The herald., 1896-01-10
IN THE HOUSE
Inquiry Regarding English Procedure--BiIis
and Resolutions

inquiry keSafo:hI EnRUSu PfoCeuuTo-6iIlS
and Resolutions
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-In the house to.
day, as soon as the journal had been read,
Mr.. Livingston of Georgia, Democrat,
offered the following resolution:
Be it resolved, by the house of represent
atives, the senate concurring, that the
president of the United States is hereby re-
quested to forthwith ascertain whether
treat Britain is advancing her outposts on
the territory in dispute between her colony
iu British Guiana and the republic of Vene-
zuela or is reinforcing the posts heretofore
established, with troops, police or ordnance,
and should the presiden become cognizant
of the fact that the British IN litary or po-
lice force are advancing to invade or rein
force, or since the l7tn day of December
last has invaded or reinforced the posts
formerly occupied within said disputed ter
ritory he demand the immediate with
drawal of said soldiers and reduction of the
police force in said territory o a not greater
number than were occdpying the British
outposts on the aforesaid l7lh of Decem-
Der, 1895.
Livingston asked unanimous consent to
make a brief explanari IN of the resolution,
but Boutele of Maine, Republican, OBJ.
jected. and the resolut on was referred to
the committee on fore gn affairs
The pension Appropriation bill was re-
ported TO the house today. The bill carries
an appropriation of $l4l ,325, 3 20, which
is about the sum appro Driate1 last year
and estima ed by the com missioner of
pensions to be necessary. The principal
change was dropping the legisia i've pro-
vision proposed by W. A. Stone of Peuusyl-
vania, that no pension should be reduced,
suspended or dropped, except for fraud es-
tablished by United States court. The
provision that when an application is re-
jected for informaity and IA pension ee-
cured by subsequent app ication, it shall
date from the first application, was re-
tained, as was the provision that a widow
in est .bishing her claim to pension un-
der he action of June 27, 1890, need not
prove that she is without other means of
support than by her d lily labor, but to
this was added that "she aha prove that
her net income does not exceed $500 per
annum."
Secretary Carlisle today sent to the house
letter transmitting es imates of de6cien-
cies in appropriations amounting to
$4,343.4 .456, required to meet urgent de-
m .nds of the government for the service
OF the current and prior fiscal years. Ihe
more impor ant items include the follow
department. $6O7 ,4S7; war department,
$75,3S1; department. of justice, $3,432, :
266. Some of the details, with The esti.
mates, are as follows:
Completing The survey and re-markinQ
the boundary line between the United
States and Mexico, $4,000; additional
allowances for Nicaraguan canal commits
sion, $4,000; recoinage of uncurrent silver
coins, Sl5c, 400; medals and diplomas,
Worlds Columbian exposition, $4,000;
completing revenue steamer for the Pa.
cific Coast, Sl25, 900; salaries for secre-
tarles and expenses of Uni ed States court
in Indian territory, $2lO,0O0.
RULES OF PROCEDURE
At the beginning of this congress the
house adopted for its parliamentary &C ae
the rules Of the Republican congress with
any changes it might adopt on the recon-
mendation of the committee on rules,
These changes we're reported to the house
by tine committee today, but with one ex-
cepton, are un important. The exception
is the mode of establishing the presence of
quorum, which, after the precedent laid
down by Speaker Reed in the fifty-first
| congress, became most important point
OF parliamentary practice. In the last
congress Speaker Crisp achieved the same
result which Mr.. Reed Obtained, by rule
under which two members were designated
10 note those present and not voting on q
roll call. The committee on rules proposes
a rule introduced by j. Randolph, Vir.
ginia, In the forty-sixth congress. The rule
| is as follows:
whenever quorum fails to vote on
any question and quorum is not present,
and objection is made for that cause, there
shall be call of The house and the SER
geant.at-arms shall forthwith proceed To
bring in absent members. and the yeas and
nays on the pending question shall at the
same time be considered as ordered.
1.-The clerk shall call the roll and each
member, as he answers to his name, may
vo on the rending question, and, after
the roll call is completed, each member