The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-04

ministration; William McAdoo, of New
Jersey, assistant secretary of the navy in
Clevelands last administration; Nathan
Gon, jr.. of West Virginia. now United
States circuit judge; Beriah Wilkins, of
Ohio, now owner of the Washington Post;
Thomas P. Ochiltree, the first native Tex
as Republican ever elected to Congress; w.
s. Holman, OF Indiana, known far and near
as the Watch dog of the treasury"
1t was Holman who made Crisp speaker
of the Fifty-second Congress and won him
the craftsmanship of the appropriations
committee. 1t was on the last ballot that
Holman changed his vote and defeated
Mills. Of Texas.
The Pennsylvania delegation included
such men as w. d. Kelley, better known
as "Pig Iron Kelley because of his devo-
ton to the iron industry; Charles O'Neill,
Andrew G. Curtin, the war Governor, and
A. .. Harmer, who at the time of his death
held the honorable position Of the father
of the House In the Georgia delegation
were Charles P. Crisp, for two terms speak
er. and who refused an appointment to the
Senate; Henry G. Turner, who retired
from politics because he was not in accord
with his people on the money question and
Judson c. Clements, now a member of the
Interstate-commerce Commission; w. r.
Morrison, of Illinois, the author Of the hor-
izontal tariff bill and for a number Of
years head of the acknowledgements
Commission. D. B. Culberson, Of Texas,
the great constitutional lawyer and father
| Of Senator Culberson, and William M.
| Springer. of Illinois.
| AS chairman OF the ways and means COM
mittee in the Fifty-second Congress he in
| troduced what was called popgun tariff
| bills. The Senate was Republican, and, of
course. a general tariff bill would be killed
| in the committee room, but single meas
ure. a popgun bill. Mr.. Springer thought
might possibly be considered, and so his
/ committee reported and passed several pop
| gun tariff bills. None of them ever saw
the light Of day in the Senate.
| REEDS REVOLUTION.
| Virginia had several distinguished sons in
| the Forty-eighth Congress. among whom
may be mentioned John Randolph Tucker.
| John s. Wise and George d. Wise. 1t was
Mr.. Tucker. In the second session Of the
Forty-sixth Congress. who offered an
amendment to the rules of the House to
| authorize the speaker to count a quorum,
and no spoke with greater vehemence
against the proposition than the late
Thomas Bracket Reed. who. speaker of
| the House in the memorable Fifty-first
/ Congress, without any rules, save general
parliamentary law. not only counted q
| quorum, but refused to entertain regular
motions, on the ground that they were
| dilatory, although the motions thus made
| had always been held to be in order.
4 aad h,,<
| he had the courage to carry 1t through, and
the path OF reform that he had blazed
away
Prior to the Fifty-frst Congress a hand
ful Of members could tie up the House and
prevent the majority from doing business.
and in the F1ftieth Congress. under the
rules. a score OF flibusters led by Oats of
Alabama, dead-locked the House for eleven
days and nights.
The flibuster was over the measure
| known as the direct tax bill. The oppo-
nents were successful in that the majority
compromised. agreeing that the bill should
go over until the short session, when II
| should come to a vote. And an order 10
that effect was entered upon the journal.
In the old days it was not an uncommon
thing for a few members to waste an en-
tire day filibustering against some measure
to which they were opposed. 1t an
easy matter. All they had to do was to
make motions to adjourn to day certain.
take a recess, call for a quorum, move to
adjourn and then demand the yeas and
nays. These motions would multiply one
on top of the other. and would be repeated
indefinitely. until, worn out by the filibus-
tering tactics. the majority would adjourn
| the House.
Another innovation inaugurated by the
| late Mr.. Reed was the change in the rule
regulating the introduction of bills. Pre-
vious 10 the Fifty-irst, or billion-dollar
Congress. it called by the Demo
| Gratis, every Monday was bill day, and on
that day each State was called in alpha
betical order. for the introduction of bills
The bills were read twice and referred by
| the speaker to the appropriate committee
and ordered printed.
II was the privilege OF any member to
demand the reading in full of any bill in
troduced. New bills are dropped into a
box and their titles are never read except
when the bill is called up for consideration
Horse Racing and War.