The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-27
CRISP TURNS DOWN REED.
The Tilt Arose Over Docking the Men,
bGTS for AbSentGeiSm.

the 5ergeant-at- Arms Has No Au-
shority to Deduct From the Salaries.
Speaker Crisp Shows That the Law
Gives the Sergeant-at-Arms No Au-
thority to Do Anything Else.
Washington, April 26.-Speaker Crisp
to-day again took Reed by the belt and
hammered his head with the speakers
gavel. Ever since the speaker decided to
enforce the rule of docking members on
their salary when absent, ex-Speaker
Reed has been at work to overthrow the
will of Speaker Crisp. He has been as
siduosly spreading discomfort among the
democrats against the enforcement Of
this rule, and has attempted to draw
forth resolution from the democratic
ranks which would permit members to
absent themselves and still draw their
pay. BY this method ne hoped to secure
sufficient democratic votes to carry
the resolution. Failing in this
he forced the resolution from his own
ranks. Representative Mahon, Of Penn
sylyania, was the chosen slave and FORTH
with came the resolution. Every MEM
ber, democrat and republican, was per-
souaffy interested and gathered around
the debaters
Speaker Crisp rose TO the emergency.
and made, so the oldest member of the
House claim, one of the keenost and most
clear cut rulings of his official life. Ho
preceded his ruling with statement
The House had no control over the
salaries Of its members, he said The
constitution provided that members
should receive the salaries provided by
law All the House had ever undertaken TO
do was to provide that the sergeant-at-
arms should keep the mileage accounts OF
members and pay them their salaries as
is provided by law. If the law provided
for deductions from the salaries Of men,
bers, the sergeant-at-arms must comply
with it.
But that Is not the law" interiected
MIR Reed, wherewith the speaker took up
Mr.. Reed, handled him gently for time
and then turned loose his batteries. The
democrats applauded in spite of personal
reasons TO hope for different ruling, and
Mr.. Reed took to the woods.
DETAILS OF THE SESSION
BY the Southern Associated Press.
Washington, April 26.-The usual OBJ
lection was made by the republicans Of
the House TO the proposal for the approval
of the previous days journal, and yea
and nay vote was taken. The Journal
was approved-yeas 227, nays 0; present
but not voting7.
Mr.. Mahon, rep, rising to a question Of
privilege, sent TO the clerks desk and had
read the following:
Resolved, That the sergeant alarms is
hereby directed 10 pay TO members ana dele
gates their salaries on the fourth day Of each
and every month, as provided by law, and
that he shall not deduct any part OF q mem
ber's salary on account OF absence under the
resolution Of Aug 10. 1855 until the absence Of
a member has been duly certified to him
under rule or some action Of this house by
the proper officer TO certify the same
Mr.. Cultivate, dem, of Ohio made
the point that the resolution was NOT
privileged
THE SPEAKERS RULING.
When the debate upon the point of
order had been concluded, Speaker Crisp
uled as follows: THE gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Mahon) submit Is a
resolution which he claims raises n
privileged question. The constitution
says members shall receive salary to he
| fixed by law. Congress has passed law
| fixing the salary of members, and all thai
| this House has ever undertaken 10 do un-
der its rules in dealing with the question
Of salaries is TO provide that thesergeant-
| alarms shall keep the accounts for tho
| pay and mileage Of members and dele
gates, and pay them as provided by law.
When you turn to the law you find that
| the esergeant-at-arms is required TO deduct
f.ar IN o. ~.
those days when they are absent, except
for sickness OF themselves or sickness Of
their families.
Mr.. Reed-That is not the law.
POWER OF THE HOUSE.
The Speaker Gentlemen state that
this is not the law. II is not the purpose
or province of the House oof Representa-
/ tives to determine what Is the existing
! law. This House can make a law, but
| when IL comes TO the construction of o.
| law, that is matter for the courts, aud not
! for the House. The sergeant-at-arms isa
! bonded officer, a disbursiug officer of the
| government; he is charged with the duty
! of executing the House law. If the SER
geant-at-arms should plead the Judgment
of this House as TO whether that law
/ existed or was repealed, the judgment Of
/ this House would have no effect in re-
! lieving him from any liability on his
/ DOuu II inc Judgment Oh bnlb HOUSE WtI9
wrong So that this House cannot con-
tinue the law.
NO INVASION OF RIGHTS.
| Proceeding to discussion of the resolu-
| tion itself the speaker recited its pro-
! visions and continued: What allegation
! is there in this resolution that any right
/ of a member Of this House. or mem bers
/ collectively has been infringed or invaded
/ The chair cannot see any. The chair de-
sires 20 say, in justice the sergeant-at-
arms, that the form of certificate was in
tended 10 put il wholly within the power
Of a member himself TO say whether or
not any deduction should be made under
the statutes. The chair believed then and
now that a disbursing officer of the United
States, who is charged by the law with
the performance of duty in paying out
money, has a right TO make all rea-
sonable regulations, which must be
complied with by those to whom the
money is to be disbursed, before they can
demand its payment. The regulation
which the sergeant-at-arms has made, is
simply to require the member
himself to certify whether or not
under the law, any deduction
should be made. The chair desires to
say further, that the House NAV fully
understand it, that as he now knows the
law the chair would not certify the pay