The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-24
of the House He realized. he said that il

Immediately revoke them and order the ar
rest OF members, but public exigency some
times required such a course The House
had been deadloclxed for days. The whole
press of the country was full of Ii, and
his presence was needed. He maintained
that when member or Congress was
elected he entered into a solemn contract
with his constituency to leave his private
business and attend 10 the public business
for which he was elected. He then went
on In an impassioned way.
saw gentlemen here" said he, shaking
MS head savagely and lifting his voice un-
III 1t fairly rang through the. hall, dis
obey the rules and commands OF this
that they. had defed the power of the
House. If that is not anarchy and revo-
luton, what is It? Democratic applause.)
We in the House are the fountain source
Of order, the law-making body. Shall we
resolve ourselves into a body Of Anarch-
from yonder gallery. he would be no less
an Anarchist than he who, on this floor,
ases the p9Tsr Of the HpHs css h f
the people of this country are in the throes
OF hunger and starvation" continued Mr..
against him, when they expect US to do
something. to become filibusters and OBJ
purpose is the defiance Of the laws of the
country. We were sent here to do our
duty. time when the cities are thronged
in peace and comfort is not the time when
mob law should obtain here"
CALLED TO ORDER BY BYNUM.
At this point Mr. Bynum called Mr.. Bland
to order, and after being admonished by
the Chair to confine himself to the question
at issue he proceeded to say that since
the deadlock a suggestion that the Speaker
should count quorum had been advanced
by the Democratic side of the House. Quo
rum counting, he maintained, was an in
vitation to absenteesm. 1t was an invi-
"a 70 70 GcI,in nd
dering up and down the earth. He insisted
that 1t was the duty Of the House TO keep
members in their seats. The Democratic
House W and and ought i't'd to do Business. isMtS " 'ne
Il don't think 1t is the duty Of the gen.
tIeman from Missouri" interjected Mr.;
IF that is a lecture" retorted Mr.. Bland,
the people will read 1t to the gentleman
business to his hearts content. Demo
cratic applause) While the opposition" he
continued. has a perfect right to break
the quorum, what spectacle. we present
to the country, with eighty majority, rising
IN our congressional dignity and ,15 deTy1i5Pg the
ceed to business or acknowledge our in
competency. If we don't the people will
from the Republican side.
MT Bland then drifted into discussion
which was being opposed by portion OF
the Democratic majority. in the course of
which he was three times called to order
by Mr.. Coonlbs.
"The difficulty is" finally blurted out Mr.
Bland. that I am too much in order. I
am telling too many plain truths that the
country ought to know" Democratic ap-
THAT is the fact" shouted Mr.. Den
son. Give 1t to the Democrats for row.
EXERCISING MOBOCRACY.
'T thought gentlemen on this side." said
Mr.. Bland, would realize that they could
not afford to be revolutionists and Anarch-
ists 1 say we should either do business
or surrender. Republican applause and
shouts of Give 1t to them.) 1t will be
no outrage for the people TO rise up in a
mob and cast us down. for we are exer-
cising mobocracy here. If this is bad
bill vote it down. If you want more de-
bate bate we, we Will give It to YOU but to stay
eide"
Mr.. Bland then demanded the previous
both sides of the House FOR an opportunity
to be heard he withdrew lit.
Mr.. Reed demanded RECOGNITION in his
own right, and when Mr. Bland offered
him Eve minutes he re, btcd st with scor...
Mr.. Compton secured 1--WE minutes. He
ton The validity of the House warrant
had been challenged, he said, because II
did not contain the names of those to be
arrested. He declared that was in accord
ance with the uniform practice OF the
House and defed anyone to produce a war
rant in which name was Incorporated.
Il have one here" shouted Mr.. Bur
rows, fourishing, a yellow, time-stained
document above his head.
Mr.. Compton dsregarded Mr.. Burrows
in what he had said.
Mr.. Reed denied that he had any recol-
lection whether the warrants he had signed
contained names or not. To him (Reed)
the trouble lay not so much with the war
which the resolution ordering the arrest
had been passed
Mr.. Compton went on to pay a high
tribute to Speaker Crisp, who had signed
the warrant, and Sergeant-at-arms Snow
who had executed it.
the warrant he held, and explained that
1t was issued I'm the Twenty-second Con-
things in order Gaue@bterc @ ~'T n sney 1ld
the name of Sam Houston, the hero of
the war for the independence of Texas
MIR. REED SPEAKS.
Mr. Reed said there were two aspects of
the worthy Of the consideration OF the
House. First the House should proceed in
an orderly manner to transact it's business
even If that business were bringing men,
bers here to constitute a House A great
error had been committed. Members had
been arrested who were present and not
even technically guilty. Besides, all anal
ogy of legal procedure required that the
L
Sergeant-at-arrnS was acting the con-
stable of the House, and his warrants should
show who is TO be arrested. He should not
be armed with q rowing commission Mr.
Bland, he said had charged that members
were acting in an unsuitable manner when
| they refused to respond TO their names. He
| insisted that whether member voted yea
| or nay, or did not vote at all, was solely
| q question between the member and his
constituency.
L did not deny that" interjected Mr.
Bland. Il was addressing those charged
| with the responsibility Of power"
Il shall address myself TO that class"
| retorted Mr.. Reed "in a minute" Qaugh-
ter.) "The Supreme Court" he continued,
had decided a constitutional quorum 10 be a
| present quorum, and the whole difficulty
| here grew out Of the fact that the House
| denied the right OF members constituting a
| quorum by their presence"
Mr.. Kilgore wanted TO know whether AIR
| Reed had not moment before admitted
| the right Of a member to remain silent
Certainly replied Mr.. Reed, sarcastic
ally. 1.-THE trouble with the gentleman is
| that he cannot understand what l say.
Uaughter.) l trust" he concluded, that
| the House will take warning and proceed
| in accordance with the Constitution OF the
| United tSates OF course, after your v0-
ciferation. ii will be difficult, but you should
| be patriotic enough to sacrifice private feel
| ing for the public good. Come back into the
true path" he said smiling, land live hap
| PLY ever afterward"
Mr.. Turner, who replied to Mr.. Reed, d.
rected his attention TO the validity of the
warrant under which members had been ar
rested.
| Mr. Dunn asked whether Mr.. Turner be-
lieved members could be arrested when in
| side the lar of the House