Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-27
|NACT|Oh OF HOUSE
Criticism by the Leader Of
the Minority.
REPLY OF Mr.. PAYNE
SAYS THAT THE HOUSE CAN TAKE
CARE OF ITSELF.
Republicans Will Not Revise Tariff Be-
fore acknowledgements
Until Tuesday.
REPLY OF Mr.. PAYNE

JOufn over intervals Oh tnree Gays uHtii tAe
extraordinary session merges INTO the resu-
lar long session Of Congress, was ruined
today by a protest from the democratic
minority against the policy of fnaction.
John Sharp williams (A1iss.).
the minority leader. spoke with passionate
intensity accusing the republicans of being
afraid Of one another and of the Pres. dent.
He was followed by Representative De Ar
mond. who had attempted 10 OBTAIN the
floor at the same time Mr.. Williams was en-
deavoring to catch the eye of the Speaker.
Mr.. De Almond desired to raise the point OF
no quorum but finally withheld his point.
Representative Payne New York;, the
republican floor leader. made a ringing de-
Tense of the policy of the majority He de-
clared that at the regular session ample
opportunity would be given to the demo-
Gratis to rid themselves Of the campaign
thunder which is pent up within them.
The debate, which by unanimous consent
was limited to fifteen minutes to side.
was the livelest of the session. Applause
and laughter constantly Interrupted the
speakers. ..s:ss--- -.
When the routine business of the morning
had been disposed of Mr. Payne moved
that when the House adjourned today it be
to meet Tuesday next. 1t was then that
cries of Mr. Speaker came simultane-,
ously from Mr.. Williams and MIR. De Ar
mond''
De Almond was insistent. Mr.. Payne was
also on his feet. Speaker Cannon, for the
time being, had his best parliamentary
faculties called into play. A settlement
was eventually reached by which Mr.. De
Almond withheld his point of no quorum,
and the agreement was made that the
motion for adjournment should be DEL. ted
for fifteen minutes on either side.
Present Interesting Fight.
ut is my idea. in my representatives.
capacity here Oh this ioor," said Mr..
Williams. that the right of flibuster.ng is
a very sacred right that ought to be pre-
served intact for very important occa-
sions, when it might be necessary perhlps,
to rivet the attention of the country upon
some great legislative wrong. and that it
ought not to be frittered away on small
occasions AS far as the present in crest
ing fight between the republican Sen tie
and the republican House IS concerned we
upon this side have not much to say, ex-
cept that it is not our fight.
1T illustrates better than anything else
great as 1t is, how much can be made out
OF tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee. AS to
which one of these great bodies, which
Is your Senate and your House of Repre-
sentatlVes, is eXcelling the other in the
inutility of results of dictatfon I am not
prepared to say, although am somewhat
inclined to give the benefit of the doubt
to the higher house-the American house
this floor a great deal Of sympathy with
the rebellion of the House at all times
against the dictation of the Senate, but that
is not our fight. ri'
Ought to Transact Business.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, if it be admitted that
the Senate is right. or If it be admitted
that the House is right. and If we are go
ing to stay here until the regular session
comes about, then the House ought to do
business of some sort: and when the re-
publican party stands here legislatively
inactive I protest against it from this side
OF the chamber as confession of the UNI
willingness or Incompetence to do the busi-
ness of the country. 1 am not complaining
about general business. 1 know that the
Speaker has not had the opportunity to
appoint all the committees, but some few
have been appointed and those are ready
for business now.
The ways and means committee for ex-
ample, is ready eight now. Important prop
ositions are pending before that committee.
These two houses In session are costing
this country a good deal of money. Some
slight compensation for the waste of time
Cured might be returned by having the
ways and means committee do business and
by having this House do business.
We'll do 1 remember how in the Fifty
third Congress the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Payne), backed by the then rep
resentative from Maine, Mr.. Reed, was con-
stantly ringing the changes upon democrat
ic business incompetence-upon the idea
that the democratic House was afraid to
trust a democratic Senate. and that both
were afraid to trust democratic President.
My friends. the poisoned chalice commends
itself to our lips today. You are afraid to
trust a republican Senate. republican
Senate is afraid of you, and you are both
afraid to trust a republican President"
Mr.. Williams was interrupted by loud ap-
plause on the democratic side. He contin-
ued:
1.-The country stands here, Mr. Speaker,
demanding that legislation progress. de-
manding that great evils be swept out of
existence, demanding with voice almost
unanimous from republicans as well as
democrats, that the tariff shall be revised
at least to the extent Of ceasing to be a
shelter for extortionate trusts. And yet
you stand here with the ways and. means
committee organized, doing nothing.
Il appeal to you" concluded Mr.. Will
liams 'in the very memorable words of
Thomas B. Reed in democratic Congress,
For heavens sake. show your competency
to attend to public business. If you have
rot any trust and confidence in yourselves.
in the name Of God whom do you expect
to have any trust and confidence in your "
Mr.. De Almonds Inquiry
Mr. De Almond spoke very briefly.
What is the House doing?" he asked.
According to the newspapers it seems to
be looking after the President. resenting
bad treatment of him and calling the at
tention of the country to it.
IF the House desires to be kind to the
President why does 1t not finish it's work
and adjourn? Why does 1t not fix the day
of adjournment within which the list OF
committees can be prepared and within
which time they can be announced and
then adjourn? -
''If you desire to remain In session why do
you not meet every day? Why not go
through this same process every day? Why
do you not every day burn incense-and how
sweet it must smell in the nostrils of the
President? Why do you limit yourselves to
two performance a week? If. on the other
hand. you do not wish to do 1t, and accentu.
ate what the Senate has DONE why do you
not fix a time for adjournment and let the
people know it? And let those who wish to
go home do So"
House Master Of Itself.
Mr.. Payne replied by saying that the
House would be organised in due time; that
when it met in December 1t would have
business to do. He referred to the time in
the Fiftieth Congress when a single west
ern representative f1libustered for two weeks
and defeated bill which had practically
the unanimous consent OF the democrats
and republicans alike. In the Fffty-nrst
Congress 1t was decided that such q thing
should not happen again. Rules were drawn