The Saint Paul globe., 1898-01-19
Reed Rules Effective in
Enforcing The Will of
the Majority.

a hearing in the house today. and for
a time it looked as if parliamentary
precedents would be set aside and the
senate resolution recognizing the in
surgents as belligerents would be at
tached as a rider to the diplomatic and
consular appropriation bill. Mr. De
Almond, a Missouri Democrat, precipi-
tated the issue by offering the reEolu-
ton as an amendment, but a point of
order against it was sustained. Mr..
De Almond appealed. He urged the
Republicans who had professed friend
ship for the struggling Cubans to over
ride the decision of the chair, as the
only chance of securing action on the
proposition. Mr.. Bailey, the leader of
the minority, and other Democrats
Joined in the appeal. The excitement
became intense, but the appeals of Mr..
Dingley, the floor leader of the major
ity, as well as other Republican lead
ers, to their associates not to join in
the programme succeeded. Mr. Colson
Rep., Ky.) warned his side that un-
less he was soon given an opportunity
to vote his sentiments on the Cuban
question, he would cooperate in any
revolutionary method to secure action.
The Republican tactics kept to the
front the point that the minority were
seeking to override the rules of the
house, and they got every Republican
vote, sustaining the chair by a vote
of 152 to ia. One Democrat, Mr.. Flem-
ing, of Georgia, voted with them on the
ground that he could not violate his
oath by voting against upholding the
rules. During the debate Mr.. Bailey
challenged Mr.. Hit to give the house
an assurance that an opportunity
would be offered to vote on the resolu-
ton passed by the senate at the last
session, but he received no reply Be-
fore the diplomatic bill came up the
army bill was passed.
CUBAN QUESTION
Mr. Hit, chairman of the committee
of foreign relations, called up the dip
lomatic and consular appropriation bill.
Mr.. Bailey objected to any limitation
on the general debate. The bill carries
81, ,0OS, an increase of 700 over the
law for the current year.
AS soon as the enacting clause had
been read, Mr.. De Almond Dem., MOI
offered an amendment to recognize the
Cuban insurgents as belligerents. Mr..
Hit raised the point of order that the
amendment was new legislation and
obnoxious to the rules of the house.
Mr. De Almond, speaking to the point
of order, said he fully understood the
rules of the house, which were designed
to suppress, when desired, the will of
the house. The chairman of the for
eign affairs committee, he said, might
feel constrained to raise this point Of
order, but he reminded the house that
there still resided in it's judgment the
power at any time, at any place, on any
bill. to place what the house believed
should be there. For months, he de-
clared, those in control of the house
had declined to allow the house to
consider what the people of the coun-
try, without regard to party, desired;
that congress consider and act
upon this question of recognizing the
belligerency of the struggling patroits
in Cuba. When the people of the coun-
try felt as they did, it was the duty
of members to override these petty
little rules which had been used to sup
press action.
POINT OF ORDER.
Mr.. Steele (Rep., Ind.) and Mr.. Hunt
both called the attention of the chair
to the fact that Mr.. De Almond was
Mr. Bailey, the Democratic leader,
reinforced the views of Mr.. De Almond,
arguing that a proposition to recognize
a state of war in Cuba was certainly
germane to this bill. 1t had been his
purpose, he said, to have offered the
same Cuban belligerency resolution as
an amendment. The climax of the
speech came when he offered to with
draw the amendment if Mr.. Hit, the
1,0 ffoi,
mittee, would give assurances that the
senate resolution would receive con-
sideration within a reasonable time.
The Democrats applauded this chal-
lenge. He paused to await Mr.. Hits
answer, but Mr.. Hit did not rise.
The gentleman" RHD, added Mr.
Bailey, "is as silent as the Republican
party on this question" Again the
Democrats cheered and the galleries
also applauded.
Then Mr. Hit rose. but instead of
called the attention of the chair to the
fact that Mr.. Bailey was not discussing
the point of order. ''It is an attempt
to have two general Debates" said he
The Democrats jeered this statement.
Mr.. Hepburn in the chair then sustain
ed the point of order, Whereupon Mr.
De Almond, in order to get the ques-
ton before the house In a better form,
offered the senate Cuban resolution as
an amendment and when 1t was over
ruled, made his appeal from the de-
cision of the chair.
BY this time, the greatest excitement
excited in the house. The galleries had
filled to overf1owing; messengers had
been sent scurrying to all quarters of
the capitol to summon Republicans
who were absent from the hall. 1t was
evident that there was fear on the part
of the house managers that the house
might be carried off it's feet on the first
occasion of the test of the sentiment
toward Cuba.
REPUBLICAN TACTICS.
The house managers made their fight
for regularity of proceeding. The
speaker, who was in the lobby, came
into the hall and helped to rally his
followers. Mr.. Dingley, the floor lead
er Of the majority, took the floor. He
characterized Mr.. De Almonds appeal
from the decision of the chair as a
most extraordinary proposition. 1t
was proposition to override the rules.
he said, and establish a new mode of