The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-03

An Attempt in the House to Provide for a
Ready Made Tariff Bill Was Resisted
by the Fepublicans-The Democratic
Could Do Nothing But Send the
Sergeant-at-Arms After Absentees-
Some Amusing Incidents of the Sitting.
Washington, November 2-In the
House, Mr.. Cogswell, Rep, of Massachu-
setts, announced that his colleague, Mr..
Wright, had been obliged to leave Wash
igton, and had requestedshim (Mr. Cog
swell) to arrange pair on the silver re-
peal bill. This, Mr.. Cogswell was in
formed at the desk had been done, but
the pair had not been announced, and
he informed the House that Mr.. Wright
would have voted against recommitting
the BILL
A resolution to adjourn tomorrow at 8
p. m. was reported by-Mr. Catchings of
Mississippi from the committee on rules,
and the previous question was joyfully
and vociferously ordered A lively de-
bate followed, in which representatives
Terry of Arkansas and Clark of Missouri
opposed any prolonged recess or adjourn
ment
Mr.. Henderson, Rep, of Iowa, asked if
there was any chance of the tariff bill
being reported from the committee if the
House remained in session.
Mr.. Catchings replied that there was
not the slightest chance, when Mr.. Hem
derson stated that that being so he was
decidedly in favor of adjournment.
The yeas and nays on the adjournment
rpSO111tinr, yya oIIod for nd fod
in sti passage by an affirmative vote of
"a to 83 in the negative.
The chairman of the committee on
ways and means, Mr.. Wilson) asked that
the committee be allowed to sit during
adjournment.
Mr.. Reed of Maine objected that the
committee should not sit when it could
not submit its acts to the House. He said
the House should have control of its
committees, except, perhaps, he added
QulzZlcally, the committee on rules. Mr..
Reeds objection sufficed to send the
matter to the committee on rules. Later,
M. Catchings of Mississippi, reported
back from that committee a resolution
authorizing the committee on ways and
means to sit during the adjournment Of
Congress for the preparation of tariff
measure and to report the same. The
previous question was ordered.
Mr.. Reed, advancing down the aisle,
said it was an extraordinary proposition
that the committee on ways and means
should sit during the interval between
now and the reassembling of the House,
and during that interval file it's results
and its reports with the clerk of the
House. The committee on ways and
means had been appointed nearly three
months and had not had single meet
ing upon the tariff bill. 1t had never
attended to the matter the least in the
world IF fhic hipcy ont od
to be likely. the committee on ways and
means would have absolutely nothing to
do except to record the verdict of some
gen tleman at present unknown. Conse-
quently they had but a formal duty. If
the question were one of publicity or
informing the people of what was going
to take place, there was absolutely no
difficulty attending it. They could
announce it to the world just as readily
through the newspapers as any other
way.
Now the gentlemen comprising the
majority of this House had been work,
perhaps, he spoke not advisedly, because
ha he had no means Of knowing, anything.
They might have been at work or some
body else might have been at work At
any rate, their minds were familiar with
the direction the bill was to take. On
the other hand, the minority of this co n
mite, of whose rights the Democratic
members would certainly be highly con-
servative, had no idea what had been 60
ing on in those secret meetings, which
alone had had charge of the tariff up to
the present day, and to be called here on
the 10th of November, or at any such
time as that, to have a bill suddenly
thrust upon them, to make report and
make it before the assem- mbling of Con-
gress and make it before the people in
such time was nothing more or less
tbo, J1t+a fol ,1a
might be some gentlemen whose names
had not been disclosed, some gentlemen
yet undiscovered, who understood the
whole complex tariff subject so thorough
ly that they could IN three or four days
comprehend the whole of it. Hundreds
of people had appeared before the ways
and means committee, the knowledge of
the occupation of each one of whom was
the work of lifetime and to ask the
minority to record their views in three
or four days, unenlightened on the SUBJ
ject by any expression of public opinion
or by those sources of information i'm
mediately presented when the bill was
actually under consideration seemed to
him unsuitable, unwise and unreason-
able. Therefore, he said, to bring in this
resolution at the close of the session,
under the whip and spur of the report of
a committee, that was something certain
ly not either suitable or proper.
Mr.. wilson OF west Virginia, said the
gentleman from Maine was correct in
saying one of the objects sought to be
accomplished by the adoption of the
resolution, was to give to the country. as
early as might be convenient, informa-
tion as to the proposed tariff legislation
of this Congress. Another object was to
ripen the preliminary stages Of that legis-
lation that it might be ready as soon as
possible after the reassem bling of Con-
gress for the House to enter actively upon
the consideration of it. In view of the
purpose which the House had announced
to adjourn tomorrow, a majority of the
members of the committee of ways and
means felt that some such resolution as
this should be passed. There had been
no concealment of the fact that the
majority of the members OF the commit
tee had worked rapidly and faithfully to
frame tariff bill. He had himself per-
sonally invited every member of the
minority, with the possible exception of
the gentleman from Maine, who was
absent from the House a considerable
period, to come in with the majority
members from time to time to see what
they were doing. He agreed with the
gentleman from Maine as to the magni-
tude Of the work.
M. Dad II, ra,,1r 1aoJo,o5 Ll.L