Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1894 — THE NATION’S SOLONS. [ARTICLE]

THE NATION’S SOLONS.

SENATE ANQ HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Oar National Law-Makera and What They Are Doing for the Good of the Country— Various Measures Proposed, Discussed and Acted Upon. Doings of Congress. The Senate was engaged in discussing the Wilson bill Wednesday. It will be weeks before the debate is closed, and every member kill be given a chance. Mr.Reed held the House at bay for an hour and a half on a motion to discharge the warrant issued to the Sergeant-at-arms during the fight over the contested election cases to arrest the absentees TheRepublicans, under his leadership, refusedto vote, and the Democrats, being unable to muster a quorum, yielded to an adjournment Both sides of the chamber showed a good; attendance when the Senate met Thursday. Daring the transaction of the routine morning business Senator Kyle, of South Dakota, introduced a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment relative to marriage and divorce, which was referred to the Committee on Judiciary. The urgent deficiency bill was taken up. and the last paragraph, Co provide for uniformity In the letting of government contracts for supplies at Washington, gaverise to considerable discussion, as did alsothe paragraph for the printing of an abstract of the eleventh census. Mr. Manderson moved to strike out the clause, as he argued that the abstract would be but a duplication of tbe digest already ordered. The motion was agreed to and the bill as amended was about to be put on its final passage when the hour of 1 o’clock arrived and the question went over, while tbetariff bill was laid before tbe Senate. When the House adjourned late in the afternoon it was still tn a most distressing tangle. The rule which the committee on, rules brought in, imposing a fine of $lO for every refusal of a member to vote, was the cause of the trouble. No business bad been transacted. , Very few Senator! assembled Friday to listen to the tariff speeches. The struggle over the adoption of ths new rule to secure a voting quorum was resumed when the House met. As soon as the journal had been read Mr.'Boutelle lumped to his feet and objec ed. and wben Mr. Dockery moved its approval the Republicans sat silent in their seats. Upon tbe announcement of the vote, 105 to 0, Mr. Boutelie made the point of no quorum and the roll was called.. The Republicans refrained from voting and the result. 155 to 1. showed that the Democrats were twenty-three short of a quorum. Mr. Dockery then moved a call of the House, instructing his side to vote down the motion in the hope of developing a Democratic quorum. But the Democrats failed to get the quorum. Tbe motion for a call was defeated by 140 to 14. The Democrats were still twenty-five short The prospect of a quorum was hopeless, and. as it had' been decided to call a Democratic caucus to consider the rules. Mr. Dockery moved an adjournment, and at one o’clock the Bouse adjourned. Owing to the death of Senator Vance neither Senate nor House transacted public business Monday. Resolutions of respect to the memory ' of the distinguished North Carolina statesman were unanimously adopted. Appropriate resolutions were also adopted in honor of the memory of General Henry W. Slocum. One of the new measures submitted to the House was H qu<s?um-counting rule. It Is understood that the rule provides for ascertaining a quorum by counting members present and not voting and {dso for fining members who. absent themselves from the House. The House Tuesday by an overwhelm* Ing vote decided to adopt a quorum-count-ing rule. Neither undue excitement nor tumultuous scenes marked the crushing of the old legislative barriers. The parliamentary wheels then began moving again. A regular gorge of committee reports., blocked by the recent filibustering, were presented under the call of the committees Tbe House then, on motion of Mr. McCreary, went into committee of the Whole to consider the consular and diplomatic appropriation bill. After speeches by Mr. McCreary in support of and Mr. Hitt (Republican) adverse to tbe bill, tbe House at 4:40 adjonrnqd. There was a very slim attendance of visitors in the galleries when the Senate met. The bill to create the southern judicial district of Texas and to fix the time and place for holding courts in tbe southern,, eastern, and western districts was passed. The Senate went into executive session at half-past one o’clock. Twenty-! five minutes afterward tbe doors were reopened, and Senator Mitchell, of Oregon, asked that the resolution to consider the Chinese treaty in open session be laid aside, when Senator Morgan will return tn the Senate. This was agreed to.. Senator Smith, of New Jersev, made an earnest speech, which was devoted entirely to an attack on the income tax; At the conclusion of Mr. Smith’s speech tbe Senate adjourned.