The record-union., 1894-01-09
Democrats Succeed in Securing a
Quorum in the House.
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON SPEAKS
ON THE TARIFF QUESTION.
Buildings at the Worlds Fair Grounds
Destroyed by Fire, the Work of Re-
venge of Couple of Tramps Who
Had Been Forcibly Elected From
Music Hall by the Guard on Duty.
Special to the REcoRD-UN1oN.

would be broken and the tariff debate
would begin to-day. The deputies of the
Sergeant-at-A had brought back to
Washington enough members under ar
rest to fill the quorum.
The Democratic leaders say there is
no doubt of their ability to muster a
quorum.
The roll-call was answered to by 179
members.
The members under arrest by the Ser
geant-at-Arms under the resolution of
Saturday are as follows: Brown of Indi-
diana, Cadmus, Fielder and Geissen-
heimer of New Jersey, Leferer and Ran
dali of New Y York, Bum of North Caro-
lima, Childs, Cornish and Fithian of Hi
nois. Laurin and Talbert of South Caro-
lima, Turpin of Alabama, Woodard of
North Carolina, Broderick of Kansas
Gardner of New Jersey, Meiner of Ne
braska, Sherman of New York and
Wo0mer of Pennsylvania.
AS soon as the reading Of the journal
was completed the Speaker recognized
Catchings, to call up the report from the
Committee on Rules.
Boutelle demanded recognition to call
up his resolution to the effect that the
Presidents Hawaiian policy invaded the
rights and dignity of the House. The
Speaker was disposed to ignore him, as
he had done on two previous days, but
this morning Boutelle made point of
order that the Speaker, in attempting to
give precedence to the report from the
Committee on Rules over a question of
privilege, himself invaded the privileges,
dignity and honor of the House, and this
point having been made, the question
must be submitted to the House itself to
determine whether its privileges were
absolutely abrogated.
The startling feature of this point of
order caused great excitement and con-
fusion. Members crowded down about
the Speakers rostrum. Boutelle, in
fierce tones, insisted that his point of
order should be submitted directly to the
House. 1T is notorious" he went on
hotly, that this question which | have
before the House is essential to its dig
nifty. The flagrant acts committed by the
Executive abroad are known to every
member, and it is also known that the
Presidents disgraceful policy had cul-
minated
At this point Mcmillan vainly at
tempted to call Boutelle to order, but the
gentleman from Maine continued more
impetuously than ever. "If my point OF
order does not intervene" he proceeded
to say, then these proceedings can bar
out everything, even impeachment pro-
ceedings; even a message from the Presi-
dent declaring that he usurped the i'm
perial power of the House is absolutely
nanacled."
Speaker Crisp, in ruling on Boutelle's
point of order, went into ali elaborate
discussion of the parliamentary situation.
"In order," he said, ito give life and eff
feet to the privilege of the House to
change its own rules, the rules require
when proposition TO change the rules is
before the House, nothing shall be in
order except a motion to adjourn. If the
gentleman from Maine can invoke the
existing rule to prevent it from proceed
ing to consider change ofrules, then the
House ties itself hand and foot. If the
House feels that its honor and dignity is
assailed by the Speaker, or by the Exec
utive, then the House can vote down this
report and the Chair will recognize Bou-
telle to call up his resolution"
Boutelle tried to continue, but Speaker
Crisp refused to recognize him further.
Bouteile was still clamoring, when Reed
arose to a parliamentary inquiry, desir-
ing to know whether the Speaker refused
to entertain Boutelle's appeal on the
ground that it was dilatory.
The Speaker replied that he had simply
given Boutelle hearing on a point upon
which he ruled on two previous occasions
in the belief that possibly he had some-
thing new to present.
The colloquy between the Speaker and
Reed continued for some. time. The
Speaker then stated that the question had
been a demand for the previous question
on the report from the Committee on
Rules, and a vote was then taken. The
Republicans refused to vote, as they did
last week. Several Democrats, headed by
Sperry of Connecticut also declined to
answer to their names.
The demand for the previous question
on taking up the tariff bill was carried
1S9 to 0-ten more than quorum.
Thirty minutes debate is allowed un-
der the rules.
The preiiminaries having been thus
settled, Chairman Wilson of the Ways
and Means Committee rose and opened
the debate on the tariff bill.
Wilson said the American people had
given this Administration definite in
structions regarding the tariff question.
The bill about to be considered presented
a scheme of tariff reform to be dealt with
according to the deliberate judgment of
the House. Covering so wide field of
legislation, and dealing with so many
subjects, all must necessarily represent
in details some compromise of opinion,
Any bill passed by Congress, under the
present conditions at least, must necessa-
rily represent such compromise. The
great commercial distress which came
upon the country, paralyzing SO many
industries and throwing 50 many thou
sands out of employment, made the task
of reform more difficult, while it made
the necessity for reform more imperious
than ever.
''At what time," said he, could taxes
be lessened with greater justice and
greater humanity than the time when
thousands were struggling for the bare
necessaries of life, and when could we,
with greater timeliness and benefit,
strike some fetters from production and
trade than when production was sup
pressed by burdens and trade hampered
by restrictions? The third difficulty is
the emptiness ofxbhe Treasury. We are
called upon to reduce taxes at a time
when the Governments debts are run
ming so low that the revenues cease to
meet the expenditures. L believe we
cannot better consume the time OF the
House than by giving the story OF de-
pleted Treasury, and placing the respon-
sibility for the present straits where the
responsibility justly belongs. During the
four years OF the last Administration we
plunged headlong from an overflowing
Treasury TO a bankrupt Treasury, and
that, too. without any lessening of the
burdens of taxation upon the people, but
rather by most substantial and oppres-
sive increase of taxes"
Wilson then gave figures showing how
the surplus revenue had been dissipated
since the Secretary of the Treasury under
Cleyeland's first Administration had
turned over a balance OF S0,O00,000.
."The Mckinley bill has reduced the in
'ternal revenue taxes on manufactured to-