The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-01
A RESOLUTION ADOPTED
Inquiry to be Made Into a Claim by
the Senate.
NEGRorIATlNG RECIPROCITY TREATIES
This Is the Issue, the Senate Holding That
Those Affecting Custom Revenue May
be Negotiated Without Con-
currence of House.
(By the Associated Press.)

/ Washington. Jan. 31.-The House to.
day prepared to defend itself against
what it considers the threatened invas-
! ion by the Senate of its prerogative in
| the matter of revenue legislation by di-
| recting the Ways and Means Committee
| to investigate the subject and report to
the House its conclusions. The action
| of the House was the outgrowth of the
| agitation in the Senate's claim that re-
| ciprocity treaties affecting the customs
| revenues can be negotiated with the con-
currence of the House.
The resolution adopted was the Taw-
ney resolution. 1t was reported to the
| House by Mr.. Dalzell from the Commit
tee on Rules.
| Mr. Dalzell said that the question in
volved one of the highest and most
sacred privileges of the House.
AS it concerned the relations between
the two houses he thought action should
| be deliberately taken after the subject
had been duly considered by commit
tee.
Mr.. Underwood, Democrat, of Ala
bama, also a member of the Committee
on Rules. joined with Mr.. Dalzell in
urging the adoption of the resolution.
The settlement OF the disputed question
in favor of the House, he said, was
necessary if the lower house expected
to preserve it's constitutional preroga-
| tive.
The resolution was adopted without
division. Mr.. Dalzell followed this reso-
luton with another from the same COM
| ittee TO make the oleomargarine bill a
special order for Monday next TO con-
tinue until disposed of.
Mr.. Richardson, of Tennessee, the
minority leader, saw no reason why this
piece of legislation should be picked out
and given priority over other bills.
Mr. Underwood, of Alabama, was op-
posed to the proposed legislation and
declared that its opponents should be-
gin the fight now on the adoption of the
special order.
Mr.. Grosvenor of Ohio, also declared
himself uncompromisingly opposed to
the proposed legislation and all kindred
Legislation.
| On roll call the special order was
adopted 1872 TO Il. Mr.. Richardson, of
Tennessee presented as matter of
/ privilege a resolution reciting the pen
dency in the Senate of commercial trea-
ties and bills affecting customs duties
and revenues and declaring it to be the
sense of the House that such treaties
and bills invaded one of the highest pre-
! rogatives of the House
Mr.. Payne, the majority floor leader,
made The point of order that the resolu-
tion was not privileged. He contended
that until the Senate actually sent to
the House a bill or negotiated a treaty
which invaded the rights of the House
nothing should be done which consti-
tuted a matter of privilege here.
Mr. Richardson, however, contended
that the House should not wait until an
overt act was committed. He cited the
report made to the House by the late
Randolph Tucker, of Virginia and that
made to the Senate by Senator Allison
and the late Senator Voorhees, in support
of his contention.
Speaker Henderson pointed out that
Mr. Richardson's resolution did not con-
tain a single averment that there had
been an actual assault on the rights of
the House and ruled that the resolution
was not privileged.
The House adjourned