The San Francisco call., 1899-03-05
WITH CHEERS FOR
ADMIRAL DEWEY
Thrilling Close of the
Houses Session.
ALL BILLS ARE DISPOSED OF
JOE WHEELER TRIES IN VAIN
TO MAKE A SPEECH.
Then Follow the Resolution of
Thanks to Speaker Reed and
Patriotic Songs, in Which
All Join.
ALL BILLS ARE DISPOSED OF
JOE WHEELER TRIES IN VAIN
TO MAKE A SPEECH.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, March 4.-Wearily
the House sat through the silent
watches of the night, taking recess
from time to time while awaiting con-
ference reports upon the appropriation
bills. The floor of the House was lit
tered with waste papers, which drltted
ankle deep about the desks and mace
the hall look as if it had been swept
by a snowstorm. Still the weary and
heavy-eyed legislators kept TO their
posts through the night. The leaders,
upon whom the strain and burden OF
the closing hours fell most heavily, ana
the Speaker, who had the greatest re
sponsibility of all, remained constantly
in their places watching vigilantly the
progress of the contests between the
two houses.
The final agreement on the river and
harbor bill, containing the compromise
on the Nicaragua canal, was secured
about $3.50 a. m, the sundry civil Dill,
in which the House forced the Senate
to surrender the provision for the Pa
cific cable, about o'clock; the Distrlct
of Columbia bill, with the provision for
sectarian institutions eliminated, about
Z o'clock; the deficiency bill at $50, and
the final conference report upon the
naval bill at about $3.50 a. m.
About o'clock Henderson aroused the
House by an electric speech. 1t was one
of the most eloquent of this Congress
The surroundings added fmpresslVeness
to his utteranceS. The dlSheVeled men,
bers and the wreckage of the night were
about him. 1t was on the question OF
sectarian institutions in the District OF
Columbia, provision for which had been
stricken out of the district appropriation
bill With fo1 ce and pathos he denounced
the bigotry of the c0nfereeS, who. ne SAID,
were willing, at the behe5t or secret or
ganzation to turn the homeless and
friendless into the streets. The scene was
dramatic in the extreme when Henderson
recalled the dark days of the war, when
the white-capped sisters of mercy were
administering on the battlefield to the sick
and dying soldiers.
With the advent of the day the House
again took on the appearance of life.
Members went below for baths and break
fast and returned refreshed to their sta
tioDs. AS early as 1880 the people began
to pour into the galleries The important
business of the House had been virtually
completed when the House took a recess
for an hour at $3.50. All that remained was
the enrolment of bills and the final cere-
monies.
galleries were again packed to the doors,
and the hall buzzed with the confused
murmur of voices.
At 11:15 o'clock the assistant door
hands ten minutes This raised a loud
laugh. Immediately afterward came a
most dramatic episode.
carefully refrained from exercising his
privilege as member of the, House,
pending the determination of the ques-
ton as to his right to his seat in the
House, arose from his old seat down near
the front on the Democratic side an
loudly asked for recognition.
The Speakers face was flushed slightly.
but he looked straight ahead as if he did
not hear.
'I ask unanimous consent to speak for
five minutes" shouted the general But
the Speaker disregarded him. Every eye
was now, riveted upon the diminutiye fig
ure of the griZzIed old veteran of two
wars. The situation was intensely dra-
matte, but Payne, the floor leader of the
majority, hurried to the rescue. He
moved a recess for ten minutes.
Pending that [ ask unanimous consent
to speak for three minutes" demanded
General Wheeler.
The Speaker then turned toward him
for the first time, ard, looking straight
into the gray eyes of the general, ig-
the motion of Payne and declaring it car
ried.
AS the hands of the clock pointed to
seven minutes to 12, although it was really
mittee appointed to wait upon the PTesf-
dent marched down the aisle.
The Speaker had retired to his room and
Payne, the Speaker pro tenn. was in the
chair. Dalzell. in the center, announced
that the committee had fulfilled its duty
and that the President had made reply
that he had no further communication to
make.
he continued, that the Fifty-fifth Con-
gress had performed its extraordinary du-
ties manfully, and he requested me to ex-
tend to each and every member his best
wishes for his safe return to his home"
Great applause greeted this announce
ment But five minutes remained. In it
was enacted one of the most dramatic
scenes ever witnessed in the Hall of Rep
resentatives. Payne summoned Dockery
of Missouri to the chair. and he In turn
recognized Bailey, the minority leader in
this Congress, to present the resolutions
thanking the Speaker for the impartial
manner in which he had presided over the
deliberations Of the House. great hush
fell upon the vast concourse in the gall
leries as Bailey began to speak.
In his speech Bailey said "It is an ad-
mirable trait of the American character
and it is one which will tend to the per-
manence of our institutions, that no mat
ter how we may contend with each other
over our differences of opinion each is
always ready to accord to the other what
ever praise may be deserved. This COM
mendable spirit has led some shallow
men to criticize US because they could not
comprehend how we could so strenuously
and still respect those adverSaries them
selves. These men do not know that a
large majority of the men in every party
of this country sincerely believe that a
large majority of the men in every other
party are earnestly anxious to promote
our country's welfare. (Applause.) And
1t is out Of this broader spirit that Gus
tom has grown which Is as old as the
House itself, that in the closing hours Of
every session there shall be offered reso-
luton like that which I now send to the
clerks desk.
The resolution was read as follows:
Resolved, That the thanks of the
House are rendered to the Hon. Thomas
B. Reed for the able, impartial and digni-
fed manner in which he has presided over
it's deliberations and performed the ardu-
Gus and important duties of the chair
man"
ed with tumultuous applause
Mr. Speaker" continued Bailey. I'VE
have not always agreed with the distin-
guished occupant of the chair, and we
have taken more than one occasion to
emphasize our dissent. but: remembering
the momentous questions which have con-
fronted US in this Congress, and remem-
bering too, the intense excitement which
they aroused throughout the country as
well as in this hall. the wonder is that
those occasions were so few, and in this
hour of impartial retrospect do not hesi-
tate to say that he has been as fair to us
and our side as any one of us, were our
positions reversed, would have been to