The Portland daily press., 1896-06-06
Who Objects to Everything Out Of
the Regular Order.
NOBODY KNOWS WHAT Is HIS PUR-
POSE OR WHERE HE is AT.
A South Carolina G o infested Case-Person-
Paragraphs-speaker Reed Will Come
Home Soon After Adjournment.
ESPECIAL TO THE FRESH

ESPECIAL TO THE FRESH
Washington, June 5-The House O
Representatives at the present time is
laborlng under curious difficulty. The
rules OF the House prescribe a certain
routine OF business Each bill must be
referred to committee, must be report
ed therefrom, must take it's place on tho
ilss OF oils awaiting action, and when
acteo on must undergo Ger tain formali-
lies. This routine Is zee ssary to give
edch member fair chance, and each
measure the degres Of consideration due
TO Its Importance. The regular order'' is
the name given to this routine, which is
broken only for highly important privi-
legged matters. and by unanimous con-
sent. Since the regular order is estab-
Aed for the purpose of giving every
member fair opportunity with every
other, it follows that any member may
object to the breaking of this order. I'm
I'll the last ten OF twelve days the regular
order has be en- broken very often to IA
cllltate the passage of monotonous bills
~ s'~A4SAA AsO1O Was LIZ OOICCUtCA. IL 10
also customary to ask unanimous consent
for the reprinting of bills, and other
matters of routine.
member. hesitatss to object to any
thing that fellow member wishes, be-
cause it may cause enmity and retalia.
ton. There have been several cases
where members who have objected on
entirely proper and disinterested grounds,
have found themselves paid back by
having some harmless and really unob-
jectionable measures of their own
knocked in the head by a member who
had treasured his grievance until every
one else had forgotten it.
Mr. Holman, of Indiana, got the title
of ''Obieotor' because he had the grit to
bear the enmities resulting. And in
time, after he had made his reputation,
members recognized that he was a profess
sional objector, and did not feel towards
him as they would towards any amateur
and occasional obJector.
But Mr.. Holman always objected
with discrimination. He prevented
claims and other things expensive for the
government from going through but did
not object for the sake of objeoting. He
undoubtedly did the government good
service. The House now has an indis-
criminate objector. 1t is Mr.. Omer M.
KEN, of Broken Bow, Nebraska, one
of the few Populists in the House, and a
relic of the Simpson-Peffer tidal wave In
that State. This is Mr.. Kems third
Congress. He sits in back seat, and
his demeanor was peace itself until
about ten days ago. 1t is true that his
square jaw, round head, short, thick
nose, red mustache and sandy hair might
have warned members that he was not
dumb, driven beast in the show. Being
farmer and an old member he was
treated very we'll in committee assign
| ments, and it is not probable that any
deep seated grievance against the Speak
er is at the bottom of his performance.
In TACT no one seems to know Just
what did all Kan when. about ten days
| ago, after the Speaker had asked the oft
repeated question, Is there objection? Pr
he arose'and said II object ''The gem
tleman from Nebraska objects, said the
Speaker, the measure was withdrawn
and no one thought more of the matter.
Dub oii1 uo4o tlino tue speaker cdIlou lor
objection, MIR. KEN also objected. So
he did the next time, and from that time
to this whenever the Speaker has said
Is there objection?' MIR. KEN has at
once arisen and said, II object" There,
upon the Speaker has proclaimed COB
Jeotion is made by the gentleman from
Nebraska, Mr.. KEN. /" 1.-THE House
laughed until it grew tired, and then
began to find KEN really serious. Noth-
ing drives him from his post. Entreaties
and Threats are alike useless. Some
Western members tried to choke him off
by bringing up measures in which Ne
braska people are Interested; but he
rounded up his back and objected all the
louder. The day of the tornado about
all the members went out of the hall to
watch the storm. and Mr.. Dingley. the
Speaker pro tempore, declared that bust
ness would suspend. But KEN stayed
at his post and demanded the regular
order.
One day it was discovered during the
reading of 1.-THE journal that KEN was
not at his post. Joy at once reigned in
the House, and the Speaker was besleged
for unanimous consents. A member
was recognized to call up a measure.
is there objection?'' asked the Speaker.
Then Howard of Alabama arose and
said: In the absence Of the gentleman
from Nebraska object KEN was gone,
but be had left brother Popullst TO take
his place. This circumstance has led
some to believe that the objection which
is going on is in pprsuances of plan
formed by the Popullst members of the
House. Yet the plan of indiscriminate
objection is SO foolish it Is hardly con-
ceivable that more than one man should
seriously entertain it.
Usually when a member runs-a-muck
in the House it is because he has some
grievano against the Speaker. But If
Mr.. KEN thinks he is troubling the
Speaker he is making grotesque mis-
take. The last days of session are a
time of horror to Speaker. The mem
ters fairly run over him with their i'm
portunities for recognition to pass meas
ures by unanimous consent Claims, the
distresses of claimants, the desires of
States and cities, all press upon him.
But the moment KEN began to object
the whole swarm left the Speaker and
alta ckeo him. Life began TO be worth
living for the Speaker; and KEN seemed
to look tired. But he merely rounded
his back little more, and continued to
object.
But there is one Irritating feature of
RELIEF IN SIX HOURS.