Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-26
The Revenue Bill is Reported by
Chairman Dingley.
A Vote 10 Be TAKEN TODAY
Interesting Discussion on the Adop-
tion of the Special Order.
D E 3 A TIE ON THE ACT

| on by the ways and means committee. great
crowds were attracted to the Capitol and
every available inch Of space in the public
and private galleries. save the sections re-
served for the executive and diplomatic
corps were taken. Most of the members
| who had gone home for the holidays had
hurr.edly returned. and the attendance on
the floor was almost as large as on the
| opening of the session. In addition, many
Senators were present.
Revenue Bill Reported.
Immediately after the reading of the jour-
| nalMr. Dingley, the chairman of the ways and
means committee, reported from that COM
| mittee the revenue bill, which the Speaker
| forthwith referred to the committee OF the
| v hole House on the state of the Union.
| Tne text Of the report of the committee on
| the revenue bill and also the bond bill is
| published on the third page of todays Star.
| Mr. Crisp Ga), the leader of the minori-
| ty. explained that the minority had had no
| opportunity to prepare and file the views Of
| The minority.
| The Special Order.
| M. Henderson Qowa), from the comm ttee
on rules, then presented the special order
| under which the House was to operate. 1t
vas lronclad in its character. 1t provided
| that Immediately after the adoption of the
| order it would be in order to call up the
revenue bill just presented by MIR. DingIey,
| ana lndt the debate should until 3
1 O'Clock, when, without intervening motion
| the vote should be taken on the passage of
the bill.
Mr.. Hcnderson's Explanation.
| Mr. Henderson demanded the previous
| question on the adoption of the order
| which was ordered without division Mr.
Henderson then took the floor ard ex-
planned briefly the urgency which neces-
STATED such summary action Of The House
| nY, mob
| messages of the President he said had
produced the highest degree of restl,ssnass
IN the country. Congress was confronted
with crisis. The business centers az The
country Were staggering under the ftver-
ish declarations from the White House.
and it was of the highest Importance that
! the House should act promptly The
| ways and means committee had preoared
| measure 10 meet the situa ton and the
urgency of the case, and the interests in
| Nolved demanded that action should he
| hao win the least possible delay.
Mr.. Crisp's Remarks.
Mr.. Crisp called the attention of the
House to the effect of the rule under which
1t was proposed 10 operate and asked
| every member to weigh his respon nsibility
| when he voted for it.
Hers was a bill, he said, that affected
every interest and all sections of the coun-
| Try, which 1t was proposed TO put through
| under rule that deprived the members
of any right to offer amendments Ii must
De taken or rejected as a whole. Wha.
| authority, he asked was it on the other
side, which proposed to pass a measure of
such Importance under the crack of the
| party whip without the dotting of an | or
the crossing of T. This rule, he said,
| would chain the House to the wheel of the
| chariot. He insisted that there was no
| necesst ty for such course. Tbs bill was
not demanded by any department of the
| government. There was no necessity for
| increased revenue. He protested against
the use or the whip and spur for its pas
! sage before he opinion of the experts of
| the Treasury Department could be obtained
| as to its effect.
| Mr. DalHell's Reply.
| Mr. Dalzell Pa), a member of the oom-
mittee on rules, said there was no one
who DID not know that we face a peculiar
| eXigency. The President and the Secre-
| tary of the Treasury had both become
alarmed and the President had asked the
| House. notwithstar ding it was opposed TO
| him politically, to come to his aid. The
| treasury was being rapidly depleted and
since the democracy had come into the
| control of the executive branch of the
government there had been frequent bond
| Issues The measure at present under con-
/ sideration was not a general tariff meas
ure, but an emergency bill.
referring to Mr.. Crisp's criticism of
| the cracking Of the party whip he said
| the Wilson bill, with GOO amendments. had
| been passed through the House with but
| two hours debate under a rule reported by
WI. Nlisp himself lie appealed to The
House to rise TO the patriotic level neces-
| sary to meet the emergency and come TO
| the Presidents aid.
Mr.. Mc,IiIIin's Prediction.
Mr.. McMilin (Tenn). also member of
| the committee on rules said the bill was
| a general tariff bill, effecting every article
on the dutiable list, except sugar. number
ing no less than 4ooO Replying to Mr..
Dalzell, he said that the difference was
elaborate hearings before the ways and
means committee before the Wilson bill
was passed. But how different in this
case. The bill had been comoleted on
Christmas day, when the departments
were closed and there was no opportunity
to consult the treasury officials He de-
ciared that there had been no opportunity
even to read the bill. When Esau, he said
sold his birthright, "he had the excuse of
hunger, but this excuse could not be offer
ed in this case, for it was to be presumed
that every gentleman here had at least
had his Christmas turkey He complained
Of the cracking of the party whip but
said, in conclusion. that the same power
which had sserted itself after the Fifty
first Congress would again be heard from
after this exercise of party power.
The Administration Assertions.
Mr.. Turner (Ga) called attention to the
fact that both the President and the Sec
letary of the Treasury (whom he extolled
as the greatest Secretary of the Treasury
since the days of : tlexander Hamiiton) had
given Congress the highest assurance that
there was ample revenue in the treasury.
There a surplus of S1o,0,1,e0 over and
above the reserve-certainly a sufficient
| sum to meet any deficiencies that might
possibly occur during the next two years.
| Both the President and Secretary of the
| Treaslr ry had pointed out the evil in the
| financial situation and its remedy. Every
| be dy understood the stress existing. And
| what was to be the response of Congress?
| Instead of bread, Congress was to give
stone. Before all remedial legislation was
| to be put a proposition to still further
| bleed ana tax the American people.
Mr.. HendersOn's Closing Speech.
| Mr.. Henderson closed the debate in a
speech which aroused the republican side
| to great enthusiasm. This was, he said,
| business matter, for business speech, and
| sfoud be met in a business way. The
publicans We're not afraid to assume re-
sponsibility. Whether the country had
democratic republican President, wheth.