The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-03-19
Record Endurance Contest in Lower House
Ceases Only to Be Renewed Today.
INSURGENTS MANIFEST GRIM Determination
Leaders Declare They Will Garry the Fight the Rules to
the Last Ditch and Will Suffer Utter Defeat Rather
Than Accept Any Sort of Compromise Stubborn
Fighters Look Very Weary

Washington March ls-At Il min
utcsl before O'Clock tonight the hous,
adjourned until noon tomorrow. afte
one of the greatest parliamentary
struggles in It's history. The result Is
nothing more or less than a drawr
battle.
When the final roll call came. lG4 re.
pnblicans voted to postpone action of
the Norris amendment until tomorrow
and $50 democrats and inslrgent re.
pnblicans voted to continue.
With the regular republicans voted
II of the insurgent following of Norris
Of Nebraska. who left him and sided
with the majority for q postponement
The result. they said, conveyed no sig
nlficancc, and did not mean that they
had deserted the insurgent cause
The hull in the long battle apparently
was welcomed by both sides. although
there was not cheer OF victory from
either When the speaker put the
motion to adjourn "A general chorus OF
ayes came from the republican side.
there was no answer To the call for the
noes
The house for the first time In the
present session had almost its full
membership on the floor. When the
gavel fell, the members rose wearily
from their seats and filed out through
the Uttered aisles. In five minutes
nf ha A. lra biz
durance struggle was cleared Of It's 400
principals. the galleries were empted
Of the hundreds OF spectators who or-
cupied them constantly for nearly 30
hours and only a score of janitors
moved about. cleaning up the evidences
of the fray.
Strange Scenes.
No such series of scenes have been
witnessed In congress In recent years.
The performance embraced every ele-
mcni from the serio-tragic effort to
wrest from the speaker the chief
source OF his power, to the songs
jokes and jests that the members
banded during the long hours of the
vigil. Always there was the bone of
contention between the two opposing
sides. over which they fought and
wrangled fiercely, but for hours at "A
time the scene took on the aspect of IA
comic opera and laughter and applause
ruled the house.
What of the result? The unusual
and almost inexplcable ending caused
a thousand questions on the meaning
Of the armistiee. Did II mean that the
regulars had won over enough insurg-
cnts to obtain truce In the fight and
time enough to rally their forces and
form some new plan of action? Or
were both sides weary to the limit of
physical exhaustion and glad Of an op-
portunity to defer the final struggle
for few hours and give all n chance
To froshen themselves for It?
Lost Nothing.
We have lost nothing" said Rep
rescntative Norris. This postpone
mcnt means nothing more than that We
have deferred consideration of my
resolution. The issue is not affected
at all and the insurgents stand solid
ly and unbroken now, as they stood "a
hours ago"
Worn and haggard. his unshaven
face drawn and pale and his eyes red
and swollen from loss of sleep, the
leader OF the little band of insurgents
that has held the balance of power In
the house through one of the most
dramatic periods in it's history, made
this declaration Immediately after the
house had voted to adjourn. He him
self. had voted to remain in session.
''rhe insurgents who voted for this
postponement did so because they be-
leved ii might provide an easier way
of accomplishing what we want and
do not disapprove their action in the
least. 1t will give us opportunity to
confer with the leaders of the regulars
and see how far they are willing to go
IN conccding us victory.
You may be sure of one thing. We
will be voting at the finish for jus.
what we voted for at the start"
Representative Madison of Kansas,
one OF the Insurgent leaders. declared.
wv 0o'VHVoVIoc.
You can say for me would rather
he licked TO n finish than to stand for
any sort of milk and water compro-
mise ! intend to fight this thing
through and think all the insurgents
will stand solid
4 The regulars following adjournment
talked over the situation informally
and individually. Their mood Is a
one. If the republican insur-
the "allies' will devolve the RESPONSE /
bllty Of legislation.
The particular obstruction in the |
path OF agreement between the regu-
lars and the insurgents is the pro-
posed elimination of the speaker from
Lhe committee ON rules, The regulars