Rock Island Argus., 1894-04-18
FORTY SEVEN NOES
In the House Vote on Counting
aQuorum.
NO EXCITEMENT OVER THE MATTER

Anu the important Change in Democratic
Parliamentary Methods Adopted by .
Majority of l65, Republicans All Voting
Aye and Feeling in the Best of Humor
-Rssd Simply GOodnatured and Not In.
clined to "Crow"-The New Rule.
WASHINGTON, April 1S.-The house by an
overwhelming vote has adopted quorum.
counting rule which for all practical pur-
poses is the same as that which Reed of
Maine inangurated during the Fifty-firs.
congress- and which won for him a world
! wide reputation. Neither undue excite
ment nor tumultuous scenes marked the
| crushing of the old legislative barriers
Reed and the Republicans generally were
In delightful humor over the victory they
had achieved. Those who expected Reed
would taunt and gibe his political adver-
saries were disappointed. When the vote
was taken forty-seven Democrats voted
| against it, but it secured every Republican
vote and carried by a vote of Pig to AZ. The
Populists did not vote on the proposition
| The adoption of this rule, taken in con-
| junction with the decision to enforce the
old law of 1916 to dock the salaries of MEM
| bers absent save on account of sickness,
will, 1t is thought, put an end forever to
parliamentary obstruction.
! First Business in Order.
There was no delay getting at the work.
The new rule was brought forward before
the Journal was read. Catchings had
charge of the matter and he attempted to
arrive at an agreement about the limit to
he set to the debate upon the proposed
1 L.
| tense, although, there wGs neither con-
fusion nor excitement. Catchings sug
! cested an hour and half as a limit for
! the debate, but Wells of Wisconsin, one
of the Democratic opponents of any
/ quorum counting rule, objected strenuous
ly to such brief opportunity for debate.
! He thought, considering the great inn
/ portance Of the question, that at least
day should he given. When Catchings
shook his head at this he appealed to the
committee on rules not to gag Democrats
] who did not agree with them.
/ Wells Makes the Gag Inevitable.
| Finally Catchings agreed to allow the
! debate to so on till p. m, when to the
surprise of all Wells of Wisconsin object
ed, and Catchiags appealed TO the house
| to witness tina: he had tried to afford Il
| iSdStiiibit tiillt lutrc WAS
nothing row TO DO but apply the gag and
it was applied Meantime Burrows. for
| Reed and himself, had offered substitute
simplifying the process of ascertaininC
whether there was n quorum present.
The Republican leaders. except for this
had taken no part in the discussion but
were watching every point vigilantly
CatchinCs demanded the previous ques.
tion on the adoption of the new rule
| Position of the Republicans stated.
! The demand was sustained-1i0 to 100
| Republicans voting in the negative. This
| gave fifteen minutes to each side for de-
bate, and Reed said that so far as the Re
publican minority was concerned the rule
| reported from the committee on rules en-
bodied the principle for which they had
been contending. There might, perhaps,
be some objection to the details of the rule,
| but the principle was the correct one
| Burrows, after stating that the proposed
| rule was substantially the rule of the E'if-
| ty-first congress, withdrew the substitute
he had offered. Before the debate began
| Catchings asked unanimous consent that
those who desired should have an oppor-
| tunity to print remarks in The Record.
"Oh, l object" shouted Boutelle with a
smile. such remarks would make but a
melancholy contribution to congressional
| literature"
| Remarkably Quiet Debate.
The debate then began. 1t was calm.
even tempered, and wholly unlike what
had been anticipated. The Republicans
We're bubbling over with good humor over
the consunimation of their long legislative
struggle and applauded every Democratic
convert to the rule put in practice in the
tlfty-first congress. Catchings gave min
ute to Wheeler-an opponent of the rule.
Reed gave five minutes to Bryan, another
opponent, VINO said that the right to re-
fuse to be counted might be inconvenient
at times, but it was better to be safe than
sorry. hilgore was another opponent,
while eN-Speaker Grow said the principle
OF the new rule was all right, bat its de-
tails were cumbrous.