The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-15


Washington, Dec. 1.-THE house to-
day, for the second time during this
congress, refused to consider the
Lodge immigration bill At the last
session an attempt was made to take
it from the speakers table, but 1t was
defeated by large majority. Mr..
Danforth of Ohio, chairman of the i'm
migration committee, thought the bill
would be stronger after the electons
were over, but today, when he tried
again to secure consideration, the
house declined-100 to 109-to take 1t up.
An interesting but brief debate on
the rules was precipitated during the
session by Mr.. Grow of Pennsylvania,
during which Mr.. De Almond made a
speech on the decadence of the priv
ilege of debate in the house, and held
Speaker Reed responsible for the fact
that the house had no opportunity TO
adopt a new system of rules at this
session. The speaker replied with a
sarcastic speech.
The pension appropriation bill was
reported to the house, and Mr.. Barney
(Rep., Wis., gave notice that he would
call it up tomorrow.
The senate bill to regulate the Sit
ting of United States courts within the
district of South Carolina, was passed.
Mr.. Grow (Rep., Pa, the patriarch
of the house, made a short historical
address, by unanimous consent, upon
the origin of the committee of the
whole on state of the Union, in which
there was no limitation upon the lati-
tude of debate Mr. Crows remarks
caused Mr.. Robinson Dem., Ind.) to
reproach the majority because no code
of rules had been prepared for this
congress.
Mr.. De Almond Dem, MOI got the
floor and proceeded to contrast the con-
dition of affairs in the house at pres
ent with the days of which Mr.. Grow
had spoken, when there was full oppor-
tunity for discussion. He declared that
the speaker held the balance of power
on the committee on rules, and it was
he who, in fact, had determined that
il was better that no new code of rules
should be presented and adopted by
this house. He was exceedingly iron
ical in his references to the decadence
of the old-time provisions of full de-
bate. 1t had become the fashion, he
said to bring in repressive rules to cut
off debate upon every important ques-
ton, and he asserted that the rules
under which the house was now oper-
ating, which could not have been
adopted permanently, had become per-
manent by the attitude of the speaker.
REEDS REPLY.
The speaker, from the chair, replied
to his criticism as follows:
1.-The gentleman from Missouri has
permitted himself to make statements
in regard to the relations between the
speaker and the other members of the
committee on rules that, [ am happy
to state, are not justified by the facts.
The house must not feel itself to have
been treated to an unusual discourse
upon the lack of liberty given to the
citizen. It so happens that in this
world there are many citizens.
II so happens that in the house
of representatives there are many
members, and that while in theory
every man can occupy all the time in
discourse, in actual practice he has to
occupy it in sUbordinaCon to the rights
o. every other member, to the rights
of the body itself and to the prosecu-
ton of public business. In actual prac-
tice, also, the house may have noticed
that, however much despotism is eXer-
ciSed by the rule, there is no subject
in the heavens above or in the earth
beneath that has not been discussed,
even in this present congress. (Laugh-
teri
Now if the gentleman from Missouri
viii turn TO the annals of congress,
away back in 1916 during the period
of liberty such as he thinks he desires,
ne viii find that John Randolph, who
certainly was heard enough to become
famous for a century, was complaining
about the despotism OF the rules at that
period and was also complaining that
even the arch inquisitor himself would
have been satisfied with the wickedness
OF them. So you see that human nature
is the same in all time" daughter and
applause on the Republican side.)
The house then, at POS D. m, ad-
ioI1r,1,aT