The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-08

Speaker Read very calmly ruled, "the
motion cannot be entertained at present.
when 1t was stated in newspaper
during the fifty first Congress that mem
bers were seen drunk on the floor" Mr..
Simpson said, THAT was considered q
question of privilege The point which
he now raised, he declared, was one OF
higher privilege and thereupon be pro-
ceeded to read rapidly from an article by
Senator Hoar entitled: "Has the Senate
dsgenerated, +" in which the suppression
of de hate in the House WAS critoise'i.
81 represent large district,' shouted
the kansan, "and the refusal Of the
speaker to appoint the committees of this
House deprives me and my constituents
Of tho right to do business. propose to
rise here and protest against this auto
| cratic dict ation.'
The Speaker had come into Kansas
during the election and had said on the
stump that for four years the Seventh
Congressional district, (Mr. Simpson 's)
had been represented by chaos. When the
Speaker refused to appoint committees,
the House ruled by chaos. II demand
that the Speaker appoint these commit
tees" he shouted.
There was q profound silence when
Speaker Reed began to explain his policy.
He said: "The House will perceive that
the gentleman from Kansas, Mr.. Simp-
son. has made no proposition whatever
upon the subject. He has simply stated
his own views and the chair has thought,
perhaps, IL was best that the matter
should be stated, and that the House
shonld consider it. So far as the Speaker
10 concerned. every one who has made
the subject q matter of consideration un-
derstHnds that his power is solely the
power OF the House, and the House can
at any moment change the condition
which Its representatives see fit to in-
dulSe in. The House has the power at
all times and while by the rules of the
House committees are to be appointed
there has always been allowed to the
Chair a reasonable amount of discretion
as to the time when they should be ap-
pointed. Opportunity was always allowed
to the Chair to find out something about
members SO that he may do the duties
which are imposed uron him In the most
intelligent way of which be Is capable.
1t Is not rare case that the Speaker has
not appointed committees at once. A
Congress which was called together under
circum stances something like the
over by very eminent man, Mr.. Blaine,
and he deolined-not declinei-but did
not see tit to appoint committees.
'sThs matter was brought up in the
House and he gave his reasons therefore
and those reasons were approved by the
House, at least no action was taken by
the House.
There are about one hundred and
fifty new members in the House Under
ordinary circumstances the occupant of
the chair has time from the fourth day
of March until the first Monday in De-
cember to obtain information in regard
to his fellow mem bers; but under the
present circumstances there has heen no
opportunity. We have been called to-
gether in extraordinary session and the
question was, what was the best course
fer us TO pursue. Whether we should wait
In appointing the committees until such
times as would make the appointments
more suitable or whether the douse as
In such condition that that ought to be
done. Now the Chair has had full con-
sultation with the various members as
he has met them upon the subject, and
until this morning he supposed that it
that it was not necessary to appoint the
committees in haste because the public
services did not require it.
The Chair is sorry to see that any
gentleman in the House has lent himself
to the suggestions which are sometimes
maze OUTSIDE OF the House With regard
to the power Of the occupant of the chair.
1t is power that is given to him by the
House for tts purposes and its purposes
alone. not for any selfish purposes not for
him to carry out any personal desires OF
designs Of his own, but to GARY out the
wishes Of the House as he understands
them after faithful and conscientious
examination Of the subject. If the House
thinks that any occupant Of the chair is
not carrying out it's wishes, if not acting
as its representative, the remedy Is In the
hands Of the House at any time; and
the CHAIR oheerfully welcomes any action
on the part of the House whose represen-
tative he is. prolonged applause on
the Republican side)
The House then took recess of twenty
minutes to wait for the return of the
food resolu tion from the Senate. In
twenty minutes it was delivered by the
Senate clerk and the Speaker announced
his signature to 1T.
Then at 1.2o p. m. the House adjourned
until Saturday.
in THE SENATE.
Cuba and the hnod sufferers divided
s., Al mn