The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-04-14
DEMOCRATS CAUCUS.
Mr.. BANDS Resolution Docking
All Absent Members.
Was Unanimously Adopted by
Them Yesterday.
TO COUNT A QUORUM.
Resolution of ThatKindAdopted
With Opposition.

wAsHINeroN, April 14.-After q
heated session of two hours and a half
the Democratic caucus yesterday after
noon decided by a vote of so to A to
instruct the committee on rules to re-
port a new rule to ascertain and re-
cord the presence of a quorum wheth-
err voting or not Practically all the
Democratic members Of the house at
tended the caucus
Mr.. Bland presented a resolution
directing the sergeant at arms to car
ry out the provision OF section 40,
chapter ., of the revised statutes, by
which deductions from the salaries of
members should be made for every
davis absence, except on account of
with the action of the judiciary com
mittee earlier in the day 1t was
unanimously adopted
Mr.. Springer brought forward the
rule which he introduced some time
ago, framed on the lines of the old
rule drawn some twelve years ago by
j. Randolph Tucker of Virginia,
which provided that members who
declined to vote when their names
were called, should be brought to the
bar of the house, and after being
given an opportunity to vote upon the
pending proposition, in case of re-
fusal, should be recorded as present,
but not voting"
Mr.. Pendleton of West Virginia
offered a resolution directing the com
present a rule to ascertain and record
the presence of a quorum, whether
voting or not Mr.. Cultivate sug-
gested a different method of ac-
complishing the same purpose
Speaker Crisp took the floor and
made vigorous speech pointing out
the deplorable position in which the
house found itself on account of con-
tinued and persistent absenteeism-
Quite number of speeches were
made in opposition to any and all
rules looking to the counting of mem
bers who refused to vote. Messrs-
Kilgore of Texas, Bryan of Ne braska
McMillin of Tennessee, Wheeler of
Alabama and Williams of Illinois led
the opposition
Mr. Cummings made a speech
against the proposition to count a
quorum, at the conclusion OF wh1c
he sent up to the desk an amendment
to the title of any new rule which
should be reported for this purpose.
so as to make it read: "A rule to
nominate Thomas Bracket Reed for
president of the United States"
Mr.. Bland vigorously spoke against
the adoption of any quorum counting
rule, as he believed it to be an in
alienable right of any member to OPP
pose what he believed to be bad legis-
latiOn- And further that this right
authorizes silence when that is more
effectual than a negative vote In
fact, obnoxious Legislation could often
be defeated in no other way than by
silence Mr.. Bland is the only mem
Der of the Missouri delegation who
voted against the De Almond resolu-
ton. The resolution was in full as
follows:
Resolved AS the sense OF the caucus, that
the committee on rules shall report TO the
house a rule amendment to the rules, by
means OF which members present and not
voting may be taken into account as TO the ex-
isteuce or non-exi.tence of quorum and to
compel the attendance OF absent members
Mr. McCreary of Kentucky moved to
refer all the resolutions to the COM
mittee on rules. The motion was lost,
SO to 65, and OF motion to adopt Mr.
De Armond's resolution it was carried
by a two-thirds majority, sc to A.
This completed the work of the