The age-herald., 1898-01-19
WERE HOT TIMES
 IN TIE HOUSE DeArmond Exposes Republican
 Sham and Deception. THE RECOGNITION OF CUBA Offered as an Amendment to Diplomatic and Consular Appropriation Bill. THE MAJORITY ON THE DEFENSIVE Hit and Dingley as Dumb as Oysters
 as to Republican Plans. JESSE STALLINGs KEEPS HIS SEAT Tom Clarke Gave Up the Fight and the Com mittee Reported Unanimously in Fa-
 vor Stallings Fleming of Geor- gia Votes With Republicans.
Hit ard DingIey as Dumb as Oysters
 as to Republican Plans.



 election case of the present congress was disposed of by the house today. Chairman Taylor of the committee on elections No. 2 reported that Thomas F. Clark, who filed notice of contest against Jesse F. Stallings Representing the Second Alabama distrct) had abandoned his contest, and the com mittee therefore unanimously reported resolution declaring MT stallings entitled to the seat.
 The house then resumed the consideration of the army appropriation bill. When the house adjourned yesterday point of order had been raised against provision of the bill modifying the method of computing the mileage of army officers. The chair over- ruled the point of order.
 The army appropriation bill was passed and the diplomatic and consular appropria- tion bill taken up.
 MT. Hit, chairman of the committee on foreign relations, then called up the diplo- matic and consular appropriation bill
 MT. Bailey objected to any limitation on the general debate
 The bill carries $1,7290OS, an increase of 3,70O over the law for the current year.
 As soon as the enacting clause had been reached, MT. DeArmond (dem.) of Mis- sour offered an amendment to recognize the Cuban insurgents as belligerents.
 MT. Hit raised the point of order that the amendment was new legislation and obnoxious to the rules of the house.
 MT. DeArmond, speaking to the point of order, said he fully understood the rules of ba xubi oh fn press, when desired the will of the house. The chairman of the foreign affairs con- mittee, he said, might feel constrained to raise this point of order, but he reminded the house that there still resided in its judgment the power at any time, at any place, on any bill, to place what the house believed shold be there.
 Duty to Override Rules.
 For months, he declared, those in con- trol of the house had declined to allow the house to consider what the people of the country, without regard to party. desired. namely. that congress consider and act upon this question of recognizing the bell ligerency of the struggling patriots in Gu ba. When the people of the country felt as they did it was the duty of the members to override these petty rules. which had been used to suppress action. The news papers were filled daily with narrowing tales of starvation and cruelty in Cuba Should we emulate the example of Nero, who fiddled while Rome burned, and sit supinely and indifferently by when men almost within sight of our shores were fighting for principles as holy as patriots ever espoused or heroes ever defended? He taunted the republicans with being sub- servient to those who desired to prevent action on this question. Further inaction, he insisted, was a disgrace to American manhood
 The autonomy offered by Spain, he de- clared, was a revolting mockery, a sham and delusion. He warned the other side that the question could not be evaded or lodged; that with this opportunity before them they could not go back to their con- stituents and plead the rules as an excuse for non-action. He was proceeding to de- nounce the administration for following the example of its predecessor in sending out the United States navy to hunt down the sympathizers with the struggling Gu bans, when MT. Steele, Tep.) of Indiana, and Mr. Hit both called the attention of the chair to the fact that MT. DeArmond 1So,oAAc
 MT. DeArmond said he well understood this, but he would not finch from his pur- purse He would say no more. But if the point of order was sustained, he declared it was his purpose to appeal from the deci- sion of the chair and give the house the opportunity to determine this question for itself. He felt constrained to do this. he said, out of sense of public duty.
 Bail fha ft1 14x- enforced the views of MT. DeArmond, ar- guing that proposition to recognize state of war in Cuba was certainly ger mane to this bill. It had been his purpose, he said, to have offered the senate Cuban belligerency resolution as an amendment The climax of his speech came when he offered to withdraw the amendment if Mir Hitt chairman of the foreign affairs com mittee, would give assurances that the sem ate resolution would receive consideration within @ reasonable time.
 The democrats applauded this challenge.