Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1893 — THE EXTRA SESSION. [ARTICLE]

THE EXTRA SESSION.

In the Senate, Tuesday, the debate on the silver bill was devoid of interest. A bare quorum was present. Mr. Squire offered an amendment to the bill for repeal. It provides that any owner of bullion, the product of mines or refineries located in the United States, may deposit it st any mint to the United States to be formed into standard dollars of the present weight, and reeeivc coin to the amount of the commercial value on the lay of deposit. The difference between such commercial value and the coin value Is to be retained by the treasury as seigniorage. The amount deposited for coinage Is not to exceed $2,000,000 per month; The lumber of standard silver dollars coined inder this provision is not to exceed 100,XX),000. They are to be full legal tender. No certificates are to be issued to reprelent these silver dollars. The purchasing tlause of the Sherman act is to be repealed. For the present the bonds are to be issued to the extent of $200,000,000, are redeemable after five years, and the proceeds are to be used for the redemption of United States notes. National banks are to be entitled to circulation to the par value of the bonds deposited by them. The House bill repealing the federal elecHon laws, which passed the House, Tueslay, was laid before the Senate. Mr. Hoar suggested that the bill should go the committee on privileges and elections. After 1 short executive session the Senate, at J: 15, adjourned until Wednesday. The Tucker bill to repeal all existing federal election taws was passed by the House at Tuesday’s session by a vote of MX) to 101, party lines being strictly drawn for and against. Senator Hill, of New fork, who is the author of a similar bill tn the Senate,, was on the floor while the vote was being taken. Quite a jubilant lemonstration was made by the Demo:aats when the result was announced. The Republicans, finding that the Demounts had their own quorum present, were (topped from filibustering by the iron-clad irder under which the House was operiting, beyond demanding an yfea and nay rote on the Burrows and Lacey amendments.

When the Senate convened, Wednesday, iwelve members were present. Repeal >lll was taken up at 11:45. Mr. Cockrell •esumed his speech, begun Tuesday, igalnst repeal. At 2:10 Mr. Cockrell Fielded the floor to Mr. Smith, of New Jersey, who spoke In favor of repeal. When Mr. Smith had finished, Mr. Irby, >f South Carolina, addressed the Senate n opposition to repeal. He said he spoke is a farmer, being the only member of the Senate whoso sole occupation was farmng. He was opposed to the bill as a man ind as a Democrat. He believed in Demoiratic principles as he did in the Bible. ‘That isnpretty rough on the Bible,” said i Republican Senator from New England. Mr. Irby said he would not be coerced. Re despised the patronage which had been to ruthlessly withheld from 90 per cent, of ;he honest Democrats of his State. Mr. Cockrell resumed the floor on the repeal >lll. “If the present administration,” laid Mr. Cockrell, “was attempting to .'orce upon the country the principle that lilver dollars were to be redeemed in gold t was not democracy. If it was shown to >e true he would say, ‘halt, halt’. I'he people are not ready for that. They will never sanction ft, never." At 5:15 Mr. Cockrell concluded his speech. A.t6 o’clock the usual hour for adjourn* ment, Mr. Allen was speaking. Mr. Dubois interrupted with an appeal to Mr. Voorhees, asking if he was going to make the usual motion to adjourn. “I feel it to be my highest duty,” said Mr. Voorhees, ‘not to make that motion this evening, but on the contrary, to ask the Senato to itay together in continuous session until the pending measure is disposed of.” Mr. Dubois said the statement of the Senator from Indiana meant that the Senate was io be held in continuoussession until the pending bill was brought to a vote or until it was demonstrated that it could not oe brought to a vote. “You know as well when you start in as you will when you emerge from the struggle that you must fail. With conditions as they exist in the Senate there is ao hope of radical legislation. Mr. Voorhees replied at great length. He suggested to Mr. Dubois the wisdom of the saying, “Let not him that girdeth on his armor boast himself as hethatputteth it off. We will see who will fail in this transaction before we are done. I feel that my feet are on a rock and there I shall stand and vindicate a great and mighty principle.” Mr. Voorhees said it had been suggested to him frequently by tetter and in the press to go outside of the rules and appeal to the presiding officer of the Senate to sustain him tn a motion not provided for in the rules, to proceed to a vote. “I would as soon,” said he, “think of .committing open high treason or private murdbr as to commit such a crime.” Mr. Harris of Tennessee, after referring to the courteous treatment all Senators bad received at the hands of Senator Voorhees, remarked that if he had been the veriest of martinets he would have been powerless to secure action. “For

