The National tribune., 1900-03-15

ouires the presence of only 100 members,
that there were not present To- pass that
perfunctory motion a quorum of the whole
House.
And I want 10 say that / do not believe
that in any Congress that / have known
the Friday evening sessions of the House
have been So well attended eS they have
been during the present Congress. find.
for instance. that on one evening there
were present III members. IL more than
were necessary. under the rules. TO do
business. and there stood between them
and the effort to do business the simple
technical OBJ jectIou that there were not l 10
members TO adopt motion to go into Com
mittee of the Whole. find that on another
evening there We're 169 members present.
nine less than quorum: on another even
ing 156 members: and on last Friday even
ing III. only seven less than quorum.
draw no such distinction. because | am
not imputing blame to that side Of the
House. | do not think blame is to he I'M
puted to either side of the House with re-
spect to these Friday night sessions. When
you take into consideration the number
of members constituting this body. the
number that must at all times necessarily
be absent, the number who are sick, the
number who are physically incapable OF
attending to committee duties. and after
spending five hours in the atmosphere OF
this House. of coming here to an evening
Il
able one and one of which both sides OF the
House have n right TO he proud.
so that i end as | began: The necessity
that prompts the introduction of the mann
| rule prompts the introduction of the rule
providing for limitation of debate. so that
me members on both sides OF the House who ,ho
are interested in proper Legislation for the
old soldiers shall have an opportunity,
without any hypocritical objection, to
leglslate in accordance with their will.
Representative Richardson thereupon
appealed to Mr.. DalZeli to withdraw the
time limitation in the rule. assuring him
| that there would be no filibustering on
his side of the House.
Mr. Dalzell. Now. Mr.. Speaker, without
wishing to say anything unkInd to gentle
men on the other side. must remark that
| the gentleman from Tennessee can not he
| responsible for that side of the House,
| because. though a while ago he said ne
would guarantee to us that there would be
no fillbusterIng, yet the gentleman from
| South Carolina who followed him within
| 10 minutes announced that on all possible
| occasions when he could drag himself to the
House he would filibuster, If nobody else
did.
Nevertheless. having said that much.
now accept the suggestion just made by
the gentleman from Tennessee and with
draw the latter part of the proposed rule.
| tApplause.l
The question being taken on agreeing to
the resolution as modified, it was decided IN
the affirmative
The Speaker. The proposed rule as
modified is adopted.
On motion of Mr.. Dalzell motion TO
| reconsider the last vote was laid Oh the
table.
In the House on Friday March 0. pension
bills were considered under the new rule.
There was comparatively little fric-
ton, and 81 bills were favorably acted upon
in Committee of the Whole and subse-
quently passed by the House.
Representative Sulloway, of New Hamp-
shire. Chairman OF the Committee on In
valid Pensions, Immediately after the
reading OF the Journal, moved that the
House go into Committee of the Whole
for the consideration Of private pension
bills. True to his announced intention of
insisting upon the presence Of a quorum,
Representative Talbert. of South Caro-
Ina, made the point OF no quorum. The
Speaker was unable TO count more than
116 members present, and the doors were
closed and a call Of the House ordered.
Many absentees appeared during the call,
and it developed the presence of 218 MEM
bers. The House, in Committee of the
Whole, Representative Lacey. of Iowa, in
the chair, then proceeded to the consider
alton of private pension bills.
During the discussion of one of the bills
Representative Loud, of California. deliv-
cred some general remarks in criticism of
the policy of passing private pension bills.
He said that 80 per cent. of the special
bills passed by Congress should never
have been favorably considered. All of
them, he said, had been rejected by the
Pension Office after the claimants had ex-
hausted every effort to establish their
claims. He said he knew it was unpoptI-
lar to say these things, but no man ever
made a mistake by pursuing the right
Of the million and quarter old soldiers
and widows of old soldiers who survived
the war, almost one million were on the
pension roll. Mr.. Loud warned members
that if things went on as they were going
during the life of the direct descendants
of the youngest member of the House.
Congress would still be legisiating for
pensioners of the civil war. 1t might be
surprising To some members to know, but
it was nevertheless true. that Congress
was still legislating for cases arising out
of the Revolutionary war. Mr.. Loud said
he had never objected TO meritOrlOus
case.
Representative Sulloway. of New Hamp-
shire, Chairman of the Committee on In
valid Pensions. replied to Mr. Loud. He
said he gloried in the fact that his coIIn-
try paid more than any other for the care
of those who defended its flag While a
single old soldier was hungry and cold.
his body wrecked with physical pain and
his mind with mental agony, he said he
prayed to God that the pension roll would
increase.