Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-01-02
A REPREHENslBLE ACT.
Holds Back the Presidents Message
Check Enthusiasm of Members,


Holds Back the Presidents Message to
Check Enthusiasm of Members.
The expected sensational effect of
The presidents message on the yene-
| zuela affair in the house was neutral
lied by delay. It lay for hours on Mr..
Reeds desk unopened and seemingly
forgotten by the speaker. The house
| was very much alive to the arrival of
the message, and when its Importance
was whispered about there was a strong
| undercurrent of excitement noticeable
throughout the chamber. A debate was
going on as 10 whether there shall be
three committees to try the cases Tor
contested seats or whether t he old
rule of enc committee to hear all such
cases should be followed.
Speaker Reed refused to break off the
debate and have the presidents mes
sage read, and a rumor that he was do
| ing so to gain time to think out what
| the republican plan should be gained
circulation. Mr.. Reed was also charged
| with desiring to allow the members
! time to read the message, which had
come into the chamber in the form CT a
newspaper extra, before the presidents
should be read aloud by the clerk. In
| this way it was reasoned that the mes
sage would soon be an old story, or at
| least the edge would be taken off the
| interest in it's contents and it's recep-
| ton deadened.
l. Whatever may have been the carse
for delay, the message, although re-
| ceived soon after the house met at
| noon. was not read until nearly Eve
| o'clock.
| Ex-Speaker Crisp had in vain an
| nounced that there was message from
| the president in defense of the Monroe
| doctrine. This was in answer to ali in
| timation by Representative Hulick that
| the president was too busy duck shoot
| ing to attend to business. Speaker
Reed quieted the applause that broke
out after Mr.. Crisp's remarks and al
| lowed the dreary debate as to the dis
| position of the contested-seat cases to
drag along.
Then the democrats began to filibus-
ter by demanding roll-calls on all sorts
| of motions relative to the contested
seats until it looked as if they were Ge-
| termined to lave the session end with
out the reading of the message, and to
thus put the republicans in the position
of having set it aside for the day. CIV
| ing to this dreary delay, the crowds in
| the galleries desnaired of hearing the
message read and gradually thinred
out.
! Finally, at about 4:3O, the contested
| seat cases debate came to an end and
| the speaker announced message
| from the president. By that time al
most everybody in the house had read
the message and the clerk proceeded
| without interruption until he came t.
the passage:
Nothing remains but to accept the
| situation, to recognize it's plain require
ments and deal with it accord1ngly."
The democrats smiled at this and
the republicans started hand-clapping,
which gradually grew until the whole
house was applauding. The republic
ans again applauded and were joined
by the democrats when the clerk read:
when such report is made and ac-
cepted it will, in my opinion, Ee the
duty of the United States to resist by
every means in it's power as willful
aggression upon it's rights and interests
the appropriation by Great Britain of
any lands or the exercise of govern
mental jurisdiction over any territory
| which, after investigation, we haSe de-
termined of right belonged to Vene-
zuela."
The republicans again appla uded
when the clerk finished the message,
and, as he read the signature, Grover
&c, i0Iro in
Up jumped Mr.. Crisp and Mr.. Nc
Creary. Mr.. Crisp had a bill Il his
hand. and Mr.. McCreary wanted to
make motion to refer the message to
the committee on foreign affairs when
it should be appointed. Speaker
Reed made the reference to the COM
mittee himself, and Mr.. Cannon made
a motion to adjourn. The speaker re-
fused to see Mr.. Crisp, who was waving
his bill in the air, and put the motion to
adjourn, which was carried. The house
broke up with very little excitement,
but the members fingered longer than
usual to talk over the message and the
outlook.
The bill which Mr.. Crisp tried 10 in.
troduce read as follows:
| BE 1t enacted by the senate and house
| of representatives in congress assembled
that the sum Of 900 be and the same Is
hereby appropriated out of any money III
| the treasury not otherwise appropriated Il
pay the expenses of commission to be ap-
pointed by the president to investigate and
| report what is the true divisional line be-
tween the republic of Venezuela and Brit
| iSh Guiana
Mr.. Bax Ironsides, of the British, en-
bassy, sat in the diplomtic gallery
throughout the reading of the mes