St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-04

Mr., Reed makes note of those present
thus sustaining, and orders their names
entered into the roll as present, thus OBJ
tanning quorum and deciding the
question. In explaining his position
yesterday he said:
g There was provision in the constl-
tuition which declared that the house
might establish rules for compelling
the attendance of members. If men,
bers could be present and refuse to eX-
ercise their functions, and yet not be
counted as quorum, that provision
wonld seem to be entirely nugatory.'
"There is vital point, and ON it some
light is thrown by the following part of
a dispatch from Washington to the
Indianapolis Journal:
1.-THE settling Of the contested cleo
tions before the rules are adopted
means stronger working majority for
the Republicans and an easier victory
I for justice, which the people. settled at
the polls last November year ago.
n ''That is a fair statement. The Repub-
llcan majority is very close; sickness,
death, accident might at any time re-
duce it. 1t is the purpose. as this dis
patch says, to settle contested election
cases before adopting any rules of gov
ernment Everybody knows what set
ting contested election cases means.
1t means robbery by the ma
jorlty. 1t is precisely the same
with both parties; whichever hap
pens to be in power. and wants bigger
majority. robs the other of few seats
in close districts. That is the pro-
borne in mind that it is being
done before any rules for the
government of the house are
adopted. The speakers decision is law,
just as in the case of counting as pres
ent members all who are actually, but not
officially, present. AS Mr.. Carlisle well
says, if this can be, the speaker can just
as well pass law himself. As to
the practices on this specified point,
cases are cited both ways. Mr.. Carlisle
quoted Mr.. Blaine's rulings when he
was speaker, and Mr.. Reeds own posi-
ton as a member. as squareiy against
the attitude assumed now. But the
great point is that the constitutional
right to have the yeas and nays called
is denied. The constitution saws that
one-fifth of the members may demand
them. But Speaker Reed refuses to ap-
point teiierS, and himself declares that
there is or IS not vote, just as he
pleaSes. Therein is the fatal weakness
of his position, and the Republicans
will find that they can not Justify them
selves before the country III refusing to
pass rules to govern the house."
The present house is composed of
333 members, of which 167 constitute a
quorum. The Republicans have 1859 and
the opposition 164, the former; there
fore, having two more than a bare
quorum. They cannot rely on having
l67 members present, and this is the
reason why they are attempting to dis
pose OF contested election cases previous
to the adoption of rules. AS soon as
they throw out enough Democrats and
substitute Republicans to give them a
reliable working majority, they will pro-
coed to adopt such rules as they see fit
to formulate, and those rules will be of
character to place the Democratic
minority at their mercy.
This is the point in the contest, and it
cannot be too clearly stated, for it will
become an important issue in the next
election.
The Democrats are right when they
say that the ruling of the speaker is
revolutionary. 1t is so because it is in
defiance Of plain provision of the
constitution, and they will be justified
in resisting it to the last extremity.
They will be backed up in that course
by the entire Democratic party, and by
thousands of Republicans who are not
such bind partisans as to indorse the
mad folly of Reed and his confreres.
Minneapolis, Feb, 3, W.