The Portland daily press., 1882-03-08
The Reed Amendments.

The Reed Amendments.
Mr.. Reeds amendments to the House
rules, giving the majority the right to say
| what business before the House shall have
preference in consideration, provoke much
comment, mostly favorable. Messrs. Ran
dali and Blackburn of the committee, who
| framed the rules that are intended to govern
but really impede the action of the lower
branch of Congress, naturally object to any
change, submit majority report, and seek
to make the matter party question. They
are surprised to find minority of their poll
tical friends fayoring Mr.. Reeds plan. The
amendments put it In the power of the
House to facilitate bus mess, to Immediate
| ly proceed to the consid Grafton and settle
ment of matters of pressing public interest
that, under the old procedure, might be sent
| down to the foot Of the calendar, or post
poned day after day because some member
wishes to press through private claim or
make sef-laudatory speech upon topic OF
no general interest or concern. AS the rules
now are, bills have to be considered in their
| order on the calendar. While the commit
| tees are discussing important measures and
arranging and perfecting reports, Congress
men are covering the calendars with bills of
little interest which under the present ar
rangement, take precedence Of some OF the
most important subjects of legislation. Ere
| quently these last are crowded entirely out
of consideration, and private claims and
matters of no general concern impede the
business of the House and block necessary
| legislation.
| 1t is this embarrassment that Mr.. Reed
seeks to remove. His amendmen is, report
| ed from the committee on rules, are in effect
these: That there shall be morning hour
for the transaction of public business, which
cannot be dispensed with, except by vote
of two-thirds of the House; that during such
morning hour the committees shall be CALI
ed in their order; that the committee which
is on the call shall have the right to present
to the House for its consideration, not only
the bills which it may have on its own dock
ct ready for report, but such other measures
as have already come from the committee
and may be upon the House calendar; that
this morning hour shall begin Immediately
after the reading of the journal, shall con-
tinue absolutely for sixty minutes. and if
there is no objection may continue through
out the day; that each committee shall have
but one morning hour, but that if at the end
of the legislative day the measure reported
from the committee shall still be unfinished
the business shall go over as unfinished to
the next day, and shall hold the floor until
it is disposed of.
These amendments, Washington reports
say, generally commend themselves to the
House. According to the Boston Herald
correspondent, the majority of the Demo
Gratis have told Messrs. Randall and Black
burn that they were quite as anxious to see
the public business facilitated as the Repub-
licans could possibly be; that there are
measures on the calendar so far from the
top that they will probably inever be
reached under the present rules, in which
Democrats are as deeply interested as Re
publicans. This, they think, is not a
party question. The Democrats retain ev-
cry right under the new rules which they
had under the old, except that of delaying
for limited period the consideration of
measures far down on the calendars to
which they were opposed. In return for the
right thus taken away they secure speedier
| consideration for measures in which they
are Interested.
,odo fN tho dTl1o on4 9
| is on the plea that the minority is deprived
| of its rights. This is not so. 1t can dis
| cuss and condemn and vote against as it did
| before. That is all minority ever could do,
| except obstruct. The proposed changes dc
interfere with filibustering-a wise interfer-
ence. They enable the House to proceed,
| whenever majority of its members are SC
| disposed, to the consideration of urgent bus
| mess. The objection is made that chance
is thus offered for the passage of measures
of iobbery favored by a corrupt majority and
| opposed by an honest and vigilant minority
| This objection is founded on a half-truth,
| and the nature of it is clearly set forth by
the Philadelphia Press, which S ays: "The
House rules are so arranged now that moth
| ing ever gets done. This blocks the jobs,
| but it blocks the desirable business as well
and to-day there is scarcely an interest in
the land affected by Federal legislation al
all which is not suffering for lack of action
from Congress. The amendments to the
rules proposed by Reed of Maine, propose te
| make it possible to do something by giving
majority control over the calendar. Ii the
House has a jobbing majority this Will bt
| good for the jobs; if not, not; and, as there
| is no way which can be devised which vii
supply the lack of honesty by rules, there Il
really no way to set anything done-tnf
only excuse for having the bother OF Con
gress anyway-except by giving both legitl
mate business and the jobs chance and
| trusting to the honesty and ability OF the
House. If the House abuses its freedom the
people can choose a new House next fall.'
This is a concise statement of the eontro-
versy, and will commend itself 20 the judg
ment of the House and the sound sense o
the people. The Reed amendments shoul'
be passed. They probably will pass. The,
certainly ought to pass.
| DIR. Sargent, in recent lecture before
the Harvard students, said that in Harvard