The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-02-02
The Wilson Bill Goes Through
the National House
BY SIXTY-FOUR MAJORITY.
A Futile Effort to ReoOmmit the
Measure.
SEVENTEEN DEMOCRATS OPPOSE IT.

The Galleries Crowded to Overlooking by
Spectators Long Before the House Con-
vened-Twenty Thousand Endeavored TO
Secure Admission-soenes Of widest
Enthusiasm During and After the
Speeches of the Champions Of Oppos-
ing Economic Systems, Messrs. Wilson,
Crisp aud Reed.
WASHINGTON, Feb. AT 6 o'clock last
eight, at the conclusion of one of the
grandest, most imposing and most i'm
| preSsive scenes ever witnessed in the
American capital the Wilson tariff bill
| passed the house of representatives by a
vote of 2O4 to l4O The events leading up
! to it were almost unparalleled in our an
mails At 10 o'clock, after preliminary
gkirmish of an hour over the barley
schedule. the bill was reported to the
house and the closing speeches were made
Such vast COnCOurse of people as as
semi bled to hear these last arguments had
never before been seen within the precinct
of the nations legislative capital Moth.
ing like it was ever known in the history
of the oldest inhabitant of the capital
corridors leading to the galleries were "A
surging mass of humanity, which finally
became so great that men cried out in ter
ror and women tainted in fright. II was
estimated that over 10000 attempted to
gain admittance to the galleries of the
house Their seating capacity is about
5000, and every available seat was occu-
pied long before the gavel dropped. The
people were lined against the walls and
banked aga INST the doors. So great did
the crush become that the members of the
house secured permission to bring their
wives upon the floor.
The jam in the Galleries.
| Shortly after the house convened the
crowds in the Immense gallery ON the
north side of the chamber became so great
that there was imminent danger that
some of the people would be pressed over
! the railing into the house below. Those
in the corridors kept crushing into the
doorways, and those still further back
pressed forward until the stairs and aisles
| of the gallery were literally packed with
a mob Of restless, impatient men. In one
| of the aisles "a fight was precipitated be
tween two men over the color question.
| one of the cOmbatants was negro, de
manding his full rights as an American
ci tiZen, and the other was white man
making the same claim. This claim in
cluded the right to stand on the same
square foot of territory, and as it was too
small for both men race war resulted.
The beligerents We're hustled from the
gallery as fast as the obstructing human
T wall would permit, and comparative
order was soon restored.
The crowding in at the doors, however,
continued until Speaker Crisp, who had
been nervuuSly noting the dangerous
packing OF people, interrupted the roll
call long enough to say that it was in the
interests of safety to human life that the
doorway should be cleared. He asked the
= doorkeepers of the gallery to clear out
some of those who stood in the entrances,
so as to make those already inside as com.
, Portable as possible without being in dan
ger. 1t was next to impossible, however
to at once execute this order, as there was
absolutely no room for the ejeCtment OF
e those who had found entrance into the
aisles, but the policemen kept pressing
back the people until they had materially
t reduced the danger that was so very ap
parent
Only Ten Members Absent.
When Mr.. Reed the first speaker arost
at last to deliver the final plea for pro
lection the overhanging galleries wer,
black and dense with the spectators whC
e throrged them, and every inch of space
= upon the floor was taken. Only ten of tia,
354 members of the house were absent
g and many grave and reverend senators
q and other distinguished personages wer
on the floor, while in the galleries wer
d Mrs Cleveland, Mrs Vice President Ste
venson and other ladies of eminence an,
distinction,
Then for three hours the oratory of tn
=, champions of the two economic system
2 followed-Reed, Crisp and Wilson-whil
their partisans made the air vocal wit
e their shouts of their approval. The az
pearance of the speaker of the house upo
the floor engaged in debate was in itself
q remarkable as well as an unusual thing
Each of the. speakers seemed to be in hi
best form, and the speeches which the
delivered will rank among the most bril-
a liant of their lives. When these wer
q finished Mr., Wilson, who spoke last, wa
lifted on the shoulders of his admirin
as colleagues and carried triumphantly froI
10 the hall amid a scene Of unmatched eI
thusiasm.
a. Wilson's Victory Overwhelming.
1tI When it came to voting the victory fC
the measure was overwhelming. Th
Dr vote upon the income tax propositio
(taken in connection with the internj
revenue amendment) stood lS2 to so. Onl
u Republicans voted upon this prop
es sition-7 for and against. The DEM
n cratic opposition amounted to 49, I'll
last effort was made by those Democra
who are opposed to the measure in who
of or in part, led by Mr. Covert N. ~,
recommit the bill but the Republican
r refused TO join in this attempt to scot'
,a the measure, and it ended in a dism
failure But 80 Democrats voted for
OF not even enough TO secure the ayes al
nays,
The vote upon the final passage of Il
bill was a surprise. Amid the most
ne tense enthusiasm Democrat after Dem
of crat who had been counted upon to yo
against the measure-Blanchard Belt