The record-union., 1894-03-30
LIVELY SCENES.
A Reminder of the Stormy Days of
the Fifty-First Congress.
HEATED COLLOQOY BETWEEN THE
SPEAKER AND REED
All the Trouble Occasioned Over an
Effort to Force Vote on the
O'Neil-Joy Contested Election Case
The Democrats Fail to Secure n
Quorum and the Question Goes
to the REcoRD-UNroN.

! House met at noon to-day teveriSh anX-
iety was manifested as TO the fate of the
Bland seigniorage bill. After the reading
of the journal Dockery, from the joint
commission to investigate the eXpendi-
lures in the Executive Department,
formally introduced the bill prepared by
the commission TO improve the methods
of accounting in the Treasury Depart
ment.
The regular order, the Joy-ONeil con-
tested election case, was then taken up.
and filibustering against the seating OF
O'Neil was resumed.
At 1905, while the roll of the House
was being called. Pruden, the Presidents
Executive Clerk, appeared at the bar of the
! House and transmitted the Presidents
special message vetoing the Bland seign-
| forage BILL.
The vote on the pending measure was
| taken, and resulted l54 to 1l-fourteen
short of a quorum. OF the eleven who
voted against the motion, in effect giving
! O'Neil the seat there were sten Demo-
Gratis, as follows: Dearmond, Everett,
Griffin, Hall (Mo.), Morgan, Cultivate,
! Ryan, Sibley, Harter and Warner. Nc
! keighan (Pop.) of Nebraska cast the
| other negative vote.
| Then came more filibustering and Pat
| terson offered a resolution to revoke the
! leaves of absence and instruct the Ser
! geant-at- Arms to take the absentees into
custody. The order, according to the
resolution, was to continue in force from
day to day until vacated.
Reed attempted to make the point that
a quorum was necessary to adopt reso-
luton containing an order in force be-
yond adjournment, but the Speaker over
ruled him. holding that it was plainly
within the power of less than a quo
rum to adopt means to compel the at
tendance of absentees.
The previous question was ordered
! 162 to 2.
Reed took the floor, and in a brief
speech scored the Democratic side, dwell
| ing particularly upon the absurdity of a
proceeding which aimed at procuring a
| quorum by dureSS, and, after one was Sc
cured, left the House powerless to record
his presence.
Something which Reed said evidently
stung Speaker Crisp, who was on the
floor at the time, and when the eX-
speaker sat down Speaker Crisp arose
and said it was not his purpose to enter
into a discussion of the merits of the
question. He only wanted to call atten-
ton to the persistence with which the
leader of the minority (Reed) had called
attention TO the absolute iniquity of the
practice of members in refusing to vote
when their names were called.
"We have been denounced time and
time again." said he, for refusing to
vote.'
II counted you," interrupted Mr.. Reed,
amid laughter.
Mr.. Reed, Speaker Crisp went on, had
placed his party in position when he
made his quorum-counting ruling where
it either had to sustain that ruling or re-
nounce him. 1t was an open secret, he
said, that Mr.. Reed had been unable to
get the Republican caucus to use such
ruling.
II never tried" said Mr.. Reed.
"But," continued Mr.. Crisp, "when
Mr.. Reed had once made the ruling, his
party was forced to sustain him. The
Speaker proceeded to picture the abso-
lutte power of the ex-Speaker over his
side of the House. He described now an
agreement entered into by the minority
and majority of the Elections Committee
had been broken at Mr.. Reeds dictation.
He was the chief supervisor of mis- side.
"It looks as if you needed chief SUPER
visor on your own side," shouted MIR.
! Boutelle.
''What we propose and what you need"
replied the Speaker deliberately, lis in
dependence OF thought [Applause.
There was never and never will be
chief supervisor on this side" Mr..
Reeds whole purpose, he said, was to
force the Democratic side to count a
quorum. All other questions paled into
insignihcance by this overshadowing one
of standardization with Mr.. Reed.
EVERY member should feel his RESPONSE
bility He should vote whether he APP
proved proposition or not. If he OPP
posed it he should exercise the time
honored Democratic privilege of voting
against it; he should not join hands with
the enemy across the aisle" Great ap-
plause.
Reed expressed desire to reply to the
Speaker, but the time had expired anu he
was not permitted TO do SO. He then
asked for a division of the resolution, but
Stone of kentucky, who was in the chair,
ruled that the proposition was not divis-
able.
Party feeling had been aroused by the
remarks of Reed and Speaker Crisp, and
the Republicans began tilibustering with
redoubled vigor. An appeal was taken
from the decision of the Chair by Payne.
Springer moved to lay that motion on
the table.
PAYNE moved to adjourn. This latter
was lost-72 10 81. The appeal was laid
on the table-1T to 6S.
Lacey moved to reconsider, and Payne
moved TO adjourn. The motion to adj
iourn was lost.
The Speaker then stated the motion
made by Lacey to reconsider the vote by
which the appeal was laid on the table
was not in order.
Lacey appealed from the decision of the
Chair The Speaker refused to entertain
the appeal.
Reed. who was standing in the center
aisle. insisted on knowing the grounds
upon which the Speaker declined to sus-
tain the appeal, but the Speaker only
rapped with his gavel and declined en-
phatically to state the grounds of his re-
fusal.
Payne moved to adjourn. and the
Speaker declined to entertain this motion
also.
By this time the mem bers of both sides
were widely excited. Partisan blood was
at fever heat, and for several minutes
pandemonium reigned. From all parts
of the floor members were shouting their
defiances, and several personal collisions
were narrowly averted.
"Shut up =" yelled some one across the
floor, while the Speaker banged his gavel
and ordered all members TO be seated.
The Speaker was evidently determined to
crush the filibustering tactics of the mi
nority.
1.-The question is on the adoption of the
resolution instructing the Sergeant-at-
Arms to arrest absentees," shouted the
| Speaker, land as many as are IN favor OF
it will say aye; contrary, no."
In the midst of the chorus OF voices
that followed, Messrs. Payne, Boutelle
and Reed were on their feet clamoring
! for recognition. The Speaker refused to
recognize them.
Mr. Patterson called for the ayes and