The Portland daily press., 1894-08-14

| bill was passed by vote of yeas 276, nays
II. and the House at 1925 adjourned until
! Wednesday next.
Mr.. REED SPEAKS.
Proceedings In the House Previous to the
Decisive Vote.
| Washington, August 13.-The House
| considered the business reported from
the committee on District of Columbia.
| A bill to establish free library in the
district was discussed. The discussion
| was interrupted by the introduction of
the expected order from the committee
on rules relating to the consideration of
the tariff bill and cognate measures, pro-
posed by Mr.. Catchines, Democrat, of
Mississippi ID 1t provided it shall be in
order after the passage of the order to
move that action of the House request
ing further conference on the tariff bill
be rescinded, and rthe conferees be dis
charged from further duty in connection
there with. The House may agree to the
Senate amendments in bulk, which mo-
| tion will be debated two hours. When
the vote on the adoption and motion
shall be ind ivisable, general leave to
print on the subject is given for ten
days. (2) 1t shall be in order after the
adoption of the order to present in the
| House and consider without reference to
any committee. bills for placing sugar,
| coal, iron ore and barbed wire upon the
free list. Thirty minutes shall be giveE
| to discussions OF each bill, and then tine
vote be taken.
| Mr. Catchings moved the previous
| question, and Mr.. Reed raised point
| of order againstthe resolution.
Speaker-The gentleman will state it.
| Mr.. Reed saidsa portion of the resolu-
tion was not before the House, therefore
| it was not in order for the House to
| pass the resolution. Mr.. Reed explained
| the parliamentary situation from his
standpoint, asserting in the present con-
dition it was possible for the Senate at
amendments to ths .1ill, while the House
was proposing to recede from it's dis
| agreement to those amendments.
Which bill would become law would
puzzle everybody except the persons
who cut the Gordon knots and do not
unite them. He sreinforced his position
| that the House was not ell titled to the
custody of the bill and papers by quot
ing from decision by Speaker Colfax in
| the 38th Congress, where he declined to
receive a conference report proposed to
be made by Mr.. Washburn because the
| House was not entitled to receive it. He
read from Jefferson's manual to show
| the papers i'll the case belonged to the
House assenting to the request for a
conference. This case (Colfax decision)
said MIR. Reed,i is authority for two propo-
| sitions: First, the conference report
must be acted upon primarily by the
body which assents to the conference;
second, that even if the papers were be-
| fore the House, this House has no autho-
rity to act. These two propositions are
| perfectly plain and clear in parliament
tary law. ..rhe statutes of the. bill in case
of disagreement is also equally clear.
admit the action of: the two houses, no
dispute being made, is often irregular,
but never, as far as my knowledge goes,
when the point has been raised and
question presented to either of the bod
les. Recollect the key to the whole situ-
alton is the rule that no House can act
| upon papers not properly before it. If
it were posi- BILE it should be otherwise,
we might see two bodies acting at the
same time upon the same or similar
papers, which cou Id only lead to con-
fusion and discredit to the business
action of both houses. the papers, then,
it being a case of Disagreement are
properly before the Senate, because that
body was the body that first asked for
a.conference. There can be no better
illustration of theewisdom and sound
ness of this than the actual position of
public affairs at this moment. The
Senate said: I'VE will pass your bill If
you will admit our amendments That
was July 8. The House refused the
amendments of the Senate There has
been one conference, which resulted in
disagreement. Another conference is
now pending and is in existence The
| he Of TO
although 1t may be in the custody of the
conferees. Nevertheless that is where the
bill is. The Senatestoday is proposing
action upon it, the House today is pro-
posing action upon it, the House having
fepented of it's bill the Senate having
repented to it's bill also being atsthis
moment; no asserting agreement is
possible between the two bodies, be-
cause each one of them very properly is
ashamed of it's own offspring aud dis
gusted with the offspring of the other.
daughter by Republicans). Now it Is
proposed as that body which has not the
papers, shall proceed to take action and
actually climb over every legal obstacle
to get at nauseous meal set before
them, the nature of which they them
selves have described. Upon my word
never heard of such spectacle in par
liamentary history OF any other. I will not
dwell upon that, because my point is en-
!, | H..
say there can besno bettersexampleso
the absurdity of the doctrine which
that rule contemplates to uphold than
; just this present. It is intended the laws
Of this land shall have the assent of
both houses. Thus far this bill. has, had
the dissent of both. Thus far it has the
. opposition OF both. This House is en-
deavoring to take snap judgment,
ready to take what it has so utterly de-
nounced on all occasions for fear OF
worse.
Mr.. Dunn, Democrat Of New jersey
Mr.. Reed-1he Sem Q, on the other
hand is contemplating so.ae sort of action
on this question. Now suppose that
should happen to be simultaneous; sup
pose the gentleman he an. from New Jersey
sbould MrI succeed in the effort to upSv swallow
what he has been unwilling to look
AT 0aughter); suppose he should adorn