The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-02-11
How 1t Is Exercised In The National
House.
SPEAKER MAKES A ssTIME', TRADE
WITH THE MEMBERS.
Some of the Humors of the House-How
Descendant of Maine Family from
the South, Stood Up for Sound Money
Mr.. Wanger of Pennsylvania Addresses
Tremendous Imaginary Audience.


Mr.. Wanger of Pennsylvania Addresses
Tremendous Imaginary Audience.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.l
Washington, Feb. 10-The debate over
the bond bill with it's free coinage
amendment continued all Through last
week and up to the close Of the legisla-
tive day Of Monday of this week under
what is termed general debate in COM
mitree of the whole. All bills involving
an expense upon the people must be con-
sidered in committee of the whole under
the rules. A committee of the whole is
supposed, with its more elastic rules and
with the method of voting whereby no
man can be put on record, to afford
grsater liberty of examination and more
individual independence. The origin of
this committee was in the old days when
the Speaker of the House of Commons
was the creature and spy OF the King.
Therefore, when old patriots wished to
consider questions of supply :the appro-
priation bills of those days-they resolved
themselves into committee of the whole
two kinds of debates in committee of the
whole, general debate where each one
who gets the floor is entitled to an hour
and does not speak again, and five min
utes debate where the man who gets the
| floor speaks five minutes, ard may speak
as often as he gets the floor.
| Last weeks debate was under the gen,
eral debate, which was TO end Monday
| ho five min ufn ho
m after of fact each member does not
speak an hour in general debate. If he
did very few of the 354 members could be
heard. So the chairman, when the mem
ber asks for recognition, drives bargain
with him. TO this man ne says. 81 will
recognize. you if you will conclude your
remarks in ten minutes" 81 must have
more time than that says the member.
''Well, make it fifteen" says the chair
man. So the member must take that or
nothing. A member of committee re-
porting a measure generally gets his full
hour, which he may usB himself or appor
tion out to others. Then men of long
service and special knowledge are consid-
cred by the chairman, and allowed great
or privileges.
| Sometimes a IN an who starts in with
ten or fifteen minutes succeeds in inter
esting the House SO much that his time
| is extended by unanimous consent. This
Was INC Cast Oh SatuFuay Will young
| Towne, who represents the Luluth dis
trict of Minnesota. He is only So years
| old, graduate of tho University of
Michigan, and a lawyer since 1855. He
is free silver Republican. The chair
man recognized him for 80 minutes, but
at the end Of that time he was surround
ed by a
CHEERING, ENTHUSIASTIC BAND
| Iof Gfa
should speak as long as he liked Mr..
| Towne displayed charts TO illustrate how
the value Of gold had risen as compared
with the value of products. These charts
were the work of great German and Eng
lish scholars, and he challenged anyone
to refute them. No one tried it, and for
over an hour Mr.. Towne poured hot shot
into the sound money side. 1t was a
splendid speech and must have shaken
some men.
But Towne was answered, and to
thoughtful minds most effectually. The
answer came from strange source
Who would expect Democrat from be-
yond the Mississippi, and a farmer at
that, 60 stand up for sound money whom
a Minnesota Republican, a graduate of
the University of Michigan, was for sill
YER?
But MIR. Uriel S. Hall, of Hubbard.
Mo-, while q native of that state, comes
of Portland (Me.) family. His father
was Judge William A. Hall, western
congressman, of war times. He himself
is college graduate and studied law,
but devotes himself to farming and poll
tics now. Both Senators, every other
Congressman from Missouri, and the
whole State government of Missouri, are
for free coinage. That adoesn't disturbe
Mr.. Hall at all.
When he started out following Mr..
against being interested in the tall Mis-
sourian. He began by asking Mr.. Towne
a question. ..'sWe will admit, for the
sake of arugment if for no other reason. !"
said he in effect "that the demonetization
of silver by seventeen nations has caused
gold to appreciate. But do you therefore
think that the United States alone can
restore silver to the place whence the
seventeen nations have hurled 1t?''
81 do not" was Mr.. Towne's reply in
substance. "I think if we adopted free
coinage gold would go to premium !;
but / would prefer that to the present
premium of products.
This was the whole thing. Towne.
bolder and more consistent than most Of
the free coinage statesmen, was ready to
face the silver basis.
Then Hall started in. Pretty soon
someone taunted him with having once
been for free coinage. He admitted it,
but said he had found out his error,
Consistency was the greatest hu1nbug
of craftsmanship, and he launched forth
into an eloquent description of the chang
es made by Gladstone as he grew in
knowledge and experience, ending by
pointing to Speaker Reeds chan ge Of
opinion on the quorum rule. Progressive
minds were never consistent. Only the
CHINESE AND TEE LOWER AMI
MAILS
were consistent. (After Mr.. Hall had
closed his speech he arose and said be
found that this remark about the lower
animals had been taken personally by
some about him. He wished to disolaim
any intention of making the remark per-
sonal
The speech was one of the best and was
thoroughly enjoyed.
The evening sessions have IL sually been
very slimly attended The audience was
especially small Saturday evening. Only