Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-05-20
The Question Of a Quorum.

The Constitution of Ohio requires the
presence of quorum in either branch
of the General Assembly for the transr
action of business, except that less
number may adjourn or compel the at
tendance of absentees. The Censtitu>
tioE of the United States prescribes the
same rule for the government of the
federal Senate and House of Represen-
tatives. The Democrats allege that there
was less than a quorum in the Ohio
Senate on the day that the four frauds
were bounced, and that consequently
the seating of the four honestly elected
members was unconstitutional and void.
The journal is conclusive evidence that
the Democrats are wrong in making
that assertion, and no other evidence is
admissible for or against the presump-
ton that every member of the Senate, or
at least a quorum, was present when
that action was taken. But that is not
the particular point we desire here to
make. On the day that the four frauds
we're bounced by what is alleged to have
been less than quorum, a number of
bills were passed by the House of Rep
resentatives at Washington when there
was less than majority of that body
in its assembly room. Some of these bills
will become laws, no one will question
their validity, and any attempt to go be-
hind the record of the journal, which as
sumes quorum present, would be utter
ly futile. The Lower House Of Con-
gress has a Democratic majority, and
the Democrats are responsible for the
passage of bills without quCrnm pres
ent. The same thing has been done
hundrds of times before. A large pro
portion of tie federal laws now in force
were passed by less than a quorum in
enc House or the other, but from the
moment of the approval of the journal
Oh the day following their adoption their
legality was unassailable. The same
thing is true in regard to legislation in
all of the States. The presumption of a
quorum lot being challenged the fact of
quorum is assumed. Prece'ents in>
Vulnerable to fortify the position that a
quorum IS present unless the contrary
is shown at the time to be tie case, that
the attempt to undo the work of Stature
day, whereby right triNmphed over
fraud and forgery, would seem to be
hopeless. No one challenged the pref
sumption of a quorum present on that
occasion, and the fact must be assumed
that a majority WE'RE present. By
their coEardly deSertion, the Democrat
ic Senators threw away their only
chance of keeping the four frauds in.
This is the Republican position, and it is
sustained by some Democrats whose
opinion is entitled to weight. Among
these is Congressman Geddes, of this
of this State, who is reported as saying
in regard to this particular case, that
"lesS than quorum, when attention is
not called to it, can do valid business
In support of that proposition he cited
the fact that on Monday the body of
which he is member passed number
of bills when less than quorum were
present, and that in order to enable this
to be done members were begged not to
raise the point of less than a quorum
present If a Democratic House OF
Congress Can do valid business with less
than a quorum present, the point not be-
ing raised, it would appear that the Ohio
Senate, also Democratic at the time,
could do the same thing-Cleveland
Leader.