The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-03-06
CANNON MAKES a THREAT
Sounds Warning Note Against En-.
croachment of Senate.

croachment Of Senate.
Washington, March 5.-The confer
ence report on the general deficiency
bill, the last appropriation bill, was
presented in the house at 3 O'clock thtf
morning by Cannon. In brief speech
Cannon protested against Legislative
blackmail.' by which the house con-
ferees had been compelled to yield tc
the dictation of a single senator (Till-s
mani and accept an appropriation OF
South Carolina against the govern
ment. The speech aroused the house
to pitch of genuine enthusiasm which
had not been wttne ssed in the house
during this congress. An officer Of the
government, he said, has ascertained
the claim amounted to only "a cents
yet upon the alternative of this gift
from the treasury, or the failure of the
great appropriation bill, the house had
submitted to this "blackmail.''
The report was adopted, 1S1 to 164
and at $3.50 a. M recess was taken
until 10.
Called 1t BIsckmaii.
Mr. Cannon will be the next speaker
of the house. His speech is regarded
as foreshadowing contest upon the
question of the right Of the majority te
rule. He said in part:
Gentlemen: You know that under
the practice Of the house and under
bills can contain nothing but appro-
prations in pursuance of existing law,
unless by unanimous consent of both
bodies.
If any of these bills contains legfs-
lation, it must be by unanimous con-
sent of the two bodies. and the uniform
practice has been, with the exception
of one amendment upon this bill, that
when one body objected to legislation
proposed by the other upon an appro-
priation bill, the body proposing the
legislation recedes.
'In this case the trouble in arriving
at an agreement all clustered about the
amendment to pay the state of South
Carolina $4,000 In May last, in the
omnibus claim bill, a basis was fixed
/ for adjustment of the accounts Of vir-
ginia, Baltimore and South Carolina
with the United States growing out OF
the war of 1872. The auditing officers
OF the treasury, in pursuance Of that
law, adjusted the accounts of Virginia.
An indefinite appropriation was made
TO pay the respective states whatever
should be found due by the auditing
officers. Upon that basis and under
| that legislation the sum of $1OO, 900, In
round numbers, has been paid to Vir-
ginia. @
Under the same law, which is the
| law today, the auditing officers found
due to the state of South Carolina the
| sum of 81 cents. Now the senate. not
Withstanding this law, proposed Iegis-
lation on an appropriation bill, to the
extent Of granting South Carolina
| $4,000.
House conferees objected, and the
whole long delay has been over that
one item. In the house, without critt-a
cising either side or any Individual
member, We have rules sometimes in
voked by our democratic friends and
sometimes by ourselves. In another
! BODY there are no such rules. In am
other body legislation is had by unari-
nous consent. An Individual member
! or that body can rise in his place and
talk for one hour or twelve hours It
IS matter of history that senator on
the republican side in the former con-
gress talked to death the river and
1 harbor bill. There comes time con-
stantly In settling of bills when you
must do SO and SO, or so and so, or else
your bill cannot pass; and this with
reference to the great money bills. In
my opinion such condition existed as
to this bill, and clustered about this
one amendment. There was also an
amendment put on to the bill in an
other body, which involved legislation
to the extent of granting to the stats
! OF Vermont $150,0OO in adjustment OF
her war claims. The senate receded;
but your conferees were unable to get
the senate to recede upon this gift
state of South Carolina.
/ Senate Is Despot.
BY unanimous consent another body
1 leg1slates, and in the expiring hours OF
the session we are powerless without
that unanimous consent. Help me-,
Cassius. or sink, Unanimous consent
comes to the center Of the DOME II
comes through statuary hall and te
the house doors, and it comes practical-3
~ to the house. We can have no legis-
lat1on without the approval of both
bodies; and one body, in my opinion
i cannot legislate without unanimous
consent. Your conferees had the alter
native Of submitting to legislative
blackmail. at the demand, in my
opinion, of one fndividual-I shall not
say WHEREOF of letting these great
money bills fail. Now, what are we
going to do about it? This bill con-
tatns many important matters; your
appropriations for public buildings;
legislation lately had all along the line
of public service to the extent of $20,-
100000. Gentlemen, have made my
4 protest. do it in sorrow and in humil-
iation, but there 1t is; and in my opinion
another body, under these methods
must change its method Of procedure
or our body, backed up by the people
Will compel change. Else this body
close to the people, shall become mere
tenderer, mere bender Of the preg-
nant hinges of the knee, to submit to
what any member Of another body may
demand of this body as a price for legis.
Iation' ,Hs
,l, -"