Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-10-25

S11eu Id eroSCS demanded the fullest 1nVoS6l-
CATION and the most considerate Judgment
and that before the work was undertaken
Congress should take occasion to possess it
self OF all needed data to make the revision
boyh comprehensive and complete. We held
that our tariff laws were so interviewer with
all the indust ries of this people that to touch
one would be like touching single thread of
SPIDERS web, the whole fabric would
Iemble The antagOniSm between the par
ties resulted in the appointment Of a COM
mission charged with the duty of Investigate
ing our national industries, so far as they
might be affected by our revenue law, and
presenting the results of such investigation
to Congress as he p and guide to an intelli-
gent revision The diScuNS sion of the bill for
the creation of this commission served to
bring out the views of the Democratic party
on the tariff question generally and to con-
firm the belief that the Democratic party
was fully and unreservedly committed to the
doctrine of free trade or it's counterpart, q
tariff for revenue only. In my Judgment the
approaching session of Congress will be too
brief to enable us to complete the work of
revision and that work will go over to the
Forty eighth Congress, to be performed by
it, If the Forty-eighth Congress be Demo-
cratic, the revision of the tariff will be on the
bas and the theory OF free trade; if Repub-
hc,n upon the theory of protection. Which
of these two theories do you desire to adopt
as a national policy? The issue is upon us
and it must and will be met
K
One thing more and am done The Re-
publican party must be kept in power to
save the Government Unless there is a
change in the practices of a portion of the
people the day is not far distant when the
public falls. You and | may not live to
see it, but | mis- axe the signs of the times if
our children do not live to witness the dawn
ing of that sad day. Abraham Lincoln never
uttered a truer sentiment than when he said,
n
people and for the people" We have no
King and no sovereigns under our flag, ex-
cepJ the Kings and sovereigns l see about
me tonight. Every man in the United
States is a King. This Government belongs
to you, and if it falls it is because of your
lack of interest or your lack of watchful-
ne s over it's administration. There is but
one way provided under our constitution for
the people OF this country to make their
will Known and that is through the ballot
box. Destroy it and the will of this people
cannot be made effective. When the time
comes in this country that the ballots you
deposit in the ballot-box at shutdown are
made to read something else at sunrise,
when the will of the people as expressed at
the ballot-box to-day is perverted tomorrow
and the Government you intended to flow
therefrOm does not result l say, when that
hour comes, if the abomnation cannot he
corrected, not only are the days of the re-
public numbered, but it is your duty and my
duty to overthrow such government 1t
ceases to be a government of the people and
becomes government of thieves.
To-day, in one-half of this republic there
is not government of the people. Every
member Of Congress at the opening of the
session presents to that body his certificate
of election. If it is in due form and far upon
it's ace it entities HIM prima facie to seat
In that body. But the constitution has
clothed both houses of Congress with the
TIOht
election of their own members. At the open
ing of the FOrty-SeVenth Congress twenty two
men took their seats in the national House of
Representatives on whom 1t was said that
they We're no more entitled to legislate for
the people of Michigan and the people of
other States no more entitled to seat in
that body, than they had to place in the
British Commons or the Assembly of France.
Their cases were referred to the Committee
on Elections. They were investigated and
reported upon and then came the tug of war.
Every time the committee reported that a
sitting Democrat was entitled to remain in
his seat every DemOcratin the national House
of Representatives voted aye. But when
ever the reporG came that a sitting Democrat
was not entitled to his seat, that he was not
elected, every Democrat remained silent
and declined 10 vote. It had been given out
from the Southern States that unless the
Democratic party of the North stood by the
men sent from the South, and forced upon
this people Representatives who were not
eected, right or wrong, SO far as the
Southern Democracy won be concerned,
they would abandon all effort to carry those
S ateS by fraud or triCkery. So the North
ern Democracy planted itself upon this
ground, as / shall show you, that the major
itv OF the House of Rep esentatives should
not exercise its const tutional prerOZ ative;
TIL the right of the House to nudge OF the
election of its members should be onnu led
and denied and that without debate, w tn
out discussion, without parley, they should
prevent us from exercising that nigh
constitutional privilege. remember when
thu c. Sc OF Mickey against OConnOr, the
record Of which [ hold N my hand, was pre-
scented, and Mr. Calkins, of Indiana, said:
Mr. Speaker, | am prepared to take up for
consideration the contested election case of
Mackey VS.. OConnor'-or Mackey against
Dibble as it had become by the death Of
OConnor. Mr.. Samuel J. Randall, the ex-
Speaker of the House of Representatives
and an aspirant for the Democratic nomina-
ton to the Presidency, dashed into the posi-
ton by the hand OF the South, rose in his
place and said: 'Mr. Speaker, ] raise the
question of consideration" This compelled
the Speaker OF the House to put the ques-
ton, will the House consider this case?"
And having put the question the yeas and
nays were demanded by Mr.. Randall. The
roll is called, and whenever the name OF a
Republican is reached he votes aye When
ever the name of a Democrat is reached he
keeps still We said to them, care you GO
ing to vote?" They said mo, sir" But"
we say, ''the rules provide that you shall
vote" Their answer was, You may lead a
horse to water but you cannot make him
drink" So they declined to vote
When the roll call was completed it
disclosed 100 present. and we had to judge
by the roll call who was present, and al
though the Democrats sat there silent and
were present. they were to all appearances
absent, and Mr.. Randall rose in his place and
said mo quorum. Being without quo
rum we could not proceed with the consid-
Grafton OF this case. SO The Democratic
party, VIOLATE g the rules of the House
rules of their own making-sat dumb as the
marble that shadowed them, day after day,
and night after night, and compel ed the
minority to send for their absentees. taking
them from their business and from their sick
beds to bring them to the House that we
might discharge our high constitutional OBJ
legations When the roll call disclosed 1877
present, Republican members, making
a quorum and the consideration of the
case was about to be entered upon, Mr.. Sam
uel J. Randall rose in his place and said: L
move that this House do now adjourn, and
on thatI call the ayes and noes. Then Mr..
Springer, of Illinois, another Democrat,
moved that when this House adjourn, it adj
iourn TO meet day after tomorrow" Then