myself,” said Mr. Harris,” and I know I voice thesentiment of several Senators on this side of the chamber, who like myself will never vote for the passage of unconditional repeal, I will never ask the Senate to adjourn. Nor will I vote for adjournment The "Senator from Indiana shall have the session, so far as I can control ft, aildngashemay desire It.” From 7 o’clock till 11 o'clock the debate continued without any unusual features, Mr. Allen still retaining the floor. Exactly at 12 o’clock Mr. Dubois arose and said as he looked about the chamber: “Mr. President, I believe that a quorum is not present” The Vice-president directed the clerk to call the roll. From the cloak rooms and entrances the Senators crowded into the chamber. When the roll call had been completed Mr. Stevenson announced that fifty-five Senators were present—a quorum—and directed Senator Allen to proceed. The Nebraskan promptly took the floor again and the quorum as promptly began disappearing through cloak room doors. At 12:45 a.m. Mr. Dubois again called the attention of the Vice-President to the fact that no quo rum was present, and in obedience to the electrical signabthe occupants of the cloak rooms again filed hastily into the chamber. As the Vice-President announedd that fifty-three Senators, a quorum, was present, Mr. Palmer, looking rather jaded and fagged out, called attention to the fact that Mr. Dubois, who had askedtoy a call of the Senate, had not answered to

his name. He wanted to know if tnat was proper to a parliamentary sense. The repealers were showing their Meth. Mr. Allen began reading from Chadwick’s political economy. Now and then be would pause to make a comment on a striking passage or take a sip from the dilapidated, over-worked lemon that lay on his desk. At la. m. Mr. Hoar wearily interrupted Mr. Allen to ask him If he was not reading to show that there was not an overproduction of agricultural products. He wanted to know candidly whether the Nebraskan did not think his speech was an overproduction. Mr. Allen hotly asked Mr. Hoar if he wanted to insult him, whereupon the Senator from Massachusetts apologized humbly and equilibrum was restored. At 1:45 the galleries were almost empty. The House, Wednesday, began the consideration of the McCreary bill to ex tend the provisions of the Geary act for six months under a special provision that it shall be considered until disposed of. Only two speeches were made—by Mr. McCreary, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, in support, and by Mr. Geary, the author of the old law, in antagonism. Mr. Geary made a violent attack on the administration, and especially upon Attorney General Olney, for failure to enforce the Geary law. His remarks created a sensation.

Thursday’s sunrise found the Senate of the United States still in scission. Senator Alien’s stayinc qualities had proved phenomenal. An altercation between Messrs. Allen and Palmer resulted in the pledge of 'both gentlemen to give $lO9 each to some charity. The point of “no quorum” was raised by Mr. Shoup and roll call showed but forty members present. Ser-geant-at-arms was ordered to find the absentees, which was done, and the VlcePresideut announced the presence of a quorum. point was made by Mr. Wolcott that a quorum was not a majority of tho members chosen to the Senate. The VicePresident ruled that the Senate being composed of eighty-five members fortythree was a quorum. Mr. Wolcott appealed and his appeal was laid on the table—3B to 5. The quorum question was disposed of a few minutes before 8 o’clock, and Mr. Allen arose apparently as fresh and vigorous as when he began fourteen hours before,-whilehe talked*about the shylocks and of < the Trojan ;horse, told of the voyage and landing of* the pilgrims on the New Englandjshore, pictured those of the Acadian peasants, sketched tho events leading up to the revolutionary war and told how that conflict was fought and won. At quarter past 8 Mr. Allen concluded his long speech by saying that ho yielded the floor to Mr. 1 Martin, of Kansas. To this proceeding 'Mr. Voorhees took exceptions and asked if he proposed to farm out the floor.lMr. Allen declared that he had no such intention. Mr. Voorhees interrupted by moving to lay the Peffer amendment on the table. The result showed that there were fifty Senators voting, seven morejtban a quor-um-yeas 33, nays 17. When the chair had announced the vote and stated that the Peffer amendment had been laid on the table Mr. Voorhees was recognized. He stated that the Peffer amendment to the bill was the only one' pending, except that offered by the committee on finance, which is the Wilson, or Heuse bill No. 1. Mr. Martin, of Kansas, got the floor at 9:30 o’clock and began a plea for the free coinage of silver. At noon there was no perceptible change. As the steam whistles and bells scattered over the city announced tho hour of midday, Senator Martin still had the floor. There was another call of the 'Senate at 12:50, and forty-four Senators responded. Mr. Martin resumed his speech. The afternoon was spent In repeated calls for a quorum and roll calls. >Mr. Voorhees gave notice that he would insist on the attendance of absentees, and wonld compel their attendance. Mr. Stewart occupied the time after Martin in speaking against repeal. At 10:15 p. m. Mr. Wolcott called for a quorum. Only thirtynine Senators replied to their names, and on motion of Mr. Voorhees the Sergeant-at-Arms was directed to compel the attendance of absent members, but before it became necessary to act on the order four others came into the hall, thus • making the quorum, and Mr. Stewart continued. !At tbe next roll call an hour elapsed before a quorum was secured. At 1:05 a. m-. Friday morning, Mr. Blackburn came in, thus completing the quorum. At 1:30 a. m. the Senate was again without a quorum. *At 1:40 a. m. sergeant-at-arms reported that two Senators were absent from the city, twelve had been excused by tbe Senate, four answered the summons by the statement that they were too ill to attend, nine in the capitol made no answer and sixteen were reported as absent from their residences find could not be found. Mr. Voorhees immediately arose and said: “Mr. President, I feel that I have done my duty in this matter and without comment I now move that the Senate adjourn.” The motion was unanimously agreed to and in an instant the Senate chamber was deserted, after a continuous session of thirty-eight hours and forty minutes.