The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-07

WASHINGTON. Feb. AT s O'Clock
tonight. at the conclusion Of one of the
grandest. moAt imposing and impressive
scenes ever witnessed in the American
capitol the Wilson tariff bill passed the
house of representatives by a vote Of
204 to 40
The events leading M to it were al
most unparalleled in our annals. At i
O'Clock. after a preliminary skirmish of
an hour over the barley schedule. the
bin was reported to the house and the
closing speeches were made. Such a
vast concourse Of people as assembled
to hear these last arguments upon the
great economic issue about to he sub
mitted for final arbtrament To the rep
resentatives of the American people had
never before been seen within the pre-
cincts OF the nations legislative CAPT
toll Nothing like it was ever known in
the history of the Oldest inhabitant of
the capital.
surging Mass of Humanity.
For hours before the debate began the
corridors leading 10 the galleries were a
surging mass of humanity which finally
became so great that men cried out in
terror and women tainted i'm fright. It
was estimated that over 10000 attempted
to gain admittance to the galleries of the
house today. Their seating capacity is
about 5000, and every available seat was
occupied long before the gaveI dropped.
The people were lined against the walls
and banked against the doors; so great
did the crush become Lhat the members
Of the house secured permission to bring
their wives upon the floor.
Shortly after the house convened at
II O'Clock the crowds in the immense
gallery on the north side of the cham
Der became so great that here was i'm
minent 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
Race War Results.
In one of the aisles fight was pre-
cipitsted between two men over the
color question. One of the combatants
, was a negro, demanding his full rights
as an American citizen, and the other
was a white man making the same
claim This claim included the right To
stand on the same square foot of terri
tory, and as il was too small for both
men, a race war resulted. The beIIig-
erents were hustled from the gallery as
fast as the Obsuucting human wall
would permit. and comparative quiet
was soon restored.
The crowding in at the doors, how
ever. continued until Speaker Crisp. who
had been nervously noting the dangerous
packing of people, interrupted the roll
call long enough to say that it was in
the interest of safety to human life that
the doorway should be cleared He
asked the doorkeeper of the gallery tc
clear out some Of those who stood in the
entrances, so as to make those already
inside as comfortable as possible with.
out being in danger. 1t was next tC
impossible, however, 10 at once execute
this order, as there was absolutely nc
room for the ejectment of those who hac
found entrance into the aisles, but tn,
policemen kept pressing back the people
until they had materially reduced the
danger that was so very apparent
When MIR. Reed, the first speaker
arose at last to deliver the final plea foI
protection the overhanging galleries were
black and dense with the spectators who
thronged them. Every inch of space
upon the floor was taken. 1t was bril-
liant, as well as a large assembly. Only
ten Of the 354 members Of the house
were absent; many grave and reverend
senators and other distinguished person.
ages We're on the floor, and in the gal
leries were Mrs. Cleveland. Mrs. Vice
President Stevenson and other ladies OF
eminence and distinction, their dresses
fiecxing the landscape with color.
Reed, Crisp, Wilson.
Then for three hours the oratory oil
the champions OF the two economic sys-
TENS followed-Reed. Crisp and Wilson
while their partisans made the air voca
with their shouts of approval The ap.
pearance of the speaker Of the house
upon the foor engaged In debate was In