CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



185 



The Presiding Officer : "It is debatable un- 

 der the five-rain utes rule." 



Mr. Thurman: "I do not understand that 

 to be the case." 



The Presiding Officer : " This question un- 

 doubtedly grows out of the amendment, and 

 is covered by the rules as to it." 



Mr. Hamilton, of Maryland : " This amend- 

 ment is a breach of the understanding." 



Mr. Thurman: "Totally and absolutely. 

 Where is this amendment offered ? "Where is 

 it to come in ? " 



Mr. Kellogg: "The Secretary will read it 

 for the edification of the Chamber." 



Mr. Conkling : " On page 5." 



Mr. Thurman : " I want to know where it is 

 to come in." 



The Presiding Officer : " After line ninety- 

 nine, on page 5." 



Mr. Kellogg: " After the word ' dollars ' in 

 that line. That section has been amended by 

 the addition of ' $200,000 ' after '$300,000.' " 



Mr. Edmunds: "No; the word 'dollars' 

 stands in the print just as it does in the amend- 

 ment, and the '$200,000' comes in before 

 'dollars.'" 



Mr. Kellogg: "Precisely; the word 'dol- 

 lars' is at the end of the sentence, and my 

 amendment is to follow that word." 



Mr. Thurman : " Mr. President, if this is not 

 legislation, then nothing can be legislation." 



Mr. Stewart, of Nevada: "The Chair has 

 ruled it out of order." 



Mr. Thurman: "No, he has not; he has 

 ruled it in order. The law as it now stands 

 applies this election law simply to cities and 

 towns having twenty thousand inhabitants 

 and upward, and I understand the Chair to 

 rule that this amendment, which extends that 

 election law over the whole United States, 

 every hamlet in it, is in order. It is a law 

 now confined simply to the cities of the United 

 States having twenty thousand inhabitants and 

 upward, and I understand that under a rule 

 which prohibits any thing like legislation, any 

 thing that is not germane to the bill, the 

 Chair decides that this law can be extended 

 over the entire United States. Sir, if that can 

 be done, your rule is worth nothing at all. 



"I should like to know how it is that this 

 amendment comes here printed at the Govern- 

 ment Printing-Office ; how it is that it comes 

 here in this shape. Has it passed through a 

 caucus ? Has it been resolved that it shall be 

 placed on this bill in direct violation of your 

 rule ? How is it that this thing comes here in 

 this way? 



" Sir, nothing can be clearer in the world 

 I say it with all due respect to the Chair 

 than that this is a plain and direct violation of 

 your rule, and your rule is worth nothing if 

 this can be admitted. Upon what principle, 

 pray, is it that this amendment is to be admit- 

 ted ? Because there is in the bill a provision 

 for enforcing an existing law, because there is 

 a provision making an appropriation to exe- 



cute an existing law ? Is that the ground ? 

 Under that pretence, can you extend a law 

 which now applies only to cities of twenty 

 thousand inhabitants and upward over the 

 whole United States, into every hamlet in the 

 United States ? Is that the construction you 

 put upon your rule? If so, I should like to 

 know when you expect an appropriation bill 

 to be carried through. When is it that you 

 will expect to pass an appropriation bill? 

 What is there that cannot be made in order 

 if this is in order ? Of what use is your rule 

 if this amendment is in order? Of no use 

 whatsoever. 



" Sir, I wish to see whether this thing has 

 been agreed upon ; I wish to know whether a 

 caucus has been held upon it ; I wish to know 

 how it is that this thing comes here printed at 

 the Government Printing Office; I wish to 

 know how it stands; and for the purpose of 

 trying that question I move to lay that amend- 

 ment on the table." 



Mr. Casserly said : " Mr. President, this is a 

 most unexpected proceeding. A rule was 

 brought in here, the precise purpose of which 

 was to confine appropriation bills to their le- 

 gitimate objects. That rule has been enforced 

 with the greatest rigor, and in some cases, as 

 it seemed to me, beyond the just meaning of 

 it or the interests of the public service. And 

 now, sir, on Friday night, there being but one 

 full day more left of this session, this amend- 

 ment is brought in here by the Senator from 

 Louisiana. 



" Now, sir, here is an amendment which 

 takes up a bill of very great gravity, which 

 has always excited much discussion, and ex- 

 tends it all over the United States. 



"It is impossible for me to discuss this 

 amendment, for obvious reasons. The Senator 

 from Louisiana, who once before brought a 

 measure in here and succeeded in getting it 

 to a committee unknown to the great majority 

 of the' Senate, is the putative father of this 

 amendment. He has brought it here printed, 

 and I desire to call the attention of the Sen- 

 ate and of the country to this fact: that hav- 

 ing brought it here printed, he refused my re- 

 spectful request to allow it to be passed over 

 until his printed copies could be read. I am 

 sorry the Senator is not in his place, for he 

 would then hear what I have to say. I have 

 never known such a proceeding on the part of 

 any Senator, in the greatest heat of debate in 

 the Senate, during my time. It would be im- 

 possible for me or anybody to examine this 

 amendment except by a debate brought about 

 on a course of verbal amendments. Five min- 

 utes will not be sufficient to enable me to 

 understand it. Five minutes will not enable 

 any Senator who has not been in the secret to 

 understand it. 



s ' Sir, the rule adopted by the Senate is to 

 be construed by its object, and construed by 

 its object nothing is more plain than that this 

 amendment is a violation of the rule. It is 



