New-York tribune., 1903-03-05
A SHOT AT THE SENATE.
CANNON'S HOT SPEECH.
Denunciation of ''LegistatiUe Black
mail" May ForeshadO1U a Contest.

Washington, March 4.-The speech Of Repre-
sentative Cannon. chairman OF the Appropria-
tiOns Committees, delivered after 3:3O o'clock
this morning IN the House on the conferences
report on the General Deficiency appropriation
BILL protesting against Legislative bIackmalI'
and insisting on the right Of a majority to
rule in the Senate, i'm view Of the fact that hs
is to be Speaker of the next House is re-
gardcd as foreshadowing contest on this
question. The scene when Mr. Cannon deliy-
cred this speech the most remarkable Oc
this Congress I'm the House. Late as the hour
was the weary members were set on fire Glth
enthusiasm and they cheered his utteran"es
until the great hall resOunded with their shouts.
Mr.. Cannon said:
Gentlemen know that under the practice oe
the House and under the rules Of the Senate
the great money bills can contain nothing hut
appropriations in pursuance OF existing Law,
unless by unanimous consent OF both bodies.
II any of these bills contain legislation u must
be by unanimous consent Of the two bodies,
and the uniform practice has been-so far as
I know-the invariable practice mas been. With
the exception of one amendment upon this bill.
that when one body objected to legislation pro-
posed by the other upon an appropriation bill,
the body proposing the legislation reCeded.
In this case the trouble in arriving dt an
agreement all clustered about one ameHdIHrHt-
There were many amendments OF a legislative
character proposed by tho Senate; there were
many amendments covering hundreds Of thou
sands OF dollars Of claims pure and simple,
prODOsed by the Senate One 10y on" the leSls-
L,tiyte provisions and the claims disappeared
as the Senate rcccded. until We came to m
amendment to pay the State or Soutn Carofna
$41 OOO A word as to that In May last. oI
the Omnibus Claims bill, q basis was hxe1
for the adjustment of the accounts OF Virginia
and Baltimore and South Carolina with fhe
United States, growing out Of the War OF lSI--
10 The auditing officers OF the treasury IN
pursuance of that law. adjusted thr accounts
OF Virginia An indefinite appropriation was
ma tn
should be found due by the auditing oIncers-
Tpon that basis and under that legslat ton.
the sum of 100000 In round NUMBERS mas ''@'
paid to the State Of Virginia
ATTACKS SENATE RULES.
Under the same law. which is the law to-day.
the auditing officers In the adjustment Of az
counts of the War Of ISL found due 70 the
State of South Carolina the sum CT 0+ cents
Env- the Senate Of the United States, notvith-
standing the law. proposed legislation OF an dp-
preparation TO the extent q ct ms House Use
conferrees objected, and the Whole IOAS ue44!
has been over that one item In the House ot
REPRESENTATIVES. without criticisIng either slde
or any individual member, We nave rules Sont
times invoked by our Democratic irlenoS anu
sometimes by OurselV ea-each TespOlSIole 70 .H@
people, after all Is said aud dohe-Oy "H.-I d
majority right wrong, mistaken or oth'I-
wise can legislate. In another body there are
No such rules In another body legislation !
had by unanimous consent In another DOdE an
individuaI member of that body can rise IN Ms
place and talk for one hour. Two houIS' yen
that q Senator on the Republican side IN q 1oI-
mer Congress talked to death a river ana hd'
Dor bill There comes time cohstanlS IN. III -
settling of bills when you must 10 50 anu -
or so and So else your bill cannot pass anu
this with reference to the great money DIIiS.
In nv opinion such condition existed o. -
+y,is hill and clustered about this one amend
Ynent There was also an amendment PuI ono
the bill in another body which lnN2ivtG IssLSs
Iation TO the extent of granting to the state o.
Vermont $4,000 in adjustment ~ hsr vaI
claims The Senate receded. but your cohI-Iler
were unable TO seI sne arainst the Law -
the State OF South Carolina BY uniI,lihou9
consent another body legislates, ana IN a,N. VIZ
piring hours Of the session we are poI -
without that unanimous consent HeIP w.
Cassius or sink Unanimous consent coh's
to the centre of the dome; unanimous Co4S-I,
co,oos through Statuary Hall and to the Hou>S
doors. and comes practically to the house- h1
both bodies and one body. in my oplnl"h- ''''-
not Ipgislate without unanimous cohse"'-
LEGISLATIVE BLACkMAIL~"
There WAS the alternative-in opinion ms
applied not only to the Deficiency gli H3sI 9r. ~ b,u
Naval bill an agreement as 10 tLc -. - -,
Your conferrees had the alternative ol So So -,
ttne m ieeisIati tive blackmaiI at tho demand III
NV opinion, of one indtvldu2I-I sIlhll IT, ,trr-
WHEREOF of letting :hese great IlOl' =
ell Nov what are We going To d. dbrut II
This bill AOntains many impof'aiI!u, @ Lle -.
your appropriations for public buildings hsIf
iation lately had all along the hne "l 'Is p'''-'
service to the extent of $-Odlu-V ..=
Now 7 have taken the House int" my en-.
,Ie0re touching this matter. dS II l." N-'y
do I am getting to be "A SomeW Nat ase1 I,l". .I
/ pray God that my life may DE- sPHIeu IN IN
an Intelligent and righteous H. I'll
md south East and West. perNatilnS ''''H
tbr. great parties. will lash any nodE lu'"
nbedience to the right Of the majority 70 I.,'
S5o{nritiea and mfnOritieS SHIFT back and -'i''-
Ali saws somebody. did that WORK III TrLvIg"
In the matter Of Statehood. ami dli y"u -
i'm Statehood" I did not believe III C.lrI
and I am putting now the strongest a., ',5--.-T
nv own party but a majority ~ the ~.
voiced il. the Senate anu III th' l'""~ "
right 10 have its will expressed 4
C;entlenen l have made my prut,>'. a.
Il Am sorrow and in humiliItl3H- but tneIl -,
- IN my. oUfniou anOther body under jH'9
,nstb0lS must change its method OF pluSeuul
or our body backed up by the pe"if NIL Ill, In, IN,
OaI the change: else this body. close {" tne -
PEI t III Lrr0r,, a mere tende~ Il more '"Hd'r
~ the pregnant hinges Of tin" knee" to suD,..,-
80 v-bat any one member uf another 'o,tE - ~"
demand of this body. Il price l"F '."'~'
CProIonge,I applause and cheers