Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1890 — THE NATIONAL SOLONS. [ARTICLE]

THE NATIONAL SOLONS.

WORK OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE Of REPRESENTATIVES. Our National Law-Makers and What They Are Doing for the Good of the CountryVarious Measures Proposed, Discussed and Acted On. In the Senate on toe 27th Mr. Walthall proceeded to answer the charges of maltreatment of citizens of Indiana in Aberdeen, Miss,, the, day of Jefferson Davis’ funeral. He condemned unqualifiedly the outrage on toe tinsmith and toe insult to Secre ary Proctor. At some length he replied to Ingalls’ speech on the race question. Mr. Walthall was followed by Mr. George, and Senators Chandler and Ingalls replied and the debate grew general, lasting until 4 o’clock, when an executive session was held and toe following confirmations announced: Louis G. Palmer, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan ; James Clark, to be Marshal for ths Western District of Michigan; T. J. Shepherd, United Statss Attor--ney for ths Eastern District of Michigan; M. B. Gary, Colleitjr of Customs for the Cuyahoga District of Ohio. In the House, among the bills introduced was one by Mr. Mason of Illinois apppropriating ®2,000,0j0 for a postoffice at Chicago The House spent the entire afternoon on a bill for the erection of three United States penitentiaries for the confinement of United States prisoners and passed the bill. A motion to reconsider was entered, but without action upon this motion the House adjourned. The bill ao passed authorizes the construction of three penitentiaries for the confinement of' United States prisoners, one to be located north of thirty-ninth degree of latitude, one to be located south of tl>a. line and one to be located west of the Rocky Mountains. In the Senate, on the 28th, petitions were presented for the prevention of a sale of options on farm produce. Senator Chandler presented, a petition from 100 citizens of Mississippi asking for the establishment of a republican government in that State, which, the petition states, is now lacking. Mr. Morrill introduced thebill authorizing the issue of treasury notes on deposits of silver bullion. Under toe calendar the bill to pay the States and Territories all moneys , collected underthe direct tax levied by the act of Congress in 1861 came up. The amendment by Senator Vance was rejected, and after some debate a vote was taken, resulting in toe passageof the bill by a vote of 44 to 7. The Senate then went into executive session and adjourned. The following conflrinat.’ous were announced:: Richard Guenther, of Wisconsin, Consul General to the City of Mexico; L. Gottschalk, of: California, Consul to Stuttgart; J. F. Winter, of Illinois, Consul to Mannheim; Jacob Yoes, United States Marshal for the Western District of Arkansas. The House passed a bill providing that, in cases of pension claims of dependent parents,, it shall be necessary only to show to the pension office that the parents are without other means of support than manual labor. Mr. Dorsey, of Nebraska, from the Committee on Banking and Currency, reported a bill to provide for the issue of circulating notes to na tional banking associations, upon which thaHouse spent the entire afternoon. In the Senate on the 29th, after some routine, business, Mr. Mitchell took the floor and addressed the Senate on the bill for the free coinage of silver. On the conclusion of Mr. address the Senate went into executive session, and at 3 o’clock the doors were opened and the Senate adjourned ' In the House Mr. Payson, of Illinois, from the Committee on Public Lands, reported the Senate bill for the creation of three additional land districts in Colorado. The bill was passed—vens, 182 ; days, 98. Mr. Dalzell, of Pennsylvania, called up thoelection case of Smith vs. Jackson, from the Fourth West Virginia District. Mr. Crisp, of Georgia, raised the question of consideration. Upon tne question ot considering the tmith vs. Jackson election case, the Democrats generally refused to vote, and ma le the point ot no quorum. The Speaker, however, counted as present the members refusing to vote, and declared a quorum present. The House was immediately in a great tunnoil, but quiet Mas at length restored, and the Spea-ser made a long statement in justification of his course. Mr. Crisp appealed from thadecision of the Chair, and proceeded to make a reply to the Speaker’s argument. Mr. Cannon, of Illinois, replied in support of the i-peaker. He read from speeches in Congress by Randolph Tucker, Mr. Springer, and others in support ot Speaker Reed s position. Mr. Carlisle followed, simply saying that the question was higher than parliamentary law ; tha. it was one of constitutional law. He quoted from the Constitution to show that a ma ority of the members constituted a quorunj, and that it only gives power to less than a quorum to adjourn or compel the attendance of members. Ho said that if tha Speaker were ■ allowed to put names in the journal of the House, it would be a violation of the spirit of the Constitution. Mr. McKinley took the floor to reply, but the House adjourned without further action. • In too Senate, on the 30th, Mr. Vance, in pursuance of notice given some days before, replied to Ingalls’ speech on the race problem. At the close of Senator Vance’s speech, Senator Hampton followed in remarks of some length on tho same subject. His speech was devoted largely to da’;a relative to the prograss of the South and tha condition of the negro. At 3:50 tho Senate proceeded to the consideration of calendar business, at 4 went into executive session, and at 4 :39 adjourned. In the House, the reading of the journal of the previous day precipitated a renewal of the contest between the Speaker and the Democratic side of the House. Mr. McKinley, of Ohio, moved that the journal be approved, and upon that motion demanded the previous question. Mr. Springer, of Illinois, moved an adhurnment, and demanded the yeas and nays. The roll was then called, and the motion wa i defeated—yeas, 142 ; nays, 160. The question then recurred on the demand for the previous question on the approval of the journal, and, the yeas and nays having been ordered, the Democrats abstained from voting. Before the vote was announced, the Speaker directed the Clerk to record the names of certain members as present and not rating, after which he announced that the vote stood, yeas 160, nays 1, and added: •Which,' in addition to the gentlemen present, constitutes a quorum, and tho previous question is ordered.” Tne Speaker then ordered the yeas and nays on the approval of the previous question anti the journal was declared to stand approved. A vote was taken on the motion lo lay on the table the appeal from the Speaker’s ruling of the previous day, chut he had a right to take notice of ths presence st persons not voting and thus make a quorum. On this the Democrats declined to vote, and the result was announced—yeas. 162 ; nays, 0. Tho point of no quorum was made, bus the Speaker directed the Clerk t j place upon the journal the fact that certain members who did not vote and whose names h# called were present in their spats, and that a quorum was present. Tho Speaker declared the motion to lay on the table the appeal from his rulin’ carried, and the House, afteranother roll-call, adjourned. The Senate, in executive session on the 31st lilt, confirmed the nomination of John M. Clark to be Collector of the Port at Chicago. In the House the contest of the two previous days over taking up cons deration of the Smith-Jackson contested election case was renewed. Miv Springer moved to adjourn, saying he did so to enable the Committee on Rules io bring in a sode of rules. The motion to adjourn was lost —yeas 135, nays 162—and the question recurring on th-demand for t"o previom question, the yeas and nays were ordered. The Democrats again pursued their policy of not votin ', and. the Speaker once more pursued his method of jotting down the names of members present and not.voting. The Speaker then declared the demand for tho previous question carried—yeas, 160; nays, 0; amid the loud protests of tne Democrats. Mr. Bynum, of Indiana, entered a vigorous "protest. The Speaker refused to recognize several motions for adjournment, explaining his position at some length. The motion to take up the case at length reached a roll-eall, and the Democrats again refrained from voting, but the Speaker, glancing over tho Democratic side, now and then checked off a member whose name was called and who refused to respond. The vote resulted—yeas, 163; nays, 0, and tho Speaker’s decision was sustained. Mr. Dalzell then took the floor and. presented the claims of the contestant, and at the conclusion of Mr. Dalzell’s address the House adjourned- A caucus of the Democrats of th* House was held later in the day, at which ft was resolved to continue the contest the Speaker ’a rulings.