The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-18
TARIFF BATTLEBECUN
Senator Harris Executes His Oft
Repeated Threat.
He Holds the Senate i'm Session Eleven
and Half Hours in an Effort to
Railroad" the Bill.
AN INVESTIGATION ORDERED
Senators Seem Anxious to Purge
Themselves Of Several Charges.
They Provide for an Inquiry Into Al
legged Bribery, Improper Influences,
Sugar Trust Speculation, Etc.

WASHINGTON, May I7.-The Demo
cratic managers Of the tariff bill showed
their hand in the Senate late this after
noon. At o'clock Mr.. Harris. the ma
jority floor manager, moved that the Sen
ate take recess until tomorrow morning,
with the intention of continuing the legis-
lative day and forcing consideration Of the
tariff bill to the exclusion of all other
legislative business. This meant the in
auguration of the policy of duress that
made famous the struggle over the fed
eral election bill. the bill to repeal the
Sherman law and all other big legislative
contests in the Senate. The Republicans
under the leadership of Mr.. Henderson
resisted, vainly protesting that they did
not seek TO delay action on the tariff bill
They used the usual filibustering metho S,
breaking quorum by refusing to vo e,
although certain of their Western co.
leagues declined to joint in the filibuster.
AT I30 motion to adjourn was voted
down by the Democrats. Both sides by this
time had evidently come 10 the conclusion
TO "sit it out" They prepared for a siege
They smoked in the cloak rooms and chat
ted on the floor. Mr. Palmer regaled those
who gathered about him with his inimita-
BILE stories. Occasionally several Senators
would cluster around Mr.. Harris and listen
TO his crisp, pointed and sometimes very
caustic characterization of the situation
About o'clock Mr.. Chandler disturbed the
serenity of things by inquiring whether he
could proceed with some remar,ts he de-
sired to make on the pending bill. Mr.
White replied sarcastically that he could
if he would confine his remarks to castor
oil. Mr.. Faulkner, in the chair ruled that
no arLxc in,
sence of a quorum.
At $40 Sergeant-at-arms Bright submitted
his report, which showed that of the alb
sentees on the roll call ten Senator'S were
absent from the city, two could not be
found, one (Mr MorrilD had declined to at
tend, and nineteen were either present now
or had reported that they would immediate
ly respond to the request. This did not sat
isfy Mr.. Harris. He was in favor of adopt
ing more heroic measures. He moved to
compel the attendance of the absentees.
Nothing was done in the next two hours.
At 10:i0. after sitting for eleven hours
and a half, and after some very snarp
and plain talk on both Sides the Repub-
licans succeeded in forcing an adjournment,
although the battle was i'm reality a drawn
one compromise had been practically
agreed upon before adjournment by which
the sessions of the Senate are TO begin at
10 O'Clock after Monday. Senator's on
both sides of the chamber regard the work
of this evening as the real beginning of the
siege of night sessions and roll calls, a test
of physical endurance on one side and of
resistance the other, which all have
understood from the beginning would be re-
sorted to before the el-d of the tariff de-
bate should be reached. The Republicans
generally assert that they will resist un-
usual hours or extraordinary proceedings,
and the Democrats say that il has become
evident from the long speeches made to-
day and on other days recently that unless
the hours are extended the disposal of the
bill will be indefinitely delayed.
a typewriter paper signed by Senators
Cockrell and Harris, as a subcommittee of
the Democratic steering committee. was
circulated on the Democratic side of the
chamber during the day, urging Democrat
ic Senators to remain in their seats until
the Democratic leaders should decide that
the time for adjournment had arrived.
The paper called attention TO the fact that
on several occasions ii was necessary to
O. clock in the afternoon, and stated the
Importance of keeping a quorum of Demo-
Gratis present as long as the Senate re-
mained in session. The paper was favore bly,
received generally among Democratic Sen
ators, and all to whom it was presented
signified their willingness to occupy their
seats as long as the leaders should think
the outcome Of conference between Sen
ators Cockrell, Harris and Voorhees,. and
was supposed. as afterwards proved, to
preSage an effort to extend the hours of
the daily sessions indefinitely into the
evening.