The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-10
This Timein the Lower House Where His
Friends We're Supposed to Swarm.
An Effort TO Give Members Chance 10 Vote on
the Bill Repeating the Sherman Act De-
feated by Vote of 152 to 143.
Rebuke to the President.Elect's Dicta-
ton, Threats and Special Lobbyists.
Slapped in Both Houses of Congress by Ma
jOrity of His Own Psrty-Featurss of the
Debste-Bland's Bitter Speech.
WILL NOT BE REPEALED.

WILL NOT BE REPEALED.
The House Refuses Obey Cleveiand's Be
hest Concerning the silver Law.
Special TO the Indianapolis Journal
WAsHINGToN, Feb. Especial couriers
Don. NJ. Dickinson and Henry Willard sat
enthroned in the room of the ways and
means committee this morning declaiming
to Democratic members of the House he
edict of President-elect Cleveland on tho
silver question. The special couriers were
defeated. and the President elect received
another slap In the face from a majority of
the Democratic members of the House. BY
q vote of 152 to 143 the House to-day re-
fused to give an opportunity for q vote
upon the Andrew bill repeating the silver.
purchasing act. In other words, the
Cleveland Democrats In the House have
been routed again, as they were
In the Senate. and in the Fifty-s second Con.
gress has in both branches bid defiance to
the effort of the incoming administration
to influence legislation by promised patron
age. Not only majority of the full House.
but, as happened in the Senate last week. q
majority of its Democratic members re-
land. The roll-call showed III Democrats
against Mr. Cleveland's will and 1o2 on his
side. To put it in parliamentary languages:
The decisive vote In the House to-day was
upon the ordering of the previous question
upon the report of the rules committee
namely. Speaker Crisp who may
cease to be Speaker; Mr.. McMil-
lin. who may cease TO be q
member of the ways and means
committee. and Mr.. Catchings. of Missis-
sippi. who has never succeeded in being q
leader of the House-in favor of setting
aside to-day and tomorrow for the discus
sion of the silver repeal bill. A threatened
panic in Wall street, with reports of which
every wire leading into Washington was
burdened. the we'll known attitude of Pres
ident Cleveland and the personal presence
of Mr.. Dickinson and Mr.. Willard, not to
speak of the ALMOST frantic appeals of the
next Secretary of the Treasury. Mr.. Car.
Isle, all failed to prevent this result.
Outcast by the Senate a new administra-
tion has been disowned by its own House.
Leading Democrats of the House voted
against Mr.. Cleveland's policy of throwing
upon the present administration the re-
sponsibilIty OF the silver question. Among
these Democrats are Blount. of Georgia.
who hopes to be Postmaster general under
the next administration; Holman. of lndi-
ana; Sayers, of Texas. who hopes To sue.
ceed Holman as chairman of the approprla-
tiOns committee: Culberts0n, of Texas, chair.
man of the judiciary committee; McMillin.
of Tennessee. the second on the ways and
means committee. and a member of the
rules committee; Mr.. O'FerralI, of Virginia,
chairman of the committee on elections.
and who hopes to be next Governor of his
State, and q number OF other Democrats
whose long service in the House has placed
them among the leaders OF that body.
BITTER DEBATE.
The debate which preceded the vote was
exciting and bitter in its tone. 1t was
opened by Mr.. Bacon. of New York. chair
man of the committee on banking and our.
rency, who made q strong, ineffective plea
for the Cleveland programme. He threst-
ened clOture. and pictured the fnan-
cial condition OF the country
The silver men were led By Mr..
Bland, OF Missouri. who, in a long speech,
prophesied that NJ Cleveland's present
conduct would disrupt the Democratic
party. and taunled Democratic leaders
with having relegated the silver question
to the rear during the recent campaign,
and having made the tariff the main issue.
but with having abandoned the tariff issue
after the victory and taken mp silver. Mr..
Bryan, of Nebraska, made O conventional
Farmers Alliance speech, devoted princi-
palIy to gold bugs and plutocrats" and
failed to elicit f1utter OF approval Ex-
Speaker Reed made the principal speech
the day would come when the finan-
cial policy of the government would
cease to be party issue. but while lt re-
mained a party Issue he regretted that the
Democratic side of the House occupied
both sides of the question. he wanted TO
see the sherman act repealed for the moral
effect the repeal would have in lessening
the fear of financial distress, but he knew
that the act of the House In passing the re-
peal would have no effect upon the Senate.
So overwhelming was the defeat of the
Cleveland Democrats that they joined with
Mr.. Bland and his free-silver associates In
voting for o motion 70 recommit the rule
setting aside to-day and Tomorrow for the
discussion of the repeal bill. and so the sill
yer fight in the House came to an IN glorious
end.
The Press Association reporter, in intro.
ducing the debate In detail, says II was sill
yer day in the House. and the friends of
silver were victorious In the fight by ma
jorIty of nine. They sustained the demand
for the previous question on the resolution
setting apart to-day and Tomorrow for
consideration of the bill repeating the
Sherman act. Had not a prev ious question
been ordered. a cloture amendment would
have been sprung upon the House, and the
struggle would have been continued. But
when it was ordered the advocates OF the
repeal bill gracefully passed under the
yoke and allowed the resolution TO be re.
committed without making any strong OBJ
lection. This action. In the opinion or
members. sounds the death knell of any sill
Yer legislation in the present Congress.
CATcHINGs STARTS THE BALL ROLLING.
Mr.. Cstchings called MP the resolution
of the committee on rules. setting apart
this legislative day and tif necessary the
next legislative day, for consideration OF
the bill repeating the Sherman silver act.
Mr. Bacon. chairman of the committee
on banking and currency. said the main
purpose of the bill was that the purchase
of silver bullion and the storing of II In the
vaults of the treasury as q commodity in
metallic form and without coinage. should
stop. The rule. as reported by the COM
mittee on rules. was IN the form which
that committee In this Congress had In
variably used for the purpose of bringing
important measures before the House.
The lesson which the House had
learned on the bankruptcy bill ought
not 10 be forgotten. There was
no phase of the silver question that
needed discussion. There was no phase of
it that had not been exploited. The discus
sion of the bill could serve no useful pur-
pose unless the House finally came TO q
were voted down, offer an amendment pro-
yiding for cloture AT o'clock on the Sec
| ond legislative day given TO the bill. "A
ha clark read fha oDoaad ameul mouf 4