The sun., 1893-10-19


Washington. Oct. 13.-The usual meth
ods by which controversies over legis-
lation are settled, by an agreement 10
come to n vote, had failed TO carry,
and the decision of great financial
question resolved into a test of physical
endurance not unlike the games OF the
Romans
This peculiar condition is necessity
under the rules by which the senate
operates. There is no manner in which
a vote can be forced except by the
tiring out of those whose speech-making
obstructs a natural and parliamentary
settlement The method is not a new
one, as 1t has heretofore been resorted
to on numerous occasions.
After some routine business, Mr.. Al
len Pop., Neb) took the floor to con-
tinue his speech.
Continuous Session.
Mr.. Allen was still speaking when,
at 6:05 o'clock, Mr.. Dubois (Rep., Ida
ho) rose and Mr.. Allen yielded to him,
he observed that it was q o'clock,
the hour when the senate usually adj
journed. He asked the senator from In
diana Voorhees) whether he was going
to make the motion this evening.
II feel it to be my highest duty" said
Mr. Voorhees, mot to make that mo-
ton this evening, but on the contrary
to ask the senate to stay together in
continuous session until the pending
measure is disposed of"
Mr.. Dubois said that the statement
of the senator from Indiana meant
that the senate was to be held in con-
tinuouS session until the pending bill
was brought to a vote or until it was
demonstrated that it could not be
brought to vote.
Mr.. Voorhees, said it had been suggest
ed TO him frequently by letter and
| the press to go outside of the rules
and appeal to the presiding officer OF
the senate to sustain him i'll motion
not provided for in the rules to pro-
ceed to a vote. II would as soon, "
said he, think of committing open
high treason or private murder as to
commit such a crime"
Mr.. Allen then resumed his speech,
and from o'clock Cntil II the debate
continued without any unusual features.
Gradually the senators commenced
to vanish, and as midnight approached
less than q dozen senators We're III
their seats. But the thrmderous voice
| of the big Populist from Nebraska
| showed no signs of weakening. OF
the twenty-nine books which he had
stacked up on his desk only three had
| been opened. The remaining twenty
six represented so much stored up
ability to talk against time. Occasional
ly he would relieve himself by having
| the clerk read extracts, and at such
breathing spells mysterious whispered
consultation We're held with Senator
Teller.
At II o'clock Mr.. Dubois arose and
| remarked as he looked about the cham
ber: ''Mr. President, l believe that a
| quorum is not present"
The vice president directed the clerk
| to call the roll. From the cloak rooms
| and entrances the senators crowded into
| the chamber When the roll call had
been completed Mr.. Stevenson an
nounced that fifty-f1ye senators were
present-a quorum-and directed Sen
ator Allen to proceed. The Nebraskan
promptly took the floor again, and the
| quorum as promptly disappeared
through the cloak room doors.
Mr.. Allen began reading from Chad,
wick's political economy. Now and then
he would pause to make a comment on
a striking passage or take a sip from
the dilapidated, overworked lemon thai
| lay on his desk.
At 12:45 a. m. Senator Dubois agaiI
| called the attention of the vice presi
| dent to the fact that no quorum was
| present and in obedience to the elec
| trio signal the occupants of the CLOAK
rooms again filed hastily into the cham
ber The vice president announced thai
| 53 senators-a quoruma-Was present.
Mr.. Allen resumed, and at l q. m
Mr.. Hoar wearily interrupted to ash
| if he was not reading to show thai
there was not an OyerprQduction o.
agricultural products. He wanted 4
know candidly whether the Nebraskal
| did not think his speech was an over
| production.
| Mr.. Allen hotly asked Mr.. Hoar If h'
wanted to insult him, whereupon tht
senator from Massachusetts purget
himself, apologized humb1y and equil
ibrium was restored.
Breaks the Record.
All night long Senator Allen held tn,
floor, interrupted by an occasional i'll
tempered 'colloquy or a roll call, whicl
dragged the sleepy senators to thei
posts.
The gray dawn found Mr. Allen hold
ing the fort in the great struggle agains
unconditional repeal as he had beel
when darkness fell from the wing
of night twelve hours before. He ha'
broken all previous records. For twelv
hours and forty-fiye minutes he ha.
held the floor continuously. The long
est ime q senator had previously occu
pied the fo0r was on the occasion
OF the force bin fight ip 1891, whel
Senator Falkner remained on guard fo
twelve hours. The West Firginial
however, had a two hours breathing
spell during the absence of quorum.
Mr.. Allen seemed almost as fres
as when he began. His voice was sti
loud and strong, and the great strai
seemed not to have affected his phys
ical or mental vigor. The floor abou
him was strewn and Uttered with paper
A few belated spectators in the gallerie
dozed. Senator voorhees, sat in his sea
reading. Senator Mitchell was writin
industriously at his desk. Senator Dl
bois alert and very much awake, occT
pied the sentinel tower for the silver
ties, while to the right and left of hir
Mr.. Caffrey Of louisiana and Gen. Hav
ley of Goilaecticut were fast asleep i
1 Al b1tS tSdk VI Sd1du
ber Senators Quay, Higgins, Lindse
and Lodge were stretched out on th
lounges. Suddenly Mr.. Turpie Of Ind
ana came into the chamber and sougt
to make the point of order that MI
Allen was transgressing the rules G
1lie senate in reading newspaper e1
tract which reflected on the house c
representatives. This aroused some {
his slumbering colleagues, but NJ
Blackburn, who was in the chai
promptly overruled the point Of orde
The senators sank back again to r.
pCse and Mr.. Allen proceeded.
sleepy Senators Disturbed.
At $50 a, "a, Mr.. Wolcott rounde
up the senate again, fopty.eight SCI
ators answering to their names. A
effort was made between 9 and o'cloc
, to reach an agreement to take reces
: from that hour until 10 o'clock. TT
proposition was made to the silver me-
/ who took it under advisement and full
: decided to reject it. They said that tt