Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-09-18
SPEAKERS GREAT ADDRESS,
Reed Makes Rousing Speech to the
People of Portland, Maine.
Exhaustive Review of the Work Thus
Far Done in the Lower House.
Much Time Lost by the Filibustering
Tactics Of the Democratic
Minority.

WdS WtlCOllltu uOLlb lIllS tftlluS ny d
crowd of 5000 people who packed the city
hall half an hour before the time he was
advertised to speak Mr.. Reed, who en-
tered on the arm of Mayor Melcher, was
greeted with storm Of cheers and the
waving of rats.
State Representative John I'll. Fogg from
this city, presided and presented Speaker
Reed, who advanced to the front of the
platform and was received with prolonged
applause, the audience rising In a body to
welcome the distinguished speaker. Mr..
Reed said:
Parties have their years of depression
and their years of exatation just as indi-
viduals have their moments of depression
and good cheer Parties have periods
when they do great work and periods
when they seem to have no other hope
than the mere preservation of existence.
Since 1874, when the republican party first
faltered in its great duty of preserving
liberty and equality before the law for all
citizens of the United States, a republican
house of representatives has been rare.
This has not been because there is no long
er republican majority, but because by
frauds too apparent to be denied, by bal
lot box stuffing too notorious to be dlsput-
ed, twenty-