The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-16
CANAL RIDER BEATEN
EFFORT TO SADDLE THE MEASURE
UPON THE CIVIL SUNDRY
ELL FAILS
RULING OF CHAIR SUSTAINED

Mr.. DOckery Appealed to Democrats
to- Vote With the Chairman and
Sustain the Rule That Was n
Safeguard to the MinOrity-Mr.
Hepburn Fought vigorously, but
Without Avail.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15-The house
today settled the fate of the Nicaragua
canal bill in this congress by refusing
to override the decision of the chair in
committee of the whole, when the chair
held that the canal bill offered as an
amendment by Mr.. Hepburn was out Of
order. The friends Of the Nicaragua
bill were very confident yesterday and
today that they would triumph, but
after four hours of debate the chair
was sustained, 127 to 109
Mr.. Bailey Oem., Tex.) took the floor.
He desired to address himself, he said,
to the remarks of Mr.. Cannon yester-
day about the scandals which grew out
of the building of the Pacific railroads.
Although Mr.. Cannon had not said SO
in so many words, Mr.. Bailey said, he
assumed that he feared in connection
with the Nicaragua canal repetition
of the scandals which had disgraced the
promoters Of the Pacific railways.
Mr.. Cannon interrupted to say that
his criticism of the Pacific legislation
was that it was loosely enacted and
therefore opened the way to the scan
dals which had followed.
Mr.. Bailey, in reply, declared that
the Pacific railroad scandals had not
arisen out Of loose legislation. There
had been a deeper cause. They had
grown out Of the unfortunate partner
ship between the government and GER
tain Individuals The virtue in the
canal proposition before the house was
that it avoided this very deadfall. By
it's terms the canal would be construct
ed by the government. He desired to
vote upon that proposition, because he
realized that sooner or later the house
would be compelled to choose between
this proposition and one to allow pri-
vate corporation with government cred
It to build this canal. If the canal was
to be built by the government, it must
be based upon the theory that the canal
was necessary for the support of our
military and naval defense. Other
WISE if the government could build
foreign waterways in foreign territory,
why could it not come back home and
build railroads for the benefit of in
terState commerce.
PLEA FOR THE RULE.
Mr.. Dockery Dem., Mo- made an
argument in favor Of sustaining the
rules Of the house which he contended
the proposed amendment violated. No
one with any respect for his reputa-
tion as parliamentarian, he declared,
could hold that the amendment was in
order. He realized that the members
We're eager to get, at the public treas
ury upon this proposition, but he
warned his colleagues on the Democrat
ic side that, if they helped to over
throw the rule, they swept away for
all time the rights of the minority. He
had no respect for the rules as such.
They degraded the individual member
and n1assed too much power in the
speaker, but the members of the mi
nority, especially, dare not override
this rule that had come down from
the Democratic fathers.
Mr.. Cannon denied emphatically that
l
meant the abandonment of the cor
struction of the canal by the United
States.
Mr.. Grosvenor said. If this effort
failed, he favored the passage Of
joint resolution to inform the nations
of the earth that we had given up the
project, and would welcome the build
ing Of the canal upon the terms upon
which the Suez canal was built.
RULED OUT OF ORDER.
At the conclusion of Mr. Grosvenor's
of the whole (Mr. Hopkins) announced
that he was ready to rule.
When order had been procured, he
made a careful and elaborate ruling, In
which he pointed out that the ques-
tion presented was purely a parliament
tary one. He reviewed the arguments
adduced on both sides, cited prece-
dents and concluded by sustaining the
point Of order against the amendment.
After rendering his decision, the
chair went further by taking up the
question raised by Mr.. Smith, of Mich
igan, as to whether the treaty of 1867
did not warrant the amendment. He
held that it did not.
Mr.. Hepburn Immediately arose and
entered an appeal from the decision
of the chair.
Mr.. Dalzell Rep., Pa.) moved to lay
the appeal on the table, but this mo-
ton was declared out of order in COM
mittee of the whole.
Mr.. Hepburn said he was willing to
allow the appeal to be decided without
further debate, but Mr.. Fleming Oem,
Ga) insisted upon being heard in favor
of sustaining the decision of the chair.
The rule in question, he argued, was
the shield and protection of the mi
nority.
CHAIR SUSTAINED.
On rising vote the chair was sus-
tained, 152 to 11S.
Mr.. Hepburn loudly demanded tell
ers The vote by tellers confirmed the
rising vote. The chair was sustained,
127 to 109, and the amendment was
ruled out.
The reading of the sundry civil-bill
was then continued. The appropriation
for the deep waterways commission
was increased from 100000 to $4,000.
After completing ten additional
pages of the bill, the committee rose.
VOTE MAY BE HAD.