The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-19
LIVE WASHINGTON TOPICS
CoNGREsSMEN ABUSE THE PRITI-
LEGE OF "LEAVE TO PRINT"

Pages or tho Record FILLED with Speeches That
Wero Never NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Mckin-
ley, Unlike HIS Predecessors, Consuits with
the VIce-PresIdent on Annirs or state.
WASHINGTON, April 1s.-Tho greater part of
tho contents Of the Congressional Record these
days is composed OF bclated revisions of remarks
made in tho House while the Dingloy Tariff bill
was under discussion, or post-mortom observa-
tions on tho general subject OF the bill, which
arc printed by authority of the House contained
in the special order adopted for regulating tho
consideration OF the measure in tho House. 1t
provided hat for twenty days subsequent
to tho final vote on tho passage of the
bill members might print in tho Record
extensions Of remarks made In tho debate, or, II
they 30 desired, speeches, no part of which had
been delivered. This practice of granting
"leavo TO print" has come down to the present
from tho mists of antiquity, as it were, and no
ono now knows its origin. 1t Is and has been
grossly abused, and at times has been tho occa-
sion of animated discussions in the House as TO
tho right of q member to insert remarks ho
never mado In the House.
Representative Wheeler of Alabama holds the
record for expansion. under I" leave to print"
Getting tho floor for a single minute on one oc-
casion, members were astoundcd to see in tho
Record tho next morning that in that minute he
had delivered himself Of about four pages of tho
Record, n space which ordinarily covers an hour
to an hour and q half of proceedings. DR.. Hunter,
q member from Illinois, whose speech on the
Tariff bill appeared last week, seems likely to
give the genial Albanian q close brush for first
place. His post-mortem effort covers twenty
five pages of tho Record, and is believed to be an
unequalled performance In It's line.
The Withholding of speeches for revision, a
practice also sanctioned by hoary-hoaded prece-
dent, is subject to criticism. There is appar-
emily no rule regulating the matter. and the
consequence is that the Record occasionally
fails to fully record the proceedings. A mem
Newspaper new pa p"H report SSr'''o Of Which formed the h
basis Of an attack ~ his opponent in
MED having uttered the remarks attributed
to him and appealed to tho Record to sustain
him, The challenge cha was eagerly K ;g accepted II By This his
gressmen, was covered with confusion at his
failure t., find The alleged speech. The membeS:
aud then calmly pocketed them.
In the old days, of the Congressional Globe the
practice. Among the traditions at the Capitol
is one in which the late Gen; Nai,hanielP T. Banks,
story goes that at ono stage of his career Mr..
Banks was a pupil of a teacher of e%locution in
on tho floor of tho House to practise the art.
Many of these speeches, evidently, he
tho enduring record OF the House proceedings.
After having concluded, he would ask the re-
P Ppjaisr s 10 T a7a 3 10 III him msS sr ss1lsIon from Ph tss
speeches, 1t Is related, ho never returned, and
subsequently, a chestful or two were found In his
room. In those days tho Globe reporters were
paid 81 n column for their work as 1t appeared
In print, and 1t cost them about 81 of this to
ferred that that part Of the tradition which AYERS
that whenever Mr.. Banks rose to speak a groan
traversed the reporters bench is true.
An interesting feature of tho Mckinley Adj
ministration is the warm friendship existing be-
tween President Mckinley and Vice-President
Hobart. The tradition that places the incumbent
of the Vice-Preeidential office in the embarrass-
ing situation OF n man with a big title and bear
ing no relation whatever to tho Governmental
machine. except TO preside over the delibera-
tions Of the Senate. without the right to make q
speech or the power TO vote, has at last been
all during the Cleveland administration that
Vice-presidcnt Adlai stevenson was as much OF
German, and all through no fault whatever OF
Adlai. As A. far fsek as ,d Bueh ona line:
abiest and nd" most popular Southern men in
public life, was Vice President, the occupant Of
inridge was never consulted by Buchanan but
once. and that was in November preceding the
s aiSss Of him mis- for o his opi iaigm'' n Sh To- t fs' w rTsiiasa 81
his Thanksgiving proclamation. Mr.. Stevenson
never had even that honor conferred upon him,
President all during his term. Vice President
Morton was on good terms with President
Harrison. but there was no real intimacy be-
All this Is changed now. President Mckinley
and Vice President Hobart are, the very best OF
friends, and, in a way, companions as well, Mr..
Hobart is n frequent caller at tho White House,
tiers, and the President often asks him up at night
to his private office, where they sit and chat and
important to the country, President Mckinley
not only recognizes the Nice-President as an i'm
portant adjunct of the Administration, hut he
and their relations have been the subject OF
common remark since the 4th OF March; Presi-
gard for MIR. Hobart, and the admiration Is re.
ciproCatcd. The Vice-President has surprised
adapts himself TO the not very easy task of pre-
siding over the Senate in a way to suit every
body. Although a business man, with little or
! no parliamentary experience, he has familiariZed
himself with the rules with surprising 9uickness.
lions in the chair. while at the same time not
forgetting to be impartial and courteous to every
in all his official actions. He almost Invariably
arrives at tho e-President's room in the Som
where he is accessible to all visitors. and he Is
almost constantly in the presiding officers chair
f mn,p Of orc so SSe1 sort Is of n cn sSssTn; tn Of i%e Tprir n
legeS OF debate in tho Senate, MIR. Hobart is
deeply interested In the s~poochmaking, and finds
the tAsk of listening 10 II more congenial than he
anticipated.
There Is much apprehension among army
officers stationed at tho War Department that
another colored cadet may be appointed to West
Point Recalling previous trouble, the prospect
or tho cadet corps being again distinguished by
y black face y not at all pleasant. The Hon.
George II. White. II colored momber of Congress
from North Carolina, has been notified that no
win have a vacancy at the Military academy by
June, 1893, but, as the law provides that candi-
dates must be designated ono yenr In, advance,
Mr.. White must name his boy before the end 2f
follow the practice OF other colorod members
OF Congress who have had vacancies TO
the Government schools, and appoint a boy of
their own race. and II Mr.. White does this with.
out leaving tho selection TO competition. army |
men say 1t will defeat him In his district, as
white Republicans would rebel against such ac-
ton. Mr.. White. 1t ia expected. will probably
appoint n colored boy straight, with another
colorcd lad as alternate, so that, II the principal
fails tho alternate may take tho examination.
II has been several years since n colored cadet
was graduated from. West Point. Two have
passed since 1880, and both were commissioned
Second Lioutennnts. One, however, died, and