The Forrest City times., 1896-01-03
REEDS STRANGE ACTION
hoids Back the Presidents Message f,
 Check Enthusiasm of Memhers


 zuela affair in the house was ne,+,.,I- lzed by delay. It lay for hours on Nh. Reed s desk unopened and seemingly forgotten by the speaker. The hol,se was very much alive to the arrival of the message, and when its importance was Whispered about there W as Ii stronf. uhdercutrent of excitement noticeable throughout the chambsr. \ debate was gong oI as to whether there shall he three committees to try the cases for contested seats or wcether he old rule Of cue committee to hear all such cases should be followed.
 Speaker Reed refused to break off +ne debate and have the presidents mes sage lead, and q rumor that he was eIo- ing so 10 gam time to think out what the republican plan should be gained circulation. Mr. Reed was also charged with desiring to allow the members tune to read the message, which had come into the chamber in the form of a newspaper extra, before the presidents warm advocacy of the Monroe doctrine should be read aloud by the clerk. In thls way 1t 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 re.ep- tion deadened.
 Whatever may have been the cause for delay, the message, although re- ceiyed soon after the house met at noon, was not read until nearly five 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 de- 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 Cw- ing to this dreary delay, the crowds in the galleries despaired of hearing the message read and gradually thinned out.
 Finally, at about 80, 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 to the passage:
 Nothing remains but to accept the situation. to recognize it's plain require ments and deal with it accordingly"
 The democrats smiled at this and the republicans started hand-clappng 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 ard ac- cepted it will, in my opinion, be the
 
 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 have de- termined 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 Mir. Crisp and Mir. Me Creary. Mir. Crisp had a bill n his hand, and Mir. McCreary wanted to make a 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 MT. Cannon made motion to adjourn. The speaker re- fused to see Mir. 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 Mir. Crisp tried 70 in troduce read as follows:
 Be 1t enacted by the senate and house of representatives in congress assembled. that the sum of s10O.000 be and the same is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated to pay the expenses of a commission to be ap- Int ta1 hu 10 nrRSi6pDt iQVeStigate and report what is the true divisional line be- tween the republic of Venezuela and Brit tSh Guiana.
 Mr 2nx I1.onSi1ns of the RritiSh em-