The San Francisco call., 1896-01-11
AMENDING THE RULES.
Some of the Proposed Changes Defeated
in the House.


Some of the Proposed Changes Defeated
in the House.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 10-The
discussion of the amendments proposed to
be made to the rules of the House by the
Committee on Rules, upon which the
House entered to-day, for a time appar-
emily threatened to extend over weeks
session. But it was only diversion. Hep
burn (R.) of Iowa proposed an amendment
making 1t obligatory upon the Speaker to
recognize a member who addresses him in
accordance with the rule, and said that the
prevailing practice smacked too much of
the schoolmaster in the chair OF the
House
The motion was antagonized by Hender-
son (R.) of Iowa. in charge of the commit
tee report, on the ground that no other
custom was practicable than that which
Obtained ofpermitting the Speaker to de-
termine who should be recognized and who
should not.
Bell (Pop.) OF Colorado expressed his
qualification at Hepburn's motion, illus
trating what he claimed to be the unjust
effect Of the present practice by asserting
that not since the session opened had a
Populist member been recognized by the
Speaker. He denounced the committee
assignments made by the Speaker, de-
scribing the present organization and
management of the House as that of
body Of bosses; a body of tyrrany."
At the conclusion of Bells speech Hep
burn raised a general laugh by dramatic
ally withdrawing the amendment.
Henderson (R.) of Iowa reported the
changes in the rules recommended by the
Committee on Rules, and the House pro-
ceeded to consider them seriatim. The
first amendment was one specifically
directing the clerk to pay officers and
employees their salaries, a provision
adopted from the rules of the Fifty second
and Fifty-thIrd Congresses.
The next amendment struck out the
provision requiring the sergeant-at-arms
to give a bond in the sum of $4,000, ana
was agreed to.
1t was proposed TO amend rule ., in ac-
cordance with the rules of the last Con-
gress, so as to permit the Committee on
Rules to sit at any time and to prelude
any dilitory motion upon the consideration
OF report from the committee (save one
to adjourn) until the report was dis
posed of.
Crisp (D.) of Georgia said that when that
rule was proposed in the Fifty second Con-
gress gentlemen upon the Republican side
expressed themselves earnestly in de-
nouncing it as the methods the Democrats
proposed for gagging the minority. He
was in favor of the rule then, was in favor
of it now, and he only wanted to con-
graduate the Republicans upon having at
last reached that point where they were
willing to admit that a Democratic rule
was proper method of procedure.
Laughter.
Speaker Reed imagine that the feeling
is mutual. [Renewed laughter.
This rule indicated the committees that
had leave to report at any time. They are
those on Rules, Elections, Ways and
Means, Rivers and Harbors, Public Lands,
Territories, Enrolled Bills, Invalid Pen
sions, Printing and Accounts, besides the
committees having charge of the general
appropriation bills.
Walker (R.) of Massachusetts,, endeav-
ored to secure the same privilege for the
Committee on Banking and Currency, and
Bailey ID of Texas, for the Committee
on Coinage Weights and Measures. This
led to a wide discussion OF the relative
importance of the several committees OF
the House, but by an aye and noe vote
of Ill to 1873, they rejected Bailey's amend
ments, Democrats and PopuIists voting for
it, and Republicans generally against it.
On Walkers amendment to insert the
Committee on Banking and Currency, the
vote was: Ayes 112, noes $50. AS in the
former vote, Democrats and Populists
voted for the amendment and Republi-
cans, with few exceptions, in opposition.
The adoption of the proposition of the
Forty-seventh Congress to regulate the as
certainment OF a quorum was discussed
upon legal lines by several lines.
In response to the views of Bailey of
Texas, who maintained that bill must re-
ceive the affirmative votes of majority of
the House in order to pass, Speaker Reed,
who took a brief part in the discussion,
said IL Bailey's position was correct, he
must hold that no bill could pass the
House receiving less than eighty-nine af-
frmative votes. The discussion continued
until 4 :45, when the House adjourned until
tomorrow.