The morning call., 1894-04-18
TOM REEDS DAY.
Democrats Will Count a
Quorum.
WHIPPED THE MAJORITY.
Very Graciously the Maine Man
Triunphed.
NOW SOMETHING WILL BE DONE.
For Two Months the House Has Been
Idle Because of the Fill
buster.
NOW SOMETHING WILL BE DONE.

to-day by an overwhelming vote decided
to adopt quorlm-counting rule, which,
for all practical purposes, is the same as
that which Speaker Reed of Maine inaug-
urated during the Fifty-frst Congress. 1t
won for him world reputation.
Neither undue excitement nor tumul-
tuous scenes marked the crushing OF the
old legislative barriers. Reed and the
Republicans generally were in happy
humor over the victory they had achieved.
Those who expected that Reed would
charge his political adversaries with their
inconsistency were disappointed. Only
fifteen minutes on side we're allowed for
debate. and Reed consumed part of that
with an arraignment of the Democracy,
but good-naturedy distributed most of 1t
to Democrats who desired to oppose the
new rule. and when his time was ex-
hausted jocularly asked for more time
to dole out among his friends on the other
side, Bryan. Cummings, Wheeler. Kill
gore and Russell being the Democrats who
were thus given an opportunity to protest
against the adoption of the rule. When
the vote was taken forty-seven Democrats
voted against it, but it secured every Re
publican vote and carried by vote of 212
to At. The Populists did not vote on the
proposition.
The adoption of this rule to-day, taken
In conjunction with the decision to enforce
the old law of 1916 to dock the salaries of
membe absent, save on account OF sick
ness. will. it is thought, put an end forever
to parliamentary obstruction. After the
adoption of the rule it only required few
minutes to straighteD out the parliament
tary tangle which the House has been in
for some days, and the House then quietly
proceeded with the consideration Of the
consular and diplomatic bill.
There was very large attendance on
both sides and in the gallery when the
House met to-day in anticipation of the
fight over the new quorum-counting rule.
Catchings from the Committee on Rules
secured recognition before the journal was
read and after Withdrawing the rule re-
ported last Thursday presented one
| agreed upon just before the House con-
vened, the purport of which has been
given in these dispatches. Considerable
sBirmishing among the Democrats about
the limitation of debate followed. Reed
and Burrows saying nothing. but watch
ing the proceedings closely.
After an amendment offered by Burrows
and Reed the Speaker submitted re-
quest for unanimous consent to close the
debate at o'clock. Wells objected. This
ended an attempt at a peaceful agreement,
and Mr.. Catchings was recognized. He
said that all efforts for peaceful settle
ment had failed; there was nothing LETT
but to apply the gag. He demanded the
previous question. The vote was taken by
ayes and noes. The Repu blicans made no
effort to fibuster, but voted in the mega
tive with many Democrats who were op-
posed to the proposed rule or to driving it
through under the lash. The demand for
the previous question was sustained by 40
to 120.
Under the rule fifteen minutes was al
lowed on each side for debate. Hatch
attempted to ask unanimous consent for
further time. but Bynum objected.
Some questions followed as to the manner
in which the time should be divided. In
the course of the controversy Mr.. Reed
stated that so far as the Republican
minority was concerned the rules reported
from the Committee on Rules embodied
the principle for which they had been
contending. There might perhaps be some
objection to the details of the rule, but the
principle was the correct one.
Burrows, after stating that the pro-
posed rule was substantially the rule of
the Fifty-frst Congress, withdrew the sub
stitute which he had offered. Before the
debate began Catchings asked unani-
nous consent that those who desired
should have an opportunity to print re-
marks in tn Record.
"Oh! I object" shouted Boutelle.
with smile. "Such remarks would make
but melancholy contribution to Congress
sional literature"
The debate was then begun. It was
calm. even-tempered and wholly unlike
what had been anticipa ed. The Republ-
cans were bubbling over with good humor
over the consummation of their long legis-
lative struggle and applauded every Demo-
cratic convert to the rule put in practice.
Catchings was recognized and made
two-minute speech. He yielded one minute
to General Wheeler of Alabama. who had
Just enough time to protest against 1t as
antagonistic to the deliberation which
ought to obtain in legislative body like
the House of Representatives. when the
gavel dropped and he was summarily
taken off the floor.
Reed, who controlled fifteen minutes
for the Republicans. at this juncture
yielded five minutes to Bryan. Bryan was
very earnest in his opposition to the pro-
posed rule. This was a matter OF great
Importance, he said. Over half the States
in the Union. including New York, Penn
sylvania, Illinois. Indiana and Ohio. re-
ouired the affirmative vote of majority
of their legislative assemblies to enact
laws. It might be nconvenient at times,
but it was essentially safe plan. 1t was
the safeguard of the minority. 1t gave the
minority the power to compel the concur
renee of majority on any measure. and
while the power could be used for fli-
clustering purposes, after all it was better
to be safe than to be sorry.
Springer, who followed Bryan, cup
ported the proposed rule because, he said,
it would enable the members of the House
to transact the business which their con-
stituents sent them there to transact. A
burst of Republican applause greeted this