The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-01-17

Over the Bond Bili--Thc Tariff Bill still
In Conntttce--Eced'sQ Quorum Count
ing Rule Modified In the House Miles
Sails into the Adninistratlon-afo Morton
| Tells About the seed s'sindie
Neither house is doing much. The
senate is languidly debating the bond
bill. while the tariff bill still sticks
in committee. and it cannot be
reported while two of the members of
the contradictions of Nevada and
Wolcott of Colorado-vote with the
Democratic members against it. Their
ground of opposition is the absence OF
q free coinage amendment, but Senator
Jones also insists that sugar shall no
be exempt from the increase made ON
| all other schedules except woolens.
Al tcr Jones and Wolcott are brought
into line it is still doubtful whether
votes enough can DO secured IN open
senate to defeat a free coinage amend
ment The sound money Democrats
have decided not to favor loading
down the tariff bill with free silver,
but the revolt against the bill is
spreading ,among the silver Repub-
licans, and it is now declared that
eight Of them will vote against the
bill ON its passage unless silver is put
into it,
The house gave one day, Monday,
to district of Columbia matters and is
now at work on the pension appropria |
tion bill, which gave Cummings of
New York, though Democrat, chance
to lash the administration of the pen
sion bureau which he did to the ut
most Tuesday, declaring it was such
as to causes Union soldiers an
their widows to SILVER with apprehen
sion that they would be stabbed
the back of bureau whe re TIM
should receive only cncomiums and
The house has given some time this
week to the amended rules prepared
by Speaker Reed and two or three of
his Republican associates. The new
code abandons the famous quorum
rule and substitutes for it
an equally effective and very much
fairer measure Under the old rule
the speaker alone was Judge of the
presence of d quorum in the housc,
aud if he SO decided. vote taken t
vas valid, no matter how small the I
number of members recorded as present I
md voting. The fate Of measures thus t
ested in the speakers hands. and :
sc could pass or defeat them in a thin
rouse whenever the point of no quo
um was raised. 10y his ruling on that :
'oint; besides, ii gave the speaker
he best Of opportunities 10 be unjust
o the minority. The pew rule is one
hat was introduced in the 9th congress
Y Randolph Tucker. Democrat from
irginia, and it has the advantage of =
res entiDg vote lodging, while giving
ne minority its full rights. The rule
rovides for call Of the house when
yer quorum fails to vote. and re-
lures every member to vote on the
ending question when his name is
lled. II the cali shows quorum
resent, whether voting or not, the n
,eaker must so declare. and decide /,
10 pending question as the majority
rs determined
The Senate enjoyed lively passage -
tween Prltchard of North Carolina !
I'd Hill Of New York today over the
nsistency of the different parties. be-
re settling down to the serious dis
ssion of the bond bill
An earnest effort TO pass a bill for
voluntary bankruptcy promptly
rough the house is 10 be made by
c committee on the judiciary.
Secretary Carlisle sent reply to the
nate Monday to the PETER resolution
lich asked whether the gold reserve p,
500. 600, coo had ever been actually f|
or set apart from other
rrency in the treasury The secrc
y states that at no other time since Al
: establishment of the so called ~
ID reserve has the sum of 500. 600,
or any other sum been aggregated
set apart from the general cash in
treasury; and that there is no pro
ion of law requiring 1t TO be done.
Secretary Morton appeared before
Mt committee Wednesday TO explain
failure to purchase seeds for dis
oution through the agency of mem
S of congress. which he said was
; to the fact that no responses were
De to his call for bids and n
law forbade his going into III
n market for purchases: but II
would not say. what he III
I'D have done if he had had -