The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-13
To Clip the Wings of FiIibusters and Sc
cure a Quorum They Will Try to
Fine Those Who Refuse to Vote.
ROYAL BATTLE YESTERDAY
In Which Speaker Crisp Merci-
lessly Clubbed Republicans.
Parliamentary Laws Deliberately ViO-
lated, but to No Purpose, Except to
Revoke Leaves of Absent Members.

WASHINGTON, April 12.--The Democrat
ic managers of the House to-day decided
that the time had come when some effect
i've method should be adopted to force the
Republicans to participate in legislation.
Throughout the last Congress and during
the recent Congress the Republicans have
on frequent occasions deadlocked the House
for days by refusing to answer to their
names, thus breaking a quorum. AS there
was no rule to compel them to vote, and
as the Speaker declined TO adopt Mr. Reeds
expedient of counting quorum without
the authorization of a rule, the House was
constantly at the merry of the minority.
The question of the adoption of some meth
cd to compel the Republicans to vote was
agitated during the last Congress and at
various times during the present session.
Many different plans were offered by differ
ent Democrats. and there were no inconsid-
erable number of them who favored rule
which would empower the Speaker or Clerk
to record as present but not voting the
Republicans who declined to respond to
their names. Mr.. Reed himself has been
constantly fighting to force the Speaker to
adopt the quorum counting device of which
he was the author but there was on the
Democratic side a large and bitter opposi-
ton TO this expedient.
Some time ago a Democratic caucus was
held to consider the matter. but the ext
gency having passed when the caucus was
held nothing came of it. For the last few
days, however, the Republicans have
blocked business, and there was a wide
spread belief on the Democratic side that
this was in pursuance of a preconcerted
arrangement with the Republicans at the
tea of ha tO al hIlSi-
ness with a view TO postponing action on
the tariff bill 1t intimated that quo
rum would hereafter be demanded, not only
on partisan measures, but on the routine
business of the House. Under such stress
of circumstances Speaker Crisp, Mr.. Catch
ings and Mr.. Outhwaite, comprising the
Democratic end of the committee on rules,
decided this morning that the time had
come to act. n resolution embodying a new
rule designed to fine members $40 for re-
fusing to vote was prepared and presented
when the House met. The Democrats We're
| by no means unanimous in their approval
| of it. While the general sentiment of the
| House favored some modification of the
rule to accomplish the purpose desired, a
wide difference of opinion existed as to
| what that modification should be. Some of
them, like Mr.. Cochran, of New York, pre-
| ferred an out-and-out quorum-counting rule
on the line of the amendment to the rules
| offered time ago by Mr.. Springer
while others preferred rule to enforce
| Section 40 of the Revised Statutes, which
| provides for deduction from the salaries
| of absentees for such days as they are alb
| sent except on account of sickness
The Democrats to-day were unable tC
| muster a quorum to act on the new rule
| and finding themselves unable TO proceed
| resolution was offered to revoke leaves
| of absence and compel the attendance OF
| absentees. By a resort to every means
| known to parliamentary law the Republic
| ans succeeded in preventing the adoption
| of this order for six hours and a half To-
| morrow the struggle will be resumed. II
| may be that the Democratic opposition &c
the new rule drawn will result in its
modification or possibly complete Substi-
tuition of some other method to prevent fill
| bustering but there is no doubt that when
the present struggle is over the wings OF
| the filbusters viii be clipped and new
| order of things will be in vogue in the
House of Representatives.