oor to aid me, and I had had but little
experience as a presiding officer. Of the opposite party were Mr.
Randall, who had been Speaker of the three preceding Congresses;
Mr. Cox of New York, the pugnacious, who had acted as Speaker for
a time in the Forty-third; Mr. Carlisle (my successor as Speaker),
and Mr. Knott of Kentucky, and others who laid just claim to much
parliamentary learning. The House was hardly Republican; and in
my own party were disappointed aspirants who often thought they
saw opportunities to gain a little cheap applause.(17) Notwithstanding
this situation, no parliamentary decision of mine was overruled by
the House, though many appeals were taken, and more than the usual
number of important questions were raised by members and decided
by me. The most memorable of the decisions was the one which put
an end to dilatory motions to prevent the House from making or
amending its rules of procedure. The occasion of this holding
arose on the consideration of a report of the Committee on Rules
whereby it was proposed to so amend the rules as to prevent
filibustering and dilatory motions in the consideration of contested
election cases. It may be observed that for the first time in the
history of Congress, dilatory methods were resorted to, to prevent
the _consideration_ of election cases. I was then ready to hold
(and so stated) that dilatory motions were not in order to prevent
the consideration of such cases, as their disposition affected the
organization of the House for business; and I was also prepared to
count a quorum when a quorum of members was present not voting,
but these questions did not arise, and it was then understood that
leading Republicans (Mr. Reed of Maine among the number (18)) did
not agree with my views on these two points. A point of order was
made against a dilatory motion, which was debated at much length,
and with some heat, by the ablest parliamentarians of all parties
in the House. My opinion on the question made is quoted from the
_Record_ of May 29, 1882.

"Mr. Reed, as a privileged question, called up the report of the
Committee on Rules made on Saturday last; when Mr. Randall raised
the question of consideration; pending which, Mr. Kenna moved that
the House adjourn; pending which Mr. Blackburn moved that when the
House adjourn it be to meet on Wednesday next; and the question
being put thereon, it was decided in the negative.

* * * * *

"The question recurr