St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-12
SENATORIAL SIEGE.
Continued From First Page.

bill was passed about D o'clock in the
morning. Mr.. Voorhees, said this cpl
| sode in the history of the senate would
result In reforming the rules of the
| body. At the proper time, not in con-
| nectiOn with a heated discussion, he
| would vote for some measure by which
| determination of question could be
| reached. Otherwise this body will
lose its proper influence and standing
before the American people and be-
| fore the world.'
| II believe this body should have rules
| by which to conclude discussion and
| reach vote, higher, more reasonable,
more sensible and more decent than the
rule on which we are entering now,
which is the only one. The opponents
OF this bill will not name any day for a
vote. They will resort to dilatOry
measures to prevent action being taken
at all. Who is to quit? Sir. would
rather be carried from this desk feet
| foremost and
| PUT TO SLEEP
| at my home in Terre Haute forever,
than to yield the principle that tile
majority has right to govern. l stand
here for the highest principle Of fr g
| government known in history. We
| started in here some weeks ago to dis
| cusS the repeal of a bad measure of
| the question of free government. We
nave reached the question of constitu-
! tional government. We have reached
the question whether or not we have a
| government that can administer itself.
| Idle, vapid talk takes place in the
papers in regard to abolishing The SEN
ate of the United States. The senate
can no more be abolished than can the
constitution. for it is great part there
| OF. But 1t can be governed by rules of
Its own making, so as to make it self
acting and proper and reasonable body
of legislation"
Mr.. Voorhees, said when it fell to his
| fortune to manage the pending bills, he
found how powderless he was, italmOst
paralYzed the energies of his mind. He
never desired to be placed in that atti-
tude again, nor did he desire to see any
| other man i'll that position, nor should
he be if he could prevent it.
" am tender of minOrities," said Mr..
Voorhees,. Il would not injure the mi
norIty, but shall the minority govern!
Answer me. Shall the minority govern9
| Somebody has torule; somebody has to
control this government. Shall it be
the minority or the majority? The
senator from Idaho signlfed that pos
sibly they had majority. Then, let US
ascertain that by vote, and we will
submit to it gladly, willingly, if we are
the minority. Will you? NO. Then
the question comes whether we have a
government at all. The question comes
whether the senate can be governed
| at all.
Il stand here tonight not talking COM
promise. l stand Tor the rule of the
majority. A great deal has been said
about compromise in the last week.
have not shared in it. There is mighty
principle involved In this.
And l am going to the end with it,so
far as am personally concerned. If
go down, will 20 down with my flag
nailed TO
| THE MASTHEAD.
eff a compromise is to take place on
the principle that the minority has a
right to dictate, it will be by others. not
by me-nut In the slightest"
MIR. Voorhees, said it had been sug-
geSted 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 in a motion not
provided for in the rules, to proceed to
vote. Il would as Soon." said he,
think OF committing open high treason
or private murder as to commit such a
crime"
Mr.. Voorhees, cited instances recalled
! TO his mind by the complaint that the
! debate on the pending bill had pro-
ceeded at too great length of debate,
which occupied as long as seven months.
and yet certain moneyed classes had
never taken notice of the length of de-
pate i'll the senate until the subject
| touched them.
And now" said Mr.. Voorhees,, sin
! default OF any answer when vote can
be reached, | invoke the spirit of wis
! dom, fairness, patience and manhood
on both sides. and we will proceed. |
have not doubt of the result"
Mr.. Harris (Dem., Tenn, after refer
ring to the courteous treatment all sena-
| tors had received at the hands of Sena-
tor Voorhees,, remarked that if he had
been the VerleSt of martinetS he would
have been powerIess to secure action.
For myself" said Mr.. Harris, land [
know l voice the sentiment of several
senators on this side of the chamber.
who, like myself, will never vote for the
DaSSage of
UNCONDITIONAL REPEAL,
will never ask the senate to adjourn,
nor will vote for adjournment. The
senator from Indiana shall have the
session so far as L can control it, as
we ALL" interpolated Mr.. Jones (Dem.,
Ark. Il know l voice the
sentiment of several senators on
this side, who like myself" said Mr..
Harris, will never vote for uncondi-
| tlonal repeal, and who with myself
would gladly meet upon some reaSona-
bic compromise grOund.iBu if we can't,
you Ito MIR. Voorhees, Will not be an
nOyed by any motions for adjournment.
We will stay with you. [Laugbrer.I 1
am not quite as young as l was forty
years ago, but | will stay here and an
swer the roll call" Laughter.
Mr.. Butler dem, S. CO. said Mr..
! Voorhees, had gone one step beyond the
issue when he said the question now
| confronting the senate was whether the
government should stop, whether the
| senate was capable of Self-goyernment
| rs this country to be impressed with
the conviction that because the repeal
cannot pass the senate" asked Mr.. But
| Ter, There is revolution in the country
| and that the senate cannot govern
| ltSelf?' L submit, in common fairness
to those who are opposing it, that that
conclusion is neither legitimate, logical
nor fair. This bill is not the pivot upon
which the government hangs. That is
not the crucial test of republican in
situations, but the edict has gone forth.
The ukase has gone forth; the
| IMPERIAL EDICT
has been given to the world that this
measure must pass and the country's
government must step until it does
pass and we must perhaps obey. For
one, l will not obey. For one, will
not obey as long as I have the power
under the constitution to express my
| disobedience."
Mr.. Butler referred to the bill to
repeal the federal election laws and
asked why action was not taken on
that. He close his speech with an
appeal for compromise.
Mr.. Dolph Rep.. Or.,) read from the
Congressional Record extracts from the
debate on the federal election bill some
years ago, to show that those on the
Democratic side had not ALWAYS been
willing for the majority to rule. The
| majority did not prevail on that occa-
| sion.