The San Francisco call., 1896-01-12
All the Recommendations Of the
Committee Agreed To
Except One.
WHEELER OBJECTED IN VAIN.
Declared that the Counting Process
Was Unfair and Wholly
Unconstitutional.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 1.-THE
House to-day finished consideration of
the code of rules reported from the Com
mittee on Rules. with the exception of the
one with relation to the counting which
went over by request of Henderson (R.) of
Iowa. Every change recommended by the
committee was agreed to and no PROPOSE
ton originating on the floor was accepted.
The most entertaining part of the day s
discussion was evoked by an amendment
proposed by Curtis (R.) of New York,
which bad to do with eulogies upon de-
ceased members. 1t was advocated by
number of members, but failed of aGop-
ton by a vote OF 81 to 131
Wanger (R.) of Pennsylvania endeavored
to secure a re-enactment of the rule of the
Fifty-third Congress giving the privilege
of the lobby in the rear of the hall to news
paper men, but secured only seventeen
votes in support of his motion. The vote
being short OF q majority gave an oppor-
tunity for the Speaker to count quorum
for the first time In this Congress. There
were 100 gentlemen in their seats and the
Speaker announced that quorum was
present to do business.
The House resumed consideration of
changes in the code of rules proposed by
the committee. At the suggestion OF
Henderson (R.) of Iowa the paragraph
relating to the counting OF quorum when
one fails to vote on any question was tenn
porarily passed.
Wheeler CD of Alabama moved to strike
out the paragraph providing that 'on de-
mand OF any member or at the suggestion
OF the Speaker the names Of members suf-
ficient to make quorum in the hall of the
House who do not vote shall be noted by
the clerk and recorded in the journal and
reported to the Speaker with the names of
the members voting and be counted and
announced in determining the presence of
a quorum to do business" His first OBJ
lection to it, Wheeler said. was that it
was unconstitutional, and if not uncon-
stitutional its operation would permit the
passage OF bill or even the declaration of
war in the House by the votes of less
than a majority OF quorum.
Wheeler's amendment was lost. Several
committee amendments were agreed to-
and the proposition to limit memorial SER
vices over deceased memb bers to a series of
resolutions was voted down-31 to 1S0.
The remainder of the committee amend
mcnts were agreed to, as follows: Making
it possible to change the rules without
previous notice; regulating the pzivilege
of the floor granted to representatives. OF
the press associations, and striking out the
regulation governing the printing of docu-
ments that have been covered in the new
printing law.
A number of unavailing efforts were
made by members to secure amendments
to the rules. Among them was one by
Turner D.) of Georgia to retain the pro-
vision making majority of the whole
membership quorum of the committee of
the whole. This had been the unvarying
rule in the history, save in the Fifty-fr
Congress, when quorum of the commit
tee of the whole was fixed at 100, and that
number is incorporated in the present
code.
AT 3:45 o'clock, on motion of Hender-
son, the House adjourned until Monday.