Evening star., 1897-04-10
NOTHING BUT TALK
How the Time of the Session of the
House Was Occupied.
Mr.. SIMPSON As an 0BJECfOR
He and Mr.. Bailey Do Not Agree
as to Policy.
A DRUM NTED

The chaplain had just finished his prayer
| In the House of Representatives today and
| the clerk was about to begin the reading
of the journal of the last meeting when Mr.
Simpson kan) shouted:
| Mr.. Speaker"
For what purpose does the gentleman
| rise?' Speaker Reed inquired.
| ITO make the point that there Is no quo
rum present." Mr.. Simpson replied.
| The Speaker thereupon proceeded to count
i quorum. There were quite as many mem
| bers on the democratic side of the House
| as on the republican, and several democrats
| VITO came in late asked to be counted.
| The Speaker announced, There are 1S1
| members present-a quorum" and the re-
| publicans applauded.
| Then Mr.. Dingley rose to move that when
! the House adjourn it be until Wednesday
next.
Mr.. Bafley's Question.
| Mr.. Bailey Tex.) inquired the purpose of
the motion.
| ''The gentleman is well aware" Mr. Ding
| ley answered. that there is no business to
come before the House until the appropria-
| ton bills are returned by the Senate"
| I've are not inclT ed to insist upon the
| republican party legislating" said Mr Bal
| ley. we feel that the country suffers
when the republican party legislates. We
| have contended this all our lives, and we
| sincerely believe it, We have no desire to
| urge the republican party to make laws
but we desire to understand their policy
| Mr. Dingiey said that the session was
called for a specific purpose to provide suf-
| ncient revenue to carry on the government
| The House had acted on that suggestion
AS the committees lad not been appointed
there seemed nothing else to do.
MIR. Simpson Wants to Know.
Mr.. Simpson called attention to the fact
that the House was proceeding by unani-
nous consent. and added: Il will demand
| the regular order, unless l can be let into
| this
| Ihe Speaker remarked, sarcastically
| perhaps the House would prefer the regu-
| lar ORDER
| Mr.. Simpson wanted to know whether the
| republicans intended to have the commit
| tees appointed this session. and Mr. Dineley
| replied that ne had no authority to answer
| the question; the matter rested with the
| Speaker. Mr. Bailey next took the floor
| he said that if the republican party
| thought it could bring prosperity by in
| cIeasihs taxes and expenditures of public
| money IL acted wisely and patrioticalIy to
| DO no more. If that was all the republicans
| proposed to do the democrats We're ready
10 adjourn as early and as often as the re-
| Eubl1cans desired. We are here ready to
| dlscuss any measures you desire to bring
| up, but believing that nine out of ten of
| ttem would be bad we are ready to heIn
| you II your policy is TO do nothing" he
/ concluded.
He Differed With Ir. Bailey.
Mr.. Simpson did not indorse Mr. BsGey's
| views. The country, lie said, was demanding
| financial legislation. and the republican
| party should be given chance to show
| what it could do, and should not sit idly
| for two or three months He then repea ted
| his recent attack no
| declaring that the members of the House.
| by giving him autocratic power disfran-
| chised the constituents who had elected
| them.
After Mr.. Simpson had subsided the
| House drifted into a somewhat perfunctory
| political discussion.
| Mr.. McRae CArk.) called attention to the
platform promises of the two parties con-
| cerning Armenia, Cuba and the restriction
| OF immigration. 1T is time for the Ameri-
| can Congress to say in no uncertain voice
| that 1t is time to recognize the Cuban in
| surgents as belligerents, and for American
! citizens to be released from Spanish pris-
| ons. If at the cannons mouth" he shouted.
Mr.. Walker Wanted Financial Legfs-
lntion.
! Mr.. Walker (Mass) believed it to be the
| sentiment of 90 out of 100 citizens that
| Congress should provide revenue for the
| government by tariff revision before doing
| anything else. But there was demand
| throughout the country. which had been
! voiced by the Indianapolis conference and
| other bodies. for financial legislation. The
| House should not adjourn without taking
| steps for such legislation 1t should
| through special committee or by some
| other means, enter upon the preparation of
| some financial plan to be reported TO the
| House when 1t met next December.
| Mr.. De Almond (Mo) protested that for
one he should not forego his privilege of
| criticising the dilatory conduct of the ma
| jority.
Mr.. Cannon 0lI) decried the idea that
| legislation alone could bring prosperity.
| The country wanted Congress to provide
| revenue. then to adjourn and allow private
| business enterprises to have full sway.
! 1t was an open secret that the Senate as
! it was organized could not agree on any
| financial legislation. The country did not
| want to hear the stale nlatitudes of the
last campaign numbered forth in Congress.
! Mr.. Simpson called attention to a para
| graph of the speakers remarks of We'd
nesday, in which Mr.. Reed had said tnat a
! Speaker usually had from the 4th of March
| to the fiji st MCEday in December to eSti-
mate the qualifications of new members for
| committee appointments He thought it an
! assumption for any man to say before a
| Congress met that he would be Speaker
| and characterized it as the greatest case OF
political "soonerism'' on record.
| Mr.. Fleming (Ga) contended that the
| Speaker had no option but to appoint the
| committees. as the House had by the rules
directed him to do So
| MIR. Bailey's Closing Speech.
! The debate for the democrats con-
| cluded by Mr.. Bailey. The democrats
| had SO often been charged by the republ-
| cans with incapacity to legislate. he be-
| gan. that they were tempted TO reply with
| counter accusations. But the temptation
| to win cheap applause should be over
| ruled by higher considerations and the
! democrats should help the republican party
| to save the country from the consequence
| of. what that party would do If it was at
| work. If the republicans should agree up
| on any financial measure it would be one
| to perpetuate The national banking system.
| If the democrats should gcad the majority
| to make the sort of laws they had always
| denounced the country would doubt their
sincerity CIR their honesty and probably
| both. The republicans had said before
| the election thar the country needed only
| the restoration of confidence, which the
! return of the republican party to power
| would bring.
| If they succeeded in restoring prosperity.
| the democratic party might we'll make
no nominations for the next election. If
| the republicans failed. they might as well
make no nominations. He confident
| that they would fail that he wanted to give