
,xra light
committee to rise and report lts acuoh 10 'le
House. 80 .
Mr. Cannon of Illinois. spoke with great
energy and force in opposition to the motion; ne
said that ii was unjust TO members who had not
found time to study and digest the provisions OF
the measure and who had desired and expected
10 receive such instruction in the course OF the
five-minute debate would enable them 70 Vo'e
intelligently. 1t also an injustice 10 deprive
members of the right to offer amendments. ana
the House collectively Of an opportunity to per-
feet the measure ,
Mr. Van Voorhis, of New-York. spoke on the
same side He had desired to offer substitute
re-enacting the law Of 1867. That law, ne sald,
had been carefully drawn In the first Instance.
1T had been repeatedly amended as necessity
arose, and il had been subject OF 1udlclai con-
.v.ruction during period Of eleven years. so that
when il was repealed ii was the most complete
and satisfactory statute of bankruptcy which
ever existed. -
Mr. Bland replied. He declared that the bill
proposed "to give the banks of the country with
their boarded millions OF idle money an OpPoi-
funity to loot the country.
The vote on striking out the enacting clause
stood 142 to ILL., Among the votes recorded IN
the Affirmative were those OF number Oh mem,
,bers who had openly declared that they were not
opposed to a National bankruptcy law but OBJ
jected to the pending bill on account OF certain
provisions which they regarded as obnoxious and
oppressive. They completely stultihed them
selves. -
In the morning hour a motion by MI Ailgore
Dem Texas) to take UP for consideration the
bill admitting Utah Territory IS a state pro-
duced two rollcalls for the purpose OF securing
a quorum when the motion fell by reason OF the
hour expiring At 255 the House adjourned I'M
til 12 o'clock Monday