St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-12
THE FOOLIBUsTERs.

A disinterested person. sitting in the
gallery of the house of representatives
at Washington and looking down
upon the proceedings of that body
for the last week, would come
to the conclusion that congress
was made up of set of boobies.
And he wouldn't miss the mark very
far, either. The deadlock over the
direct tax bill is the most disgraceful
scene witnessed in our national legisla-
ture since the time that BEN BUTLER
and JOHN A. BINGHAM used to have
regular matinees, and when JAMES G.
BLAINE would come down from the
chair to call ROSCOE CoNKLING a tur-
key cock.
There are emergencies when filibus-
tering in legislative body is legitimate.
But there never was and never will be
a time when foolibustering, such as is
now going ON in Washington, can be
justified. A few men are directly re-
sponsible for the deadlock, but the
great body of the members. both Re
publicans and Democrats. are indirectly
responsible.
The Republicans seek to gain point
against tariff reform by attempting to
force premature action on bill which
should logically come up for discussion
in connection with the tariff bill. The
Democrats naturally resist the Republic
can effort to forestall tariff reduction.
That the Republicans are not sincere
in their professed anxiety to force
through the direct tax bill on it's mer-
it's is apparent in the fact that, during
all the years the Republicans had con-
troll of both branches of congress, they
failed to pass such bill.
But the Democratic majority in the
house could readily postpone action on
the bill if it were not for the half
dozen kickers who take advantage of
the power which the absurd rules the
house has adopted for its government
confers upon them to lock the wheels
Of legislation indefinitely. 1t is moth
lative body should permit itself to be
tied hand and foot by the operation OF
it's own rules. 1t is form OF one-man
despotism which should never be toler-
ated in free country.
The absurdity of the cumbersome rules
which congress has adopted was never
before made SO apparent to the country.
The handful of foolibusters are wholly
ineXcusable in their conduct, and
vet under the rules of the body
to which they belong they are
resorting to perfectly legitimate
tactics. If they are so minded they can
keep this congress in deadlock until
it expires by limitation. Thus the pub
lie interests may at any time be subor-
dinated to the whims of a rebellious
minority for no other reason than that
the rules Of congress permit it. 1t is
subversion of the underlying principle
of free government that the majority
shall rule; and the sooner this parlia-
mentary tyranny is abolished the better
will it be for American institutions.
The conservative and intelligent mem
bers of congress doubtless see it by this
time in the same light that the rest of
the country sees it. They must realize
the necessity for relieving the nation in
the future of such disgrace as is now
being heaped upon it by its body of law
makers. When the house of represent
atives gets control of itself again, its
first action should be to instruct its COM
mittee on rules to reduce American
parliamentary law to a common-sense
basis, and bring it in accord with the
spirit Of constitutional government. In
case it does so, the deadlock will not
have been utterly useless.