Stop Fillibustering

Special Oapitol News Co. Correspoiidencc. Washington, D.C., Fob. 27, 18M. "Hów soon will you democrats rommence counting a quorum, as Mr. Reed did in the fifty-first congress?" was asked of Congressman Weadock by your correspondent. 'Theycan't commence that practice too soon to suit me," he replied, "for we certainly need to adopt some desperate means to bring this unwarranted and uncalled-for deadlock to an end. We should be doing the business for which we were sent here, and some plan should be promptly put into rorce that would forever after prevent a repetition of the filibustering that has been so successfully carried on for weeks at a time all through the present and many past congresses. My plan for stopping this continual breaking of a quorum by refusals to vote, would be to suspend the members so refusing, first for a day, as they do in the British parliament. Membersso suspended are put out of the chamber for that day. By the next day they usually return sadder and wiser men. So I would treat non-votingcongressmen. If after that, they still hold out in their refusal to vote and attend to business, I would then suspend them for three days or a week, as the case might be. Thus depriving them of any right to participatein the proceedings of the house, or even to occupy their seats during such suspension, would stop their power to filibuster and very soon stop their disposition to do so. Then they wil] be as ready as any of us to vote and attend to business." Congressman Richardson said recently, 'I am making a desperate e#ort to induce the house cotnmiticc on public buildings and grounds to give me a favorable report on my Grand Haven public building bill. If there is a city in Michigan or any other state that needs a public building and is actually suffering for one, it is Grand Haven. There are not less than eleven government officers in that city, whose offices are scattered all over the city in rented buildings, while some of them are doing Uncle Sam'stusiness in buildings but little better than cow sheds. Grand Haven has suffered so muchfrom fires in recent years that the supply of buildings that can be rented is very small, and they are of a poor quality. Surely the government should own its own building there if anywhere in the State of Michigan. I wish, ■however, that my bill would pass both house and senate, and receive Mr. Cleveland's approval during the present congress." Congrassman Aitkin, of Flint, is the only one of the Michigan members who went to the Michigan Club banquet at Detroit on the 22nd instant, who has returned to the capita!. The other three, Messrs. Linton, Moon and Thomos, have gone to their homes at Saginaw, Muskegon and Allegan, respectively, where they will look after matters of business for a week or ten days before returning to Washington. Mr. Stephenson has no great taste for such gatherings as the banquet, and rarely ever goes from here to Detroit on these pilgrimages in which his brother members are so wont to embark. This year, however, he would not have feit at liberty to go, had he been so inclined. The rivers and harbors committee is just closing up the river and harbor bilí, in which Michigan has so much at stake, and Mr. Stephens feit called upon to remain here and "hold the fort" for Michigan and her interest. At best her harbors are to fare pooriy enough, and are likely to receive not more than one-fifth or one(uarter as much as the engineers ask lor, and Mr. Stephenson wants to be on hand to crowd the amount up to the highest possible figure. If Secretary of War Lamont could have way, Michigan and all the other states would be left out in the cold for another two years. The secretary urged upon the committee not to report any bili at all in this congress, but to simply let the rivers and harbors get along for 1895-6 with what available balance is now on hand to their credit. The comïiitee could not quite see it in that ,nt, even if President Cleveland's pet cabinet ofiïcer did suggest and tirge such non-appropriation, but will very soon report a bilí, but a verv small one. Michigan members interester! feel, however, that a quarter of. a loaf is better tlian no jread. Congressman Whiting has just been honored by bemg madearuember of the executive committee of ! the Democratie Congressional Conimittee, of which he was recently appointed the member lor Michigan, j Siiould Mr. Whiting finally consent j to accept the Democratie nomination for governor of Michigan next summer, he will not care to be kept here any part of the summer or faH to attend to the new duties that will come to him by this designation. He has all along said he was not and would not be a candidate for the gubernatorial nomination, but if he changes fais mind he can give up lus position on the congressional conimittee and give his whole time to the campaign. Dr. Avery, of the Eleventh District, was too sick to go to Detroit with the banquet party, iie is now considerablv improved, and if no unlooked-for turn for the worse develops, hopes to be again in his seat within a week or ten days. The Post of this city recently published this neat little notice of the Secretary of the Democratie State Central Committee of Michigan. "During these exciting days in the house, when so much depends upon the correctness of the roll cali, Tally Clerk Hosford has two volunteer assistants. One of them is Mr. Reed, and the other is Mr. Tracey, the New York democrat, who is leading the anti-silver fight. As the clerk begins to cali the roll these two gentlemen seat themselves at their desks and throughout the 30 or 40 minutes that the names are being called, they 'sit patiently checking off the members who answer. Mr. Tracey has not as yet discovered any errors, except possibly the recording of Mr. Bryan's name the other day after that gentleman had gone to Chicago, but he has learned a great deal. He has found out how difficult it is in the noise and confusión to determine whether a member has voted or not, and has discovered, too, hat his tallies are not always as correct as the one kept by Mr. Hosford."