Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-03-01
An Exciting Scene on the Floor
OF the House.
A Gentle fCaIl Down" for the Chair
from Ex-Speaker Reed.
And All the While Bland Fails 10 Securing a
Qu.ram.

moved that the House take up tne semi r
age bill, general debate to close st L. NJ.
tomorrow No quorum appeared on the
vote and Bland asked for the yeas and nave.
In the midst of the roll call. inst after the
clerk called Bingham of Pennsy lvani',
johnson DEM of Ohio rose to point Of
orler. lie said that the rules required that
when q members name was called he should
vote. lie made point against the gentle
mao whose name was jnst called, that he
had not obeyed the rule.
Speaker--The rules forbid roll call
from being interferef with.
.Johnson-Very well, will reserve the
point.
Before the result Of the vote was an
nounced Livingston said he desired to sub
init motion Rule x, he said, required
members present, unless excused to vote
upon everv proposition presented to the
Honse. Thel gentleman from New York
York Tracey refused to vote and he de-
manded that he be brought before the bar
Of the House and expl4in his refusal.
.Jnhnson sail he had list of members
who had violated the rule, and he offeredto
send il TO the desk. The Speaker stated
that the rule was we'll known, but the Chair
could not enforce the rule otherwise than
bv appealing TO the members to observe it.
The Chair was but the organ of the House
and would never make rules unless author
lied and directed by the House. Ap-
rlause.1 .Hoaner argu Il in support of
l.ivingston's motion.
The Speaker stated that under the rules
il was his duty to announce the result of
the vote. IL showed that no quorum was
present. and in answer 10 Johnson, he added
That gcntl. nan could not interrupt a roll
call az he proposed to do. Nor could he
be heard at the close of Il roll call.
The result of the vote was announced
yeas. 100; nays, :, five short Of a quorum.
It was sail that five supporters of Bland
failed to get their votes 10 because they
were not in the hall of the House when
called. Clancy and Magner of New York,
who had heretofore refraired from voting,
voted in favor of the proposition.
A cal of the House was ordered and then
the motion was carried dispensing With fur
Their proceedings under the call. Bland re
ncwfd his motion and the yeas and nays
were called and a quorum obtained on the
second call of the roll. Tracey DEM of
New York voted aye, amid slight applause
from the Democratic side, bis purpose be-
ing to move reconsideration. The an
nouncement of the vote by the Speaker,
III yeas to nays, evoked hearty applause
from the Democrats and Populists.
The following Republicans voted with
the Democrats and populists in the aflirma
tive: Aiken, Powers, Broderick, Doolttle
Ellis. Funston, Hartman, Hermann. Hill
horn, Lacey, Lucas Marsh, Picker, Settle,
Sseet-l5. Clancy, Cummings, Hayes,
Magner. Tracey, of New York, Democrats,
voted in the fiirmative-Tracey to move II
reconsideration. The negative vote com
prised Csusey. McAleer. Mutchler, Page,
Pigott, Rush, Ryan, all Democrats.
Outhwa ate and Tracey demanded recog-
milton, the former TO present an order from
the committee on rules limiting debate on
the bill and amendments to two hours, the
latter to move a reconsideration of the vote
iust taken. Cultivate was given the floor
The Speaker stated after putting the ques
ton that Tracey had interposed n motion to
reconsider. Cultivate demanded the pre-
vious question on the motion. bot the yeas
and nays were ordered without division.
After name or two WAS called, Reed
precipta.ed an angry discussion which for
intensity equsled the famous scenes in the
DIST Congress. when he as Speaker was
counting quorums. lie suggested that the
roll call was out of order as it did not dis
close the presence of quorum.
Speaker-By what authority does the
gentlemln from Maine make that state
mput.
Reed am Informed by the gentleman
from New York Tracey that | c kept tally
and it al not show quorum voting
Speaker-'rhe gentleman from New
York is not the keeper of the roll for the
House. Applause, The clerk will pro-
coed with the call,
Reed pcrsis;ing, amid cries of Irregular
order, stated that when member arose
and suggested that sn error had been COM
mitted he WAS entitled to respectful treat
mept from the Chair and House.
Speaker-Uas not the gentleman had
There has been no sugse stion that the vote
was imneached Ivy the gentleman from New
York. If one il msde the Chsir will he
glad to have 1t examined in the interests of
right and truth.
While this coliCQUy was proneedirg,
members rushed down the sisles to the cen
tsr. Cultivate and McMillin asserted that
Tracey accepted the correctuess of the vote
by moving TO reconsider it. His remedy
was to have the vote recapituatad, and
this he failed to do. The confusion be-
came so great. members shouting ut each
other and at the Chair, that the Speaker
suspended proceedings until comparative
order vas restored
Reed stat d that he had been out of the
hall while the roll vas being called. attend
Jog meeting of the committee on rul, $,
at which he was understood that be was to
have an opportunity to be heard on tho or
der reported Trsc informed him that
quorum had not voted, and he felt it biz
duty to call the ats n,ion of the Chsie AMI
House to il, thstths error might be cor
rected, il one was made.
After some rem,rks by others, Tracey
said he KEEP, what he believed was q correct
tllly and il showed only Ia votes. He
would not impesch the accuracy of the Of
fetal count. Whereupon the storm sub
sided and the roll call proceeded.
Reed called the attention of the Chair TO
the fact that the clerk, after calling Talbott
of South Carolina, returned and called
Stockdaie, which he said was out of order.
The Speaker conceded v Ii the gentleman
from Maine and Greeted the clerk not TO
return to name after it had been passed.
0uthwaite's demand for the rrevi rus
question WAS seconded. 20 to To- fhe
friends of the bill applauded the result
In he, .~f ehn npla III