Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1899-12-08
THE F|FTY-S|XTH CONGRESS
Senate Adjourned Early as
Mark of Respect.
HENDERSON ELECTED SPEAKER
Objection Raised to Roberts Taking the
Oath and Action Postponed Pending
Report Of Special Committee,

Washington, Dec. 5.-Appropriate
tribute to the memory of the late Vice
President Hobart was paid by the sem
ate today at it's first session of the seth
congress Monday. Tho session lasted
only 33 minutes, and only the most
formal and necessary business was tran
sacted. After the adoption of the usual
routine resolutions and the administra-
tion to the new members of the oath of
Office, Sewell (Rep. N. J.) presented
fitting resolutions upon the death of
the vice-president, the resolutions were
ordered to be communicated to the
house of representatives, and the ses-
sion, on motion of Kean (Rep. N. j.
was suspended.
AS usual on the opening days of con-
gress, the senate chamber was a verita-
BILE conservatory. Pending the actual
convention of the senate, the chamber
presented a most animated and pictur-
esque scene. The galleries were filed
with brilliant and distinguished aud
fence.
Two protests were filed, one against
the seating of Quay and the other
against Clark, of Montana.
In the House.
Washington, Dec. 5.-Enormous
crowds witnessed the opening scenes in
the house yesterday The principal
interest centered in the disposition of
Roberts, the Mormon representative
from Utah. Those who anticipated q
sensational denoument were disappoint-
ed. The programme outlined by the
Republican leaders at their conference
Friday night was partially carried out.
The objection to the administration of
the oath to Roberts was entered by
Tayler, of Ohio, as predicted, and he
stepped aside without protest except to
ask if by doing SO he waived any of his
rights. To this the speaker responded
in the negative. There was not pro-
test from any quarter against the objec-
ton to the administration of the oath
to Roberts, but on the contrary the only
voice raised, except that of Tayler, was
that of McRae, Democrat of Arkan-
sas, who joined with Tayler in his pro-
test. Tayler offered his resolution to
refer the case to special committee.
and by mutual arrangement the consid-
GIdb1On VI buC 4OcOkub1OA was POpbpOACo
until tomorrow, in order that the rou-
tine business in connection with the
organization might be transacted today.
Although Roberts was not sworn in
today, he secured seat. This was by
an accident, pure and simple. In the
seat-drawing lottery, no provision had
been made for Roberts, but when the
drawing was completed two others, as
we'll as himself, had not been provided
with seats, and the speaker asked and
secured from the house permission for
those members who had not drawn
seats to make such selections as they
could. Under this authority, Roberts
got seat in an obscure portion of the
hall. His daughter sat in the gallery
and watched the proceedings from be-
ginning to end.
After the election of Speaker Hen
derson and his induction into Office,
the appointment of the usual commit
tees to wait upon the president, the
seat-drawing contest, with the usual
amusing features, went off without
hitch. The only feature out of the or
binary was the reception of the Reed
rules as the rules for the present con-
gress. They were adopted by a strict
party vote.
Seldom, if ever, have such enormous
crowds swarmed around the house to
witness the opening scenes of the ses-
sion as besieged the doors today.
Very early in the day a monster petit
ton, said to consist of 7,000,0 600
names, protesting against the seating
of Roberts, was brought into the hall.
1t had been collected by the New York
Journal. 1t consisted of % rolls of
names, each about two feet in diam
eter, encased in the American flag.
These rolls were stacked up in the area
in front of the clerks desk and were