National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-02-26
THE HOUSE YESTERDAY.

The country will be astonished to learn
that the House, Notwithstanding the re-
cent amendment to the rules, has wasted
twenty eight hours in filibustering. The
Democratic minority, while it may be
entitled to- and may receive some commen-
dation for its Skillful use of parliamentary
tactics, will be held responsible for this loss
of valuable time. The session. which closed
at about four O'Clock yesterday, will long
be remembered by the active participants
as one of the most remarkable in the annals
of our parliamentary history. With two
thirds majority, giving them the requisite
power to close debate and force q conclu-
sion, the Republican members, either
through mismanagement or through the
recreancy or non-attendance of a few of
their numbers, were kept in their seats
continuously during length of time which
would generally serve for three days ses-
sion. The sundry civil appropriation
bill was antagonized by the caucus
bill to Protect Electors, and suffered re-
peated temporary postponements, showing
conclusively that the temper of the major
ity party is such as to forbid any attempt
10 trifle with the important trusts commit
ted to Its care In other words, the Repub-
licans assumed the responsibility of making
a distinction between public business" as
applied to a minor appropriation bill and
public business as applied to the duty of
Congress to protect the lives and privileges
of American citizens. No one will deny
that this responsibility should have been
assumed long ago, but at the same time it
W i'll be conceded that the Democratic mi
nority should be held justly accountable
for the danger in which the appropriation
bill has been placed. There was plenty of
time for debate plenty of time for close
scrutiny, and plenty of time for hon.
est deliberation. But that time was
willfully and maliciously occupied by the
Democrats with dilatory motions, for the
deliberate purpose Of exhausting a few of
the remaining hours Of the session, and
thereby jeopardizing the appropriations.
Gen. Garfield knew this, and made the
point definitely against the Opposition.
Other Republican members did the same.
But the determination of the minority to
abuse the privileges extended to them by
the grace of the majority was unabashed.
The Democrats may seek to excuse them
selves on the ground that the bill was a
strict party measure; that it is intended to
serve the interests of their political oppo-
nents, and that it may result disastrously
to the future of their party; but this is not
sufficient. Every one knows the bill has
been discussed again and again, both in
Congress and out of it, in the columns of
the press, and in every conceivable
way. The members of the House
were therefore conversant with its pro-
visions, and were ready at the beginning
either to vote upon it in part, in whole or
as an amended measure. The Democrats
knew that it would eventually pass the
House in one form or another, and that if
they allowed it to pass without extraordi-
nary delay the appropriations would not be
endangered. But in spite of this knowl-
edge, in the face of these facts they DELHI
erately went to work, as we have said, to
consume the precious moments of the few
remaining hours of the session with vain
anu 444NO4OAo A44DuobClluE. lucy IulCh
aside every patriotic aspiration, abandoned
all thought of anything except purely par
tisan interest, and for the feeting gratifca-
ton of butting their heads against the in
evitable, won for themselves the glory of
of having demonstrated their ability by the
use of questionable parliamentary resorts,
to prevent their opponents from getting a
good nights rest.
The bill comes up again this morning as
unfinished business and it is to be expected
that the Democrats, instead of meeting it
with manly argument and brave opposition,
will again resort to dilatory efforts. How far
they will succeed after the motion to dis
pense with the reading of the Journal shall
have been carried, remains to,,be seen; but
it is the plain duty of the Republicans to
force the issue with the utmost vigor.
The question with them, even at this late
hour, is not whether the Senate will be
able to act in the premises; but whether
they will do tardy justice to suffering con-
stituencies, and whether they will do their \
part to win back the Southern States from
the violent control of White League con-
spirators. The moral effect of its passage
by the House will serve to save the lives
of hundreds of Republicans. 1t will en-
courage hundreds and thousands of Repub-
Iican voters in the Southern States with
belief that they have not been forgotten and
altogether abandoned by their more fortu-
nate fellows who live in peaceable sections.
II will arouse an enthusiasm in the ranks
of the party unequaled since the days when
other leaders gave the people reason to re-
joice over the adoption of the war amend
ments to the Constitution. The bill is
simply part and parcel of the legitimate
consequences of those amendments, and