The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-02-11
REED ENFORCES THE RULES.
LAYS DOWN THE LAW OF THE
HOUSE TO BAILEY OF TEXAS.
Filfbustering I'm the House Leads to
= Display OF Partisa nship-Noth
ing Hut Roll Calls All Day Long

WASHINGTON. Feb le-The house was
N very bad temper today. and the whole
session was consumed in flibustering
against two bills OF minor Importance. one
to issue a duplicate check and the other
to make Rockland. Me-. a SUPPORT OF en-
try. Neither got further than engross-
ment and third reading
The trouble arose over the enforcement
OF the rule against the discussion Of
irrelevant subjects, when Handy (Dern)
OF delaware attempted To reply on the
moor during the consideration of those bills
TO letter recently written by Thomas r
Bayard, In denunciatio ton of the Free Silver
democracy. Roll call followed roll call
all day long. and partisan spirit reached
high pitch.
During the session Bailey. the Demo-
cratic Leader. secured time from Perkins OF
Iowa. and occupied thirty minutes in the
discussion.
Some discussion was raised to the right
OF Bailey to occupy the time, and consid-
cradle friction developed
Tawney Rep) OF Minnesota intma.ed in
an undertone that Bailey had secured time
under false pretenses
OF course. the gentleman does not mean
mat said Bailey but II he does l de-
nounce II as UNANIMOUSLY false
The situation Immediately became strain
ed. and when Handy launched his remarks
in criticism OF Thomas F. Bayard's recent
utterances on the money question the OBJ
lection was made that his remarks were
irrelevant
Party feeling became strained by the
incident, and the Democrats retaliated by
contesting the passage OF the bill The
previous question was ordered but an
other roll call was forced on an insignifi-
cant incident. On this vote most of the
Democrats, under the lead of Bailey. de-
clined to vote, but the speaker noted
enough members present 10 make I'D a
quorum, and the amendment was adopted.
On the next vote on the engrossment and
the third reading OF the bill the speaker
could only count 140 present. and a call OF
the house wos called.
A quorum was present and the bill was
ordered to its engrossment
Bailey then formally demanded the readi
ing OF the engrossed bill AS this of course
could not be done. the bill was laid aside
The speaker then began call on the
committees for the presentation of bills
This was the first time this order OF busi-
ness has been entered on in this session.
The firt bill presented. Bailey again go,
the floor. and yielded again to Handy. He
had only uttered a few sentences stating
that he intended TO reply 10 Bayard when
DalzeiI called him to order. Bailey pro-
tested vehemently that there was no way
OF determining whether Handy was in
order or not Dalzell replied that the state
ment was mere evasion. Williams Dem
ocrat, Of Mississippi. and several others
We're drawn into the controversy.
Suddenly the speaker Strengthened up in
his chair and, addressing Bailey. said
That the gentleman from Delaware Is
out or order can certainly be disputed by
gentlemen who are looking each other in
the face"
The speaker said that while II had been
the custom to allow the widest latitude In
debate in committee OF the whole. that had
not been the/practice In the house There
the bill was confined to the subject under
consideration. and he thought that mem
beers on both sides must admit that IL
would not be suitable to fasten upon them
a system by which all manner Of questions
could be discussed at any time. 1t was
wise, he said to conform to the principles
that governed every parliamentary body.
Bailey, in reply, maintained that custom
was as binding as the rule. and he con-
tended that Ii had always been the prac-
tice TO give gentlemen latitude. He had
never known. he said, n case where a gen.
tleman was called to order unless he was
attacking some one or indulging I'm person
alittes. He called attention that last week
for two hours. during the consideration of
a pension bill in the house a debate on
Pacific railroads had gone on.
Yet today" he said, "the rule was in
voked on this side When a gentleman on
this side desires To reply to an attack on
him and all those associated with him, he
IL silenced. appeal TO the gentlemen on
the other side to reflect how far the prac-
tice they contend for can 60"
The speaker said he had no desire 10 en-
force the rules Vigorously except when
they were invoked. II the rule had not
been enforced on other occasions, IL was
the misfortune OF those other occasions
There no longer any pretense that
Handy intended to discuss the pending bill
1t becoming evident that the Democrats
intended 10 continue the flibustering and
as the house had no regular business to
proceed with, Dingley at this juncture
moved an adjournment until Monday
Richardson, Democrat. OF Tennessee
who, with his fellow Democrats, desired
10 have a session tomorrow for the con-
sideration of private bills, contested this
motion with a plain motion to adjourn