The San Francisco call., 1904-04-10

Tears, he said, belonged to women
for conditions which were helpless,
while discussion belonged to men. The
dignity and power of the House, he
maintained, were within the control of
it's own members, and" he said, "it
needs but loyalty on our part to restore
US not merely to an important, but to
dominant position"
The Congress, he declared had go
lost caste that today there was not a
more than one or two paragraphs
about its proceedings. In stentorian
tones he demanded to know why has
this decline come upon US? Why has
this deefeDitude overtaken us?"
Continuing, he inquired If 1t were
possible that the House must confess
now that It's last intrenchment has
been made "by a subordinate execu-
tive officer" and said that the con-
tempt which had been extended to the
House and the violation OF It's rights
constituted the measure of respect, at
tention and submission which 1t de-
served. Amid an outburst of Demo-
cratic applause, he declared that when
the House shall stand on its rights,
the greater will be the security of
liberty and the wider the progress of
humanity
FLAWS THE MEMBERS.
He then iayed the members for per-
mitting the Senate to grow up ct the
expense of the House, by persistently
asserting It's rights. He charged that
the House had been remiss in its duty
in not asserting its rights.
He received vociferous applause from
both sides of the chamber when he de-
clared, Notwithstanding Speaker Can
mons utterances, that public opinion
must come to the rescue of Congress,
the public opinion of the United
States is here. We are it's agents, it's
creation"
Raising his voice to high pitch, he
said that the House lis the sanctuary
OF our constitutional temple. We are
the priests to whom it is entrusted, and,
he added (pointing his finger at the
Speaker), you. sir, are the high priest
responsible for the method in which
that trust shall be discharged"
He referred to attempts made by
England TO usurp the legislative
authority and declared that the Presi-
dents order was the usurpation of
power, not by appropriation, but by
Interpretation" which he attributed to
the "pusillanimous failure of Congress
to do its duty to itself"
Congress had control of the purse,
and if it would exercise that control, he
insisted, every privilege that belonged
to it would come back. He dwelt at
/ length on the inalienable right of the
House to originate revenue bills, and
urged the members to assert that right.
He attacked the rules of the House
and said that if the members were not
to be trusted I'VE ought to be abol-
ished"
ATTACKS RULES OF HOUSE.
He further attacked the rules of the
House, which he said, forced members
TO rise and discuss questions having no
reference to the bill under considera-
ton, thus reducing the whole proceed
ing to the level of opera bSdffe.''
Reverting to the Presidents order,
Cochran contended that the Secretary
Of the Interior justified the action upon
the precedent of President Cleveland.
We'll, SIR he said, pacing up and
down the center aisle, If that be so,
then in Gods name let us condemn
that act of Mr.. Clevelands as vehe-
mently as the act of any Republican
President. The disposition TO justify
almost everything by pleading that
Mr.. Cleveland did it is the highest of
compliments that can be paid to man
by any Congress in our political his
tory"
Mr.. Cleveland did it, and therefore it
{ I,,, E !,
mitted by Mr. Cleveland the conf
dence which he enjoys adds to it's dam
ger and does not lessen it,"
He closed, amid a storm of applause,
by appealing to both sides of the
House to unite on a declaration of
rights beyond which the aggression
of the Senate or of the executive shall
not 60"
AS Cochran took his seat he was
! surrounded by members of both par
ties, who warmly congratulated him,
! and it was some time before order was
/ restored.
DALZELL MAKES REPLY.
/ Dalzell, replying to Cochran, said he
| could cite countless instances when the
House again and again had asserted
its right against the claims of the Sem
ate, and always successfully. 1t had,
| he said, taken Cochran eleven years to
| discover that there was an invasion
! of the archives of the House Con-
cerning the pension order Dalzeil
maintained that it did not make any
difference how many millions were in
volVed by the order. Congress, he
said. turned over to the Secretary of
the Interior lump sum for pensions
based upon the Secretary's estimates,
to be distributed under the law and
pursuant to the rules of evidence of
the board by the Pension Bureau
Therefore, he argued. the amount of
money involved cut no figure in the
resolution under discussion.
The President and Secretary of the
J Interior found another defender in