The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-09

of the House of Commons were elected by
constituencies whom they neither knew
nor cared for. Forty members made a
quorum. and he had been in the House Of
Commons half dozen times and had
never seen 100 members present. That
was Parliamentary Government; this was
Congressional Government. (Applause.)
As to the French Chamber of Deputies.
Mr.. Dalzell said that IL there were a more
disgraceful and infamous Parliamentary
body in existence he would like to know
where it was. The Speaker had the power
to adjourn its sittings by ringing a bell,
and within the past two years, II Repre-
sentatives had read the papers they would
have seen that the Chamber had been ad-
iourned by the bell in order to avoid
bloodshed on the floor.
In the Fifty-fifth Congress, Mr.. Dalzell
said, the number of bills introduced in
the house was 1854; the number reported
back 2,1O2. and the number passed 1,46l.
In the Fifty-fourth Congress. ne said,
the House passed 94S measures and the
Senate, With no cloture. no means of clos
ing debate. mad passed 1,682. And the
difference between the Senate and the
House isjust the difference between nine
ty men acting without rules and 1854 men
held to the performance OF duty by our
iroHclad rules"
Views of Ex-Spea,>er Reed.
Mr.. Bingham of Pennsylvania opposed
the majority bill and supported that pre-
sented by the minority of the Committee
on the Census. His reason for this posi-
tion, he said. was because the Hopkins
bill does injustice to the State of Penn
sylvania. Referring to Mr.. Dalzells quo
tation of Alexander Hamilton. Mr.. B.ng-
ham said he preferred the opinion of ex-
Speaker Reed, who in recent magazine
article stated that the popular branch of
the legislative department of the Govern
ment must be large and increase with the
growth of the nation. Complaints about
physical conditions in the Hall conducive
to alleged disorderly conduct and of the
operation of the rules. Mr.. Bingham said.
were entirely within the control of the
membership and could be removed. The
Hopkins bill, Mr.. Bingham pointed out,
ignored an increase of !, ,044, ,0G0 population
in Pennsylvania. while it gave an in
crease to other States, which had gained
so little as 10000 population.
Mr.. Grosvenor, in supporting the Hop
kins bill said he would take up the State
of Pennsylvania where Mr. Bingham had
laid it down. For thirteen years Penn
sylvania had ignored the apportionments
made by Congress and Philadelphia had
failed to secure her proper representation
in the House because the State had elect
ed two Congressman from the State at
large. He attacked the Burleigh bill te-
cause of the discrimination against Ohio
and asserted that the three additional
members given to New York by that
measure were "a peace offering to Tam
many Hail." They would all go to the
territory south of the Harlem River. He
did not know, he conceded, what part that
particular fact would play in the various
combinations now being formed He fav-
ored the Hopkins bill because it provided
for a smaller number of Representatives.
He hoped that this question would never
be decided by the House with a view OF
retaining in Congress two or three gen.
tlemen. Any how, under any conditions,
he did not believe that any really dtstin-
gushed or able man would be kept out.
Personally, he favored a House with
membership of three hundred Mr.. Gros-
venor said he did not agree with Mr..
Dalzell regarding the efficiency of the
House-sand asserted that II supported by
a majority OF the House he could pass any
measure, with or without the friendly ac
tion OF the Speaker.
Mr.. Clark of Missouri said the only way
in which this could be done under the
present rules was to form a conspiracy
with the chairman of the various COM
mittees. Mr.. Hepburn said II the gentle
man from Ohio knew how this could be
done he (Mr. Hepburn) and other members
would like 10 have the secret.
In conclusion. Mr.. Grosvenor discussed
briefly the proposition in the Crumpacker
bill. He objected he said. to the dis
franchisement Of the colored people only
for the reason that in a Government de-
pending upon the consent of the governed
for its peTpetuity that no body of its
population could be permanently disfran-
chised without nengciug the existence of
the territory in which the disfranchised
resided. He asked the Southern members
if they were sure that having disfran-
ohise.I the ColCred man because in their
opinion, he was not intelligent and virtu-
Gus enough TO exercise the right of suff-
rage, the next movement would not be to
deprive them of educational privileges so
that they might be retained in that con-
dltion? He warned them that they we're
transforming race of friends into reg
istered enemies. He cared nothing for
the matter OF representation in the House.
Mr.. 0tey Addresses the Chair.
Mr.. Otey at this point in the proceed
inSs gained the floor and delivered himself
Of a Characteristic speech. saying in part:
II had not intended to say anything on
tine subject Of the resolution introduced
by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Olmsted) but in his explanation Of his
action, which action tended to degrade
and humiliate the people of the South
whom | in part represent on this floor
he said apOlogetically, and in extenuation
of his action and to show that he bore no
malice against the South that he had
married a Southern woman and that the
blood of his infant sons was at least half
Southern. Having mentioned his family
himself. l may be pardoned for saying
that it must have chilled the pure blue
Southern blood that flows in the veins of
that portion of his family when it was
known that he was the first man to rise
in tins House with a view to opening sec
tional strife again. | venture to say that
when he has had more experience with
the South. he will have the feeling, which
would sta% the hand that today would
strike down a chiyalrous and noble people,
and he is not too old to live long enough
to wish that the resolution he introduced
should be expunged from the records of
this House
The logical end OF all such agitations
is negro domination in the South which
is hell on earth. to the white men on the
one hand or a race war on the other Ii
means the reinstallation Of the carpet
bagger-loat thsome, despicable putrid
agents Of the demon of darkness and
corruption. It means the coming of
buzzard gluttoned with carrion-the de-
scendants of these who thirty-tve years
ago, fastened their talons in the PROSTATE
body Of the South like those pitiless
birds who fed upon the vtals Of Prone
thus. when his helpless form was chain
ed to a rock. Yes. II means the return of
these buzzards that are today following
the calling OF their diabOlOical daddies in
nd i'm,