Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-11-07
orcTAToRtAL Mr.. MILLS.
He Outlines the Policy OF the Dsmocrac
in the Next House.

He Outlines the Policy OF the Democracy
in the Next House.
Mr.. Roger Q. Mills has already out
lined the plan of the Democracy in the
next House and has announced the
determination of the opposition that
the Republicans will not be allowed to
pass a single measure without their
consent His utterances are so clear
and apparently authoritative that It is
well to give them, so that he can be
placed on record. He says:
For instance, you may depend upon it that
the rules OF the House will not be changed by
the Republican majority in any essential feat
ure. We do not propose TO permit them to be
changed as is desired by Mr.. Reed and others,
in any particular feature. Nor will We permit
any Of the proposed legislation looking to q con-
troll by Congress Of the elections, for we see
very plainly what the purpose Of that is The
same can be said Of the contest cases that will
come up before Congress. We do not pro-
pose to let the Republican majority to be fur
ther increased sd hbitum by throwing out
Democratic members, as seems to be the pur-
pose. In other words, We propose to exercise
control Of the House Just as much as though
we were still in the majority, because We know
virtual rulers
Isn't Mr.. Mills rather too previous
in attempting the role of a dictator?
Does he realize that the Republicans,
now that the elections have taken
place in the new States, will have a
good working majority, and that it
will not be in the power of Mr.. Mills
and his fellow Democrats to stop them
if they choose to make changes which
seem desirable; to turn out Demo-
cratic members who received their
certificates of election by fraud, and
put in their places Republicans who
were elected. but were counted out?
When justice is done in this respect
Mr.. Mills will discover that the Demo-
cratic minority is not strong enough to
make it virtual ruler.
Besides, Mr.. Mills may not be per-
mitted by his party associates to be
their leader on the floor of the House.
His attempted leadership in the last
Congress was lamentable failure and
caused great dissatisfaction among
members who did not care to accept
his dictum as law. The protection
Democrats accuse him and Carlisle of
being responsible for the party defeat
because of his tree trade tariff bill,
and is it likely that they are going to
follow blindly at his beck and call in
the future? Mr. Mills was bad gen.
eral in the last Congress, and it is not
likely that his methods have been i'm
proved. He never could hold his
forces together, and with many new
recruits, some of whom are indie
pendent in their modes of thought and
action, and others who are positively
opposed to his extreme views upon the
tariff, he will not be able to present a
united party front except on rare oc-
casionS
Still it is well that Mr. Mills has
spoken. He has given the Republicans
a warning of what they may expect.
He has always been in the habit of
boasting of what he and the Demo-
cratic party would do, but. singularly
enough, his assertions have failed of
verifcation. Mr.. Mills can talk, that's
all.-ToledO Blade.