Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-09-21
STRUGGLE FOR QUORUM
House Democrats Get One and
 Report Their Bill.
VOORHEES, CALLS IN THE SENATORS
Both Houses of Congress Have n Lively SeSsion-The Election Repeal Bill Finally Put Before the House After Persistent FilibnsterinR,

SeSsiOn-The Election Repeal Bn Finally
 Put Before the House After Persistent
 FIlIbnsterInK.
 WASHINGTON, Sept. 2l.-The federal cleo tion repeal bill has been reported and has been placed upon the calendar, but this ac- ton was taken only after a severe struggle, the Republicans seeking every parliament tary device to block its way.
 But the Democrats were ready at every point to throw the Instructions off the track, and the way was finally made clear.
 Mir. Reed in commenting on the vote, said that he could not equal the fiery de nunciations of the gentleman from 1ndi- ana (Mr. Bynum) against the rules of the fifty-first congress, nor could he equal the choice epithets used four years ago by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Breckin- ridge). He (Mr. Recd) was suffering from the fact that he was not backed up by such a chorus as had made the air vocal four years ago.
 The members on the Republican side were too well educated to indulge ill mere noise. Laughter The Republican party in the fifty-first congress had made certain rules. First impressions were the most powerful. The Republicans today occupied an unusual position They stood to win in any event Laughter The Democratic party had either to resort to everything they had denounced or to be beaten. Laughter. The Democrats had their choice between humiliation and defeat, and they had chosen humiliation. ll-aughter,I They had deliberately settled themselves into the traces that they had affected to despise. Now gentlemen could look for ward to the haven of rest. Not only had the house violated all the precedents of 100 years, but it had added new zest to the occasion by violating all principles of par hamentary law: It had announced that committees could originate legislation. It had destroyed the sacred right of appeal, for which the present occupant of the chair had argued vigorously four years ago.
 The Republicans had offered the major itN. in good faith. an honest system by which it could control the business of the house without acts of violence. Instead of that, the majority wanted violence in each particular case. What spectacle the house was presenting. The Democratic party was going through the valley of humilia- tion. Republican applause
 Mir. Catchings said that it was hardly worth while to say anything in vindication of the parliamentary rulings made by the speaker. It was cruel tsarcasticnlly) of the gentleman from Maine to advise the Demo Crats that they were in a state uf humilia- tion He GMr. Catchings) had not discov- cred ii himself. Hethought that the Demo crats were getting along pretty well,
 ll4aughtcr.l I he trouble with the gentle man from Maine was that he had discov- cred that there were other methods than ] those invented by him and his assistants in
 the fifty first congress by whici4 the house could do business.
 Lively In the Senate. { The proposition for such change of the 1 rules of the senate as would establish the
 principle of closure was not made. Mir. l Platt of Connecticut. who had given notice
 on Tuesday that he would propose that i change, declined to do so because he did
 not wish to stand in the way of Mir. George
 of Mississippi, who wished to address the senate, but said that he would offer it at some future time.
 1 Before he had the chance of making that
 announcement there had been a little un-
 pleasantness between himself and Mir. l Voorhees,, who claimed the floor and inti i mated that the Connecticut senator should
 have asked him to yield it. He then yielded | it without being asked, but not before MT.
 Platt had suggested that it would be bet
 ter if the senator from Indiana were little
 kinder in his treatment uf other senators.
 MT. George argued against the repeal
 bill, believing that it would be leap in the
 dark as likely to increase as to diminish
 the aggregate of the financial troubles. His
 speech was broken into by three roll calls
 of the senate. in the last of which MT. Tel
 Ter made a protest against his name being
 called after he had come into the chamber,
 he having been absent when it was first
 called. The vice president informed him
 that his name had been recorded as present.
 and that closed the incident.
 MT George. although he had his speech
 prepared in advance. delivered it with all
 the impressiveness which he generally gives
 to his off hand speeches. He did not seem
 to trouble himself as to whether senators
 I .l.
 his efforts. for once, when Mir. Call Oi
 Florida indicated intention of calling the notice nf the presiding officer to the fact that there were but few senators in tho chamber, he prevented hy Mir. George , himself, who told him that he was indif
 ferent whether senators listened to him ol not.
 Nevertheless as he went along the ab sencc of senators became too evident, anC
 it required two roll calls to get sufficient
 number of them into the chamber to con stitute a quorum.
 Z The quorum soon melted away again 9 but MT. George took no heed of the fact
 and he was allowed to go on with the read : ing of his speech without further interrup a tion. Much of it was given to attacks upoI the national banks and to denunciatiol , of the circular sent out from New York tt l states whose senators were opposed to th 1 bill. recommending that pressure be ap s piled to them.
 = No Quorum Present. An interruption, however, finally dit f come IL was From Mir. Quay. He sai, l. that he noticed that while one of tn strongest speeches was being made in tn . interest of the silver states there was not ' single senator from one Cf those state u present.
 q That makes no difference to me-" Nh Il George interpnsed resignedly. y Tt seems to me" Mir. Quay insisted l- that ;t suggestion should be made tha l- there i~ no quorum present.
 s The vice president directed that the ro |, be called But II senators re~pOnded-tw !" less than a quorum. Just then. however
 MT Dubois of Idaho entered the chamber s making the number F, Mir. Teller als r. came iu, and his name was called, but h t did not respond
 il Mir. NnOrhees then rose and said: "TheI if are but two ways under the constitutio -- by which cumpul>ion can he used in th "a senate of the United States The one is [ N compel the attendance of absent senator the ut her To keep order on the floor of th e senate. ask that the sergeant at arms IT directed to enforce the attendance of al ( sent senators.
 q Mr. Dolph suggested that the rule was
 direct the sergeant at arms in the first il
 stance to request the attendance of senator n and that there seemed to be d very grei |. diversity of opinion whether, if the reque d were not complied with. there was pow V to compel attendance.
 .e The vice president directed that the I'll I he read. In the meantime other Senato o, came into the chamber. asked that the T names be called, and they responded. I'll number present was then announced as