The age-herald., 1898-01-20
SCENES REPEATED
 IN THE HOUSE Battle Over Cuban Beligerency Consumed Entire Day. REPUBLICANS STOOD SOLID Voted As a Unit to Sustain the DeCiS-
 ion of the Chair. THE DEBATE WILL CLOSE TODAY Chairman Hit, of Foreign Affairs Com- mittee, Made Impressive Speech. ACTION BY CONGRESS INADvIsABLE Attributed the Release of American Prison CTS, the Il of Weyler, and the Au-
 tonomy Scheme to the Firm Att
 titude of the President.
Chairman Hit, of Foreign Affairs Com- mittee, Made Impressive Speech.
ACTION BY CONGRESS iNADvIsABLE

Washington, Jan. 19.-All day long the question of granting belligerent rights to the Cuban insurgents was argued in the house, but, as on yesterday, the minority hurled itself against stone wall. The only vote taken today-a resolution designed to oyerrule the decision of the speaker and direct the committee on foreign affairs to report without further delay the Cuban resolution passed by the senate passed at the last session-the republicans stood solid and voted to sustain the chair. The gall leries were banked to the doors, and there was considerable excitement throughout the early part of the session, when the mem- bers of the minority were successively pressing all sorts of amendments bearing on the Cuban question for the purpose of embarrassing the majority. During the de- bate Chairman Hit of the foreign affairs committee made an impressive speech, ex- plaining at length the situation which made action by congress inadvisable. He spoke with impassioned words of the presidents sympathy with the struggle for Cuban in- dependence and the achievements of the present administration.
 The release of American prisoners in Cu- ba, the recall of Weyler, the abandonment of the policy of concentration and the au- tonomy scheme he attributed to the firm attitude of the president, and contrasted these results with the inaction of the last administration. He averred that belligerent rights could not aid the insurgents cause, and, perhaps, the most dramatic portion of his speech came when he declared that the insurgents only wished for bellgerent rigits in the hope and belief that this country would be embroled in war with Spain, which would give them their freedom with our triumph. He asserted that the presi- dent must assume the responsibility of any action which might eventuate in war, and appealed to both sides of the chamber 10 periodically support the executive if a crisis shall come.
 Debate Closes Today.
 The debate will close tomorrow at 4 o'clock under the arrangement made to- day, when final test will ha made on a motion of which Mir. Williams idSm.) of Mississippi gave notice today to recommit the bill with instructions to report back the Cuban resolution as a rider.
 At the opening of the session MT. Brucker (demo) of Michigan, asked unani- nous consent for the consideration of a resolution which he sent to the clerks desk.
 The speaker took occasion to examine the resolution and while doing so MT. Bailey, the leader of the minority, loudly demanded that the resolution be read.
 The speaker thereupon directed the clerk to read the resolution which proved to be a resolution to instruct the committee on foreign affairs to report without further delay the Senate Cuban benigerency reso- lution.
 Like flash, MT. Hit, chairman of the foreign affairs committee was on his feet with a point of order which the speaker promptly sutained and was about to rec ognize Mir. Hit to call up the diplomatic and consular appropriation bill, when MT. Bailey demanded recognition.
 "One moment please,' he called '1et us first dispose of this question of order"
 ."The chair sustained the point of order," retorted the speaker tersely.
 '"rhen appeal" called MT. Bailey to MT. Brucker across the hall, and the Michigan member entered an appeal from the de- csion of the chair. All was instantly ex- citement and confusion.
 A dozen members were on their feet de- manding recognition to debate the appeal, but the speaker recognized MT. Dalzell, who moved to lay the appeal on the table. This cut off debate and the speaker put the question On a rising vote the repub- licans stood firm and voted 107 to 94 to lay the appeal on the table.
 Committee of the Whole.3
 The house then, on MT. Hitt's notion went into committee of the whole and re- stunned the consideration of the diplomatic and consular appropriation bill. As soon as the first paragraph was read the strug- gle was resumed.
 The democrats made frequent intellectual efforts to amend the bill so as to get the Cuban situation in some shape, but all their amendments fell under points of or der by MT. Hit. One by MT. Sulzer, of New York, directing the president that if the war did not cease within thirty days we would recognize Cuban independence and intervene by force of arms.
 The president had pointed out. Mir. Hit said. that the recognition of belligerency