The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-04
Only One Man In It
Thomas B. Reed the Colossal Figure in Washington.
Special Correspondence Of the Globe.

SPoSi"A correspondence OF the GlODes
| WASHINGTON, July Speaker
Reed Is still the colossal figure in
Washington. o.. Neither the Hawaiian
treaty nor the efforts to free Cuba
distract public attention from him.
The efforts Of the majority to thwart
MIN are growing feeble. In comparison
to the fight that was made against
MIN In the Fifty-first congress, they
seem puerile. 1t was In this fight that
charles f. Crisp developed his superb
quantities as III a leader. Richard p.
Bland, Missouri, William M. Spring
err or Illinois. John Henry Rogers, Of
ARKANSAS William d. Bynum, of In
diana, and w. G. P. Breckenridge, Of
Kentucky, were l:eutenants who were
forever hanging on the TANKS Of the
speaker and annoying him. John G..
carlisle was prominent in the fight at
the beginning, but his selection as
senator from Kentucky sent him to
the other wing of the capitol, where
he was buried among the senatorial
grandees.
The situation then, though not the
same, was, somewhat similar to the
SITUATION To-Day. In the Fifty-first con-
gress the house of representatives be-
gan business without the adoption of
any rules whatever. In the present
congress its action has been guarded
by the adoption of the rules of the
last mouse. This action gives Mr.. Reed
a leverage which he did not have in
the t1fty-f1rst congress-
Iile adoption of the rules Of the last
mouse In the Fifty-first congress would
nave leTt the house at the mercy Of
Individual hllbusterS The scenes of
Tie flItleth congress, where business
was lnpeued sometimes for weeks.
would have been repeated in the Fifty
first congress-
N the F1fty-first the house was run
ulluer general parliamentary law for
more than two months, but the speaker
CONSTRUED general parliamentary law.
IL was not until Jan. Z, $780, that a
| storm occurred. Louis E. McComas
| OF Maryland, now a judge in the Dis
trlct Of Columbia, moved that the
mouse go into committee of the whole
on the state of the Union for the con
sideratlon of the District of Columbia
appropriation bill, under the rules of
ne ne last house" This action aroused
i ifir tilaJorlty; 1t indicated that the ma
| yoIity intended to use the rules Of the
last mouse when it served their pur-
pose, and to do without rules ana
| trust 10 the speakers rendition of gen
eIaI Parliamentary law at other times
WI. breckmr1dge raised the question
" consideration. The speaker refused
| TO entertain it, saying that such 9
| question could not be raised on mo-
Lion to go into committee of the whoio
| Ihereupon Mr.. Breckinridge renIiad
that 1t was not simply a question or
| gong into committee of the whole, but
also motion for the temporary adop-
Ion OF rules for the government of the
mouse. The speaker insisting upon his
| rulihS, an appeal was taken. His de-
clslon was sustained by a vote of l42
to l20. Mr.. Bland, of Missouri. called
Tor tellers. The speaker ordered them
| and Mr. McComas and Mr.. Breckin
rldge mad taken their places at the
mouth OF the main aisle. when the
| yeas and nays were secured upon the
demand of Maj. Mckinley Then Mr..
McComas moved the previous question
| upon his resolution. Mr. Breckinridge
| being recognized, said: Pending that
demand. move that the house adj
| Journ until Thursday" The speaker
| put the question as motion to adj
Journ, and declared that it was lost.
| When his attention was called to the
TACT that the motion was ito adjourn
until Thursday" he replied that such
motion was not in order, and put
the motion on the demand for the pre-
vious question, declaring that the ayes
had it.
All this was done under general
parliamentary law. The minority was
astounded, but contented itself with
suppressed murmurings. Thirteen days
afterward, near the close Of the DAYS
session, Mr.. Bland moved that the
house adjourn. The speaker put the
question and declared it lost. MI.
q nd Jp6 fnY ,;e;n
bers rose and the speaker counted
them. He announced yeas 81, nays 68.
Mr.. Bland questioned the count, say
ing, Let US have tellers.'' The
speaker replied, There is no provision
for tellers." and recognized Mr.. Hit,
of Illinois. Mr.. Bland insisted upon
tellers, but the speaker refused them.
Then the Missourian demanded the
yeas and nays, and the speaker re-
piled: TT seems to be too late to de-
mand the yeas and nays. Thereupon
Mr.. Hit was recognized and business
proceeded.
Thus in the face of his action on
Jan. Z, appointing tellers, on Jan. 20,
the speaker refused tellers on the de-
mand of the same member. More than
this, he refused to recognize a demand
for the yeas and nays guaranteed by
this clause of the constitution: THE
yeas and nays Of the members of either
house on any question shall at the
desire of one-f1fth of those present be
entered on the journal
Such was the opening Of the great
fight of the minority in the Fifty-firSt
congress. 1t was continued on Jan.
80. The house was still without rules.
Mr.. DalZell, of Pennsylvania, who is
today prominent figure on the floor.
called I'D a resolution reported from
the committee on elections unSeatinS
James M. Jackson, representative
from West Virginia. When the yeas
and nays were called only two of the
minority voted making the vote three
less than a quorum. Speaker Reed,
amid great confusion, named and
counted enough of the minority to
make a quorum, and announced that
the house had agreed to consider the
election case. Among those recorded
as present and not voting was Mr..
Outhwaite. sof Ohio. He shouted: Il
was not present when my name was
called, and: the chair is, therefore,
stating what is not true His name,
however, went upon the list. Mr..
Crisp repeatedly shouted: II appeal
| from the decision of the chair The
speaker paid no attention to him. He
refused to entertain any parliamentary
INQUIRIES until he had named the mem
bers of the minority present He
based his action upon the constitution,
and argued his right to count a
quorum for half an hour. Then he
recognized Mr.. Crisp, who again ap
pealed from his decision, and said: 81
desire to. !. be heard on this appeal"
The speaker recognized Judge Pay
son, of illinois, who moved to lay the
ed: II alaints the right to be heard"
rIvl,. s,,(E5 Jsa III i,.erlied. 1.-THE motion of