St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-04-04
CUBA KEPT WAITING
MIR. BOUTELLE PREVENTED A
VOTE ON THE CUBAN CONFER
ENCE REPORT.
DAY DEVOTED TO DEBATE.
THE GENTLEMAN FROM
MAINE.
AN IMPORTANT RULING BY REED.
He Has Changed His Mind as to
What Constitutes a Quorum of
the House.

WASHINGTON, April 3.-The house today
revived the agitation of the question of Cuban
belligerency in connection with the conference
report of the Cuban resolutions. 1t was not
expected that there would be much debate,
but Mr.. Boutelle by his vigorous opposition
prevented action today and the chances now
are that the debate will run all day tomorrow
Mr.. Hit, chairman of the foreign affairs COM
mittee, in presenting the conference report,
made a temperate speech, in the course of
which he expressed the greatest confidence in
the president, although the resolution, being
concurrent, had no binding effect on the ex-
ecutive. He, in fact, refused to entertain the
suggestion that Mr.. Cleveland might not recog-
nize the belligerency Of the Cubans as result
of the adoption Of the resolutions. In this
connection Mr. Patterson Dem., Tenn.), who
is recognized one Of the administration
leaders, made significant statement
IF the Cubans are united" he said, 'in
the cause Of independence, they are entitled to
autonomy, and if the United States would in
terfere to prevent Spain from acquiring new
territory in this hemisphere, why should we
not interfere to prevent her from retaining
territory by subjugation?'
The galleries of the house were filed in an
ticipation of the renewal of the Cuban debate
in connection with the presentation of the
conference report on the Cuban resolutions,
but the attendance on the floor was smaller
than usual. After some preliminary routine
business had been transacted, Mr. Picker
chairman of the pensions committee, de-
manded the regular order. This being pri-
VAT ha
consideration of private pension bills reported
from the committee of the whole. Mr.. Hitt
chairman of the foreign affairs committee
thought he ought to antagonize these bills If
they would entail debate, in the interest Of the
conference report on the Cuban resolutions
Cuba can wait" replied Mr.. Picker,
while we pass these pension bills"
Mr.. Hit finally agreed to withhold his
motion, If Mr.. Pickler would demand the
previous question each bill as it was
called up. The Democrats insisted that there
ought to be debate, and Mr.. Erdman Dem.,
Pa) promptly made the point of no quorum
on the first bill, with the result that there
were some dilatory tactics on these private
bills, and the speaker was compelled to
count quorum on them.
On one occasion when Mr.. Erdman made
the point OF no quorum, the speaker made
a
quorum, thus deciding that a majority of
the living members was quorum instead of
a majority of the full membership of the
house, point raised In the Kentucky sena-
torial fight. This question has never been
absolutely settled. In the Fifty-irst con-
gress Speaker Reed held that a majority of
a full house was quorum. Mr.. Richard
son called attention to the Importance of the
ruling and asked If the speaker intended to
fp he &c.
gress.
The speaker replied that he did. He ex-
planned that his former ruling was made
hurriedly on the side of safety. After thor
ough examination he had concluded that a
majority of living members was a quorum.
He cited several authorities, among others
that Of Reverdy Johnson.
At 2:25 p. m, Mr.. HIT chairman of the
foreign affairs committee, called I'D the con-
ference report on the Cuban resolutions.
Mr.. Hit moved the adoption of the report
in vigorous speech reviewing the whole
Cuban question. He was several times Wig
orously applauded.
Mr.. Swanson Oem., va.) asked II the res
olutions would carry with them the recogni-
tion of Cuban belligerency. Mr.. Hit replied
that they would not of themselves, but he
had no doubt that they would lead to the
recognition of the Cubans by presidential
proclamation. 81 do not believe" said he
that the president would be so blind to his
duty as to disregard the expressed wish of
the representatives Of the people. I have
heard that the president is the agent of the
people and not their ruler loud applause)
AS Mr.. Hit concluded Mr.. Hyde (Rep.,
Wash.) asked him whether, If the president
refused to take any action on the resolutions
their effect would be nil. Mr.. Hit replied
that he declined to entertain such an hypoth-
esis, a response that was greeted with tu-
multuous applause.
Mr.. Boutelle Rep., Me.) who has steadily
opposed the passage of any Cuban resolutions
then took the floor. He said he had never
regretted his course and he thought his atti-
tude had been vindicated by subsequent
events. This proceeding was a remarkable
illustration of chow not to do it." The res
olutions had no legal effect. They amounted
to nothing. That had been proclaimed in the
senate and was well understood here. Mr.
Hit denied emphatically that 1t had ever
been admitted in the senate that it would have
been impossible to pass the resolutions again
in that body. 1t was admitted that vote
could have been obstructed, but he declared
emphatically that there was in the senate an
overwhelming majority for each and all of
the resolutions.
Mr.. Boutelle, continuing, argued that public
ardor on the question had cooled and the
there was proof of the existence of the
fact of Cuban belligerency. He taunted the
committee with having refused to make the
resolution joint and insisted that it was clear
ly understood that the president did not favor
belligerency He did not pretend to voice
the whole public sentiment of the country
but he did represent the conservative element
that deprecated foreign broils that might
eyeDtuate in a foreign war.
After Mr.. Boutelle concluded, Mr. Smith. Of
Michigan, secured minute in which to read
the declaration of the Massachusetts, Repuo-
lican convention the Cuban question Mr..
Skinner Pop, N. c. closed the debate for
the day with brief speech in favor of the
adoption of the conference report. Without
action, at $40, the house took recess until
o'clock.
At the session tonight eight pension bills
were acted on favorabIy. Mr.. Erdman was at
tackled for blocking pension bills. In his re-
ply he referred to the bills passed during the
afternoon as "a feast spread for deserters and
bounty jumpers"