The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-02-12
3 Is it Revolutionary
ICincinnsti Enquirer.l

Randolph Tucker, Of Virginia, pro.
poses an amendment to the proposed re-
vised code of rules of the House. of
Representatives, to this effect:
/ "Tt shall be in the power of the Speaker Of
the House at any time to declare, by ocular
denomination, that there is aquorum present.
/ This has an arbitrary sound, but the
purpose is to facilitate the public busi.
ness. It is not designated to make it,
possible to declare by this rule that there
is quorum in the House when there is
not; the Speaker can notsee quorum
when there is no quorum. The amend,
ment to the rules is proposed in order to
prevent an obstinate minority Of the
House from sitting sullenly and silently
in their seats and preventing a quorum
by refusing to vote There may be a
quorum in the House; the Speakermay
know The fact, and every member pres.
ent may also know it. The minority
party, by solidly refusing to vote, may
make it appear of record that there is
no q quorum., Mr.. fuckers amendment
/ to the rules would take from the minor
ity in the House the privileges of OBJ
ssructing legislation by. this method;
J The rule suggested would enable the
Speaker, whenever. he could see duoz
rum in the House, to SO declare, and, thus
would allow the public business to pro-
ceed, whether the minority voted or did
notavote.s Tne minority could still pre-
! vent. a quorum by remaining away from
| the hall OF the House altogether, but the
minority could not be present to partici-'
/ pate in debate without, also being pres.
[ ent to aid in making a quorum. The
minority, that is, could not be present.
and absent at the same moment. Mem
/ bers on the floor of the House would be
counted as present under this rule.
They would not be permitted to OBJ
structg public business by debate and
ty various .dilatory proceedings, and
also to obstruct the public business by
assumed absence when DreseEt. The
tendency of the, rule would be- of
course, to place, the legislation of the
House more completely In the hands OF
The majority, ef whichsoeyer party the
majority. might be composed. g .i.,,
The Republicans protest against this
ruleson the ground that it would give
the Speaker arbitrary power. They
call it +" revolutionary their favorite
name for the things they don't like.
AIrule that would help to prevent " fill
| clustering is arbitrary and~revolution-
| ary in the eyes of our Republican
friends. The Republicans 1havei had a
very elastic theory touching the, doc
trine of quorum. The question of q
| quorum was debated long and earnestly
inthe United States Senatetin 1855
55. 1t was then held that "a quorum
was Ii lajority o! those who might have
been elected and qnalifed-that is, a
majority + "a number equal to the
number to which all the States were en-
titled. Weep President King and sue
cessors of his 80 held Sustained sby the
[ Senate. Later, under the lead of John
| Sherman, the Senate adopted rule that
q quorum should consist of majotity
| of Senators elected and qualified. In
| the House the same doctrine was de.
clared by Republicans. A Speakers
decision to this effect was affirmed on
appeal to the House during the first
session of the Thirty-Seyenth Congress.
But, recently, when this question arose
| in Maine, the Republicans of the
country unanimously asserted a doc.
trine touching 3 quorum entirely oppo,
| site to this; Without pronouncing the
rule proposed by Mr. Tucker, good OF
| bad, in the long run, it iss evident thai
the Republican opposition to it is not con
sis,ent, and should not be weighty in the
| judgmentsiof thezmen who are refrain
| ing the rules of the House. The, rule
would increase the ability of the ma
jority to do business, which party SO.
| aver might be in control of the House