The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1896-02-15
REED.s sfRAhae Aer,en. 6

Holds Back the President's MessaSS -
Check Enthusiasm Of Members.
The expected sensational effect of
tho presidents message en- the Vcne-
zuela affair in the house wcs neutral
ICED by delay. It lay for hours on Mr..
Reeds desk Unopened as'd seemingly
forgotttn by the speaker: The house
was very much alive t., the arrival Of
the message, and when it's ihaportance
was whispered about there was a strong
undercurrent of excitement noticeable
throughout the chamber. A debate was
going On AS to whether there shall be
three committees to try the cases for
contested seats or. whether t he old
rule Of one committee to hear all such
cases should be followed.
Speaker Reed refused to break off the
debate md have tho PRESIDENTS mes
sage Iead. aud 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
newspaper extra, before the presidents
warm advocaey Of &he Monroe doctrine
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 rc,cep-
ton dendencd.
Whatever may have been the cause
for delay. the message. although re-
ccived soon after the house met at
noon, was not read until nearly Eve
o'clock:
Ex-Speaker Crisp had in vain On
nounccd that there was a message from
the president in defense of the Monroe
doctrine. This was in answer to an in
timation by Representative Hulick that
the president was too busy duck shoot
ing to attend to business. Speaker
Reed quietetl the applause that broke
out after Mi: Cfisp's fethafhs and h1-
lowed the dreary debate as to the dis
position of the contested-seat cases to
drag along.
Then tho 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 de-
tcrmined 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 despaired of hearing the
message read and gradually thinned
out.
Finally, at about 4: 80, the contested
seat cases debate came to an end and
tho 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 to
the passage:
"Nothing remains but to accept the
situation, to recognize it's plain require
ments and deal with itaccordlngly.'
The democrats smiled at this and
the republicans started hand-c1apping,
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-
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 ha,e de-
termincd of right belonged to Vene-
zuela."
The republicans again applauded
when the clerk finished the message,
and, as he read the signature, "Grover
Cleveland" the democrats Joined in.
Up jumped Mr.. Crisp and Mr.. Nc
Creary. Mr.. Crisp had bill in his
hand, and Mr.. McCreary wanted to
make a motion to refer the message to
VIC SOAAA4ACCCC III AOIcIS IL AAAAAAS "uCA
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
ad journ, 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 20 in
troduce read as follows:
BE 1T enacted by the senate and house
OF representatives in congress assembled.
that the sum of 800 600 be and the same is
hereby appropria ted out of any money in
the treasury not otherwise appropriated to
pay the expenses of q commission to be app
pointed by the president to Investigate and
report what is the true divisional line be-
tween the republic OF venezuela and Brit
1sh Guiana
Mr.. Bax Ironsides, Of the British en-
bassy, sat in the diplomtic gallery
throughout the reading of the mes
sage.-N. Y. World.
Out of Date.
The misunderstanding McKin1eyites
who see in reviving trade and COM
merce only occasion for lamentation
ought to read and inwardly digest
these words of Edward Atkinson.
spoken recently in Boston:
Certain men in the highest positions and
of great Intellectual power still hold to the
medieval fallacy that in the commerce OF
lose. being apparently mentally Incapable
q mastering the simple principles of trade.