The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-03-06
BLAND WINS THE FIGHT.
A QUORUM MADE AND LOST.

WASHINGTON, Feb 28.-Bland NOV
ed that the House go into committee
of the whole upon his seigniorage bill
aid that general debate be closed at ;
o'clock on Thursday. On this motion
the vote by division was 127 to 49,
Tracey made the point Of no quorum
and the yeas and nays were called.
Before the result of the vote was an
nounced, Livingston (Dem.) of Georgia
said he desired to submit O motion.
Rule 8, he said, required members
present, unless excused, to vote upon
every proposition presented to the
House. The gentleman from New
York Tracey had refused to vote and
he demanded that he be brought before
the bar of the House and explain his
refusal to vote. Johnson (Dem.) OF
Ohio said he had a list Of twenty-five
members who had violated the rule,
which he offered to send to the desk.
The chair stated that the rulo was
we'll known. The chair could not en-
force the rule otherwise than by ap-
pealing to members to observe it. The
chair was but the organ of the House
and would never mako rule unless
authorized and directed so to do by the
House. (Applause.)
Roatner Dem. of Louisiana argued
in support Of Mr.. Livingston's motion.
1t was, he said, an effort to bring q
member to answer to wilful contempt
and violation of the rules. The House
ought to determine here and now
whether or not u member can defy its
rules.
The chair stated that under the rules
it was his duty to announce the result
OF vote. The result was: Yeas 1863;
nays 5; 5 short of a quorum. 1t was
said that five supporters of Bland fail
ed to get their votes in, because they
were not in the hall Of the House when
called. These, in addition to those re-
corded, would have made quorum.
Clancy and Magner of the New York
delegation, who had heretofore re-
Trained from voting, voted in favor of
the proposition.
These proceedings had been watched
with the keenest interest by members,
and especially Republicans, as, having
within them the possibility of history
making. When the chair announced
the vote, however, and the incident
was over, the humdrum of routine was
resumed, and the members who had
been eagerly crowding into the pit in
front of the clerks desk, faded rapidly
away.
Mr.. Bland moved call of the House.
On this motion there was first viva
voce vote, then vote by division,
third vote by tellers-Bland and
Reed ot1iciating-and finally vote by
yeas and nays. The latter resulted:
Yeas 1S9; nays 4. So the call was or
dered. 1t showed 265 members present
and responding to their names. On
the motion to dispense with further
proceedings under the calendar the
Same procedure was followcd-four
separate votes being taken, ending
with the yeas and nays. The call re-
suited: Yeas 1873; nays 3, thus dispen-
sing with further proceedings.
Bland renewed his motion and tho
yeas and nays were called. AS the roll
call proceeded, it became apparent to
many that quorum would be obtained
and members keeping tally crowded
of New York occupied the seat, which
for two weeks past, he has kept tally
with the clerk on roll calls, closely fol-
lowing the responses to the call. When
it was determined that quorum had
been obtained on the second call of the
roll, Tracey voted aye, amid slight APP
plause from the Democratic side, his
purpose being, as afterward appeared,
to move reconsideration. Tho an
nouncement of the vote by the Speak
er, III yeas to I nays, evoked round
of hearty applause from Democrats and
Populists.
Outhwaite Dem Of Ohio and Ira
cey (Dem.) of New York we're on their
feet demanding recognit n, the former
to present an order frC 1 the commit
tee on rules limiting uebate on the
pending bill and amendments to two
hours and the latter to move a recon
sideratiOn of the vote just taken. Outh-
waite was given the floor and the
Speaker stated, after putting the ques-
tion, that Tracey had interposed mo-
tiOn to reconsider.
Cultivate demanded the previous
question on his motion, but the yeas
and nays were ordered without a di-
vision. After q name or two had been
called. Reed precipitated an angry dis
cussion, which in intensity equalled
the scenes in the Fifty-first Congress,
when Speaker Reed was counting quo
runs. The gentleman from Maine sug.
gested that roll cali was out of order,
inasmuch as the last vote did not dis
close the presence of quorum.
The Speaker-By what authority
does the gentleman make that state.
ment?
Reed am informed by the gentle
man from New York (Tracey) that he
kept a tally and that it did not show a
quorum voting.
The speaker-The gentleman from
New York is not the keeper of the roll
of the House. (Applause.) The clerk
will proceed with the roll call.
Reed persisting, amnd cries of "re.
gular ORDER" stated that when mem
ber arose and suggested that an error
had been committed, he was entitled
to respectful treatment from the chair
and from the House.
The Speaker-Has not the gentleman
had it? There has been no suggestion
that the vote had been impeached by
the gentleman from New York. II
one was made, the chair will be glad
to have it examined in the interests oi
right and truth.
While this colloquy was proceeding
the members rushed down the aislea
to the centre, and Cultivate and Nc.
Millin (Dem.) Of Tennessee asserted
that Tracey had accepted the validity
and correctness Of the vote by moving
to reconsider it. His remedy was to
have the vote recapitulated, and this
he had failed to do.
The confusion became so great, mem.
Oers shouting at each other and the
chair, that the Speaker suspended pro
cecdings until comparative order was
restored by members taking theil
seats.
Reed, rcsuming, stated that he had
been out of the hall while the roll was
being called, attending meeting oi
the committee on rules, at which he
understood he was to have an Oppor
fmnitv IN hn boar1 pp tho pc1a, ,o