Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-04-14
WILL COUNT A QUORUM
Democrats Decide to Stop Fur
 ther Filibustering.
HAD A LIVELY TIME IN CAUCUS,

AAD a L1NbI1 11mh IN UAUUUSi Committee Appointed to Frame a Rule
 to Provide For the Recording of Members
 Present and Not VOtIns-Objections to
 "Reedism" Overruled.
 WASHINGTON, April 14.-After heated session of two hours and half the Demo cratic caucus decided by a vote of so to A. to instruct the committee on rules to re- port new rule to ascertain and record the presence of a quorum whether voting or not.
 This is the continuation of the long and bitter struggle that has been on in the Democratic house ever since the end of the fifty-frst congress. When the committee on rules brought forward the proposition to punish members who declined to an swer to their names on roll calls by the imposition of a Sl0 fine for each offense as the solution of the situation with which the house has been frequently confronted when it was deadlocked by the refusal of the Republicans to respond to their names, a great deal of opposition was manifested to it on the part of various Democrats.
 Some of them did not believe that such a method would prove effective, and they | insisted that the house should go further than the committee on rules seemed will ing to do and adopt the quorum counting device invented by Mir. Reed in the fifty first congress. Others were not disposed to go even as far as the rule framed on Thursday contemplated.
 Discussed In Caucus.
 The result was that when the Democrats | found they were without a quorum on Fri day it was decided to hold caucus to dis cuss and agree upon some plan. Practi- nI1 ( Hln ,f II house attended the caucus. As soon as it was called to order Mir. Bland presented a resolution directing the sergeant at arms to carry out the provisions of section 4O chapter ?, of the Revised Statutes. by which deductions from the salaries of mem bers should be made for every days ab- sence except on account of sickness.
 This was in accordance with the action of the judiciary committee earlier in the | day. The committee had been charged with the duty of examining the various laws and ascertaining whether the law di- Fecting fines had been repealed by implica- tion. The report was to the effect that the law was in full force. Members of the ju- 1 dietary committee stated to the caucus the | practice under the law in earlier congresses and of the steps to amend and repeal it during the salary grab days. All these at tempts had failed, and the law was now under full force, although it had not been executed for 30 years.
 During the war, when there was neces sarily a great deal of absenteeism by gen eral consent rather than by any mOdifca tion of the statutes, the old custom pre- viously in force, which required each member to certify to the sergeant-at-arms the number of days he had been absent and the cause of such absence, had fallen into disuse.
 This resolution of MT. Bland had no di- rect bearing upon the question of adopting a rule to record the presence of nonvoting members. It was offered as a supplement tary step looking toward securing the at tendance of members. It was aimed di- rectly at the device of absenteeism. After the members of the judiciary committee had made their explanation the resolution was unanimously adopted.
 The Vital Question.
 1 Then followed the fight over the ques- l tion of determining some method by which members who refused to answer to their names should be made to participate in legislation. Several propositions were sub mitted. The resolution which contained the rule reported from the committee on rules on Thursday, however, was not one of them. By general consent it seemed to be regarded cumbrous and perhaps lacking in effectiveness, and there was no 1 disposition on the part of the caucus to urge it as a solution of the problem.
 Mir. Springer brought forward the rule 1 which he introduced some time ago and | framed on the lines of the old rule drawn some F years ago by ]. Randolph Tucker of Virginia, when the same question was being agitated, which provided that mem bers who declined to vote W hen their names were called should be brought to the bar | of hA hOuSa nd off be 1 portunity to vote upon the pending propo- sitiOn in case of refusal should be recorded as present but not voting"
 Mir. Pendleton of West Virginia offered resolution directing the committee on rules to formulate and present rule to as certain and record the presence of 8 quo rum whether voting or not. Mir Outh- i waite suggested in the form of a resolution d different method of accomplishing the same purpose. His plan contemplated the | appointment of two tellers. on every yea | and nay vote, who should stand at the 1 clerks desk and record as present but not i voting such members as declined to re 1 spond when their names were called. The debate upon thess various proposi- | tions continued for two hours and de veloped 9 wide difference of opinion Speaker Crisp took the floor and made g vigorous speech, pointing out the deplora 1 ble position in which the house found itself on account of continued and persistent absenteeism. It left the house at the mercy of the minority whenever at a wink or nod from MT. Reed the Republicans de | clined to answer to their names He re viewed the legislative situation and the necessity for prompt disposal of business | in the house, and he insisted that some | thing should be done to remedy the evil MT. Crisp was careful, however, to avoid | pointing out any exact line of action, pre- ferring to leave that to the judgment ot the caucus, but he advised against any | precipitOus action. In conclusion the | speaker stated that he believed whatever method the caucus decided upon could be made part of the rules and enforced in | the house.
 MT. Cochran of New York advocated a rule on the lines of the Springer resolution | or for some other means which would per | init the house to do business. Several oth- CTS favored some sort of quorum count | ing device. Quite number of speeches were made in opposition to any and all | rules looking to the counting of memb ! who refused to vote.
 Messrs. Kilgore of Texas, Bryan of Ne braska, McMillin of Tennessee, Wheeler of ] Alabama and Williams of Illinois led this | opposition. During the course of rather hot tempered speech from Mir Kilgore on the subject MT. Bland of Missouri shouted, with an expression of disgust, to the effect 1 that if the Democratic house was forced to resort to Reedism it had better adjourn sine die and go home.
 Mfr. Bryan's speech was both forcible and eloquent. He reviewed the fight made by | the Democrats in the fifty-first congress | against Mir Reed and his quorum count ing device, and he asserted that the ques tion of counting quorum had been made l an issne stIIrnr, in tha Irnitad