The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-24
STILL ar ODDS.
Yhe End of the Sensational Episode In
= the House.

: the House.
Fempers Kept Though the Language was
Warm-cnba's Cause and the Spirit of
sevsnty-six.
Washington, January %. The sensa.
tional episode at the close of the Cuban
debate on Thursday when Speaker Reed
and MI Bailey, the Democratic leader,
in parliamentary language. questioned
each other veracity, the one charging
and the other resenting the imputation
of bad faith had its sequel in the House
today. On question of personal privilege
Mr.. Bailey got the floor and invoked the
printed record Of the agreement to sustain
his charge that the agreement had been
violated. He was met by Mr.. HIT, Gen.
Henderson of Iowa and also by the Speak
er with the argument that no agreement
such as alleged, even if made, which they
denied, could have waived the rules of
the House and that any agreement for a
vote on motion necessarily assumed that
the motion would be in order under the
rules. While the language used today was
strong there was no display Of temper and
no excitement was occasioned. Some bills
of minor Importance were passed and the
remainder of the day was devoted to gen.
eral debate on the Indian appropriation
bill.
That the Cuban question is still upper
most in the minds of the members was
evidenced during this debate much OF
which was devoted to it. Mr.. Cummings
of New York made particularly eloquent
speech on the spirit of '76 which evoked
tumultuous applause from both sides of
the House.
Mr.. Hit, chairman of the foreign
affairs committee, submitted a privileged
report from his committee recommending
the passage of the Ruiz resolution of in
curry. The resolution was adopted with
out division.
Mr.. HIT reported back with an unfav-
orable recommendation, the Lewis reso-
luton calling on the State Department
for the draft of the Hawaiian annexation
treaty and for information as to what
constitutional authority the President
had to contract for the payment of the
Hawaiian debt of $4,000. 900 out of the
pubic treasury. Mr.. Hit explained that
the resolution had been offered at the last
session and as the treaty had been made
public there was no necessity for its pas
sage.
MIR. Bailey, Democrat of Texas, thought
the latter part of the resolution preached
q question Of Importance and one that
could be inquired into with propriety.
Mr.. Hit cut off further debate with
demand for the previous question. The
demand was sustained.
Mr.. Dinsmore, Democrat Of Arkansas,
the senior minority member Of the foreign
affairs committee, stated the report OF the
committee was unanimous as it appeared
to them that the main purpose of the
resolution was to procure copy OF the
treaty which had already been printed.
He would vote to sustain the committee.
Mr.. Bailey declared that he was unwill-
ing to vote to lay on the table resolu-
ton which sought to obtain the Presi-
DENTS authority for contracting to pay
out 81, 900, 900 of the public funds. The
resolution was laid on the table. 1875 to
Is.
AT this point Mr.. Bailey, the Demo-
cratic leader, created something of fur
IF by rising to a question OF personal
privilege, in connection with his contro-
versy with Speaker Reed at the close of
the Cuban debate last Thursday. Mr..
Bailey said he would not revive the con-
troversy for the purpose of sustaining
himself or showing that his adversary
was wrong, as explanations in such cases
did but little good. But, said he, an ex-
animation of the records showed that
there was an agreement that there should
be yea and nay vote on the motion to
re-comnit SO explicit and distinct that
he felt 1t his duty to call it to the atten-
ton of the country. He then read at
length the colloquy which took place
between Mr.. Williams, Democrat OF Mis-
sissippi Mr.. Hit and others as to the
closing of the Cuban debate. When he
finished by quoting Mr.. Hits last re-
mark, "And it is understood, Mr.. Chair
man, that at 4 O'Clock tomorrow there
shall be but one yea and nay vote, that
on a motion to recommit," the Democrats
broke forth in applause.
''That was precisely my statement"
continued Mr.. Bailey. 81 do not desire
to impute motives other than honorable to
anyone, for 1 am slow to charge falsehood
or unfair dealings, but do affirm that
there has been either misunderstanding
or mis-statement.
Mr.. Henderson, Republican of Iowa,
asked Mr.. Bailey as lawyer, with full
knowledge of what the record contained,
would he say that the agreement set forth
contemplated motion to recommit that
was not in order.
Mr.. Bailey insisted on answering the
question in his own way. On the ques-
ton of acknowledging Cuban belligeren-
oy, he said, the Republicans during the
debate had been urged by the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Hitt) to leave it to the
President IF they were ready to support
that view of the case he believed they