The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-02-02

W dSlAltSlDL GU al y " OACNrA -
night. the Wilson tariff bill passed the
House. The vote was 2O4 to 140.
The events leading up to it were al
most unparalleled in our annals.
At y O'Clock, after 4 preliminary
si1irmish of an hour over the barley
schedule, the bill was reported to the
House. and the closing speeches made.
Such vast concourse of people as
assembled to hear the final arguments
> had never before been seen within the
Precinct of the nations capitol.
Nothing like it was ever known in
the history of the oldest inhabitant.
For hours before the debate began,
the corridors leading to the galleries
were a surging mass of humanity,
which finally became so great that
men cried out in terror and women
tainted in fright It is estimated that
over 10000 attempted to gain admit
lance TO the galleries of the House to-
May, the seating capacity being about
-, 600. and every available seat was oc-
cupied. Long before the gavel dropped,
the people were lined against
the walls and banked against the
doors. So great did the crush
become that members secured permits
sion TO bring their wives upon the
floor.
Shortly after II O'Clock, the crowds
in the Immense gallery on the north
side of the chamber became so great
there was imminent danger that some
people would be pressed over the --ail-
ing. Those in the corridors KEPT
crushing into the doors and those still
further back pressed forward until tne
stairs and aisles Of the gallery were
literally packed with a mob of restless
impatient men.
In enc of the aisles a fight was
precipitated between two men owe:
the color question. One of he com
batants was a negro demanding his
full rights as an American citizen, and
the other was a white man, maxi lg
, the same claim. This claim included
the right TO stand on the .;ame square
foot Of territory, and as it was too
small for both men race war resulted
The belligerents were hustled from tht
gallery as fast as the obStructing
human wall would permit and com
parative quiet was soon restored.
The crowd at the doors, how ever
continued until Speaker Crisp, whC
had been nervously noting the dan
gerOus packing Of people, interrupted
the roll call long enough to say it wa.
in the interest of safety to human
life that the doorway be cleared
He asked the doOrkeeper of tn,
gallery to clear out some of thos,
who stood in the entrances so as t,
make those already on the inside a.
comfortable as possible, without being
Ain danger. 1t was next to impossible
However, to at once execute this orde
as there was absolutely no room fo
the ejectment of those who had fOunC
entrance to the aisle, but the policemen
kept pressing back the people unit
they had materially reduced the dan
ger.
When Reed, the first speaker. aros
at the last to deliver the final plea 70
protection, the overhanging gal
yleries were black and dense with spec
: tators. Every inch of space upon tn,
floor was taken.
Only ten of the 354 members of tn
House were absent, and many senator
and other distinguished persona ge
were on the floor, and in the gallerie
were Mrs Cleveland, Mrs. Vice Presi
dent Stevenson and other ladies O
eminence and distinction. For tire
hours, were heard the champions o
the two economic systems-Reed, Crisl
and Wilson-whiie their partisans mad
the air vocal with shouts Of approval
The appearance of the speaker of tn
Hc,,..e upon the floor, engaged in de
bare. was in itself a remarkable a
well as an unusual thing. Each of tn
speakers seemed to be in his best form
and the speeches today viii rank amoni
the most brilliant of their lives Whel
last, was lifted on the shoulders of hi
admiring colleagues and carried trium
phantly from the hall amid a scene o
enthusiasm.