The age-herald., 1899-03-05
REED SNUBBED
 CEN. WHEELER Refused to Recognize the GaI-
 Iant AIabamian AS 4 REBUKE ID THE GAR Three Cheers Were Proposed and Given for the Veteran. HE CLAMORED FOR RECOGNITION
 t> But the Mas n Maine Deliberately
 : .ored Him. 1S .
  PAYF S~ . AME TO THE RESCUE /C.S OfthG>1jpeaker and Moved Recess-It was Put and Declared Carried The Remarks Which Wheeler
 Desired to Make.
But the Mas n Maine Deliberately S'T
 $.S .ored Him.
PAWS SAME TO THE RESCUE

Washington, March 4.-A ripple of excite ment passed over the house today, occa- stoned by dramatic episode which oc- cured the floor.
 General Wheeler, of Alabama, who has carefully refrained from exercising his privileges as a member of the house. pend- ing the determination of the question as to his right to seat in the house. arose from his old seat down near the front on the democratic side, and loudly asked for recognition.
 MT. Speaker" MT. Speaker" he called. 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 dsregarded him. Every eye was now rivited upon the dminutive figure of the grizzled old veteran of two wars.
 The situation was intensely dramatic, but MT. Payne, the leader of the majority, hur- ried to the rescue. He moved recess for ten minutes.
 Asked for Only Three Minutes
 Pending that l ask unanimous consent to speak for three minutes" demanded
 
 toward him for the first time, and looking straight into the gray eyes of the general, ignored his request completely, putting the motion of MT. Payne and declared 1t car ried.
 With reference to his attempt today to secure recognition for the purpose or ad- dressing the house. General Wheeler said tonight:
 Seeing there was nothing to be done in Af.- y.I -4rxa.at ta speak for five minutes. was not recog- nized, but MT. Payne was notified to move a recess of five minutes. then asked that before that motion was put that be per- mitted to address the house for three min- utes. If the speaker had submitted to my request, I am confident no member of the house would have objected. What l in- tnded to say was as follows:
 No one reveres the constitution more than myself and l could not be induced to advocate construction contrary to the in- tent of It's framers. When I received the appointment of major-general of volunters last May was requested by persons whose desires l could not disregard, not to re- sign my seat In congress. I found that during the present congress thirty-three of its members had been appointed to offices and that none of them had resigned their seats in congress.
 Plenty of Precedents
 1T examined the decisions and precedents on the subject and found that during the no years existence of our government hum dreds and possibly thousands of the mem- bers of congress had accepted offices during their terms, and that none of them holding temporary offices like mine had ever been unseated. I found that the decisions of courts, even including four decisions quoted by General Henderson in his report to make the ground that the inhibitions found in the constitution with regard to officers referred to offices of a permanent character and not of temporary character. I also found that the attorney-general of the United States had rendered an elaborate opinion on the subject. He took precisely the same ground and held that an officer in the volunteers was not such an officer as was inhibited by the constitution. I was anxious for the matter to be brought up in the house and fully discussed so that the decision would be in harmony with the spirit of the constitution"
 As a rebuke to Reed, immediately before adjournment three cheers were proposed for General Wheeler and they were given with hearty good will, the galleries join ing with the representatives in honoring the gallant Ex-Confederate cavalry leader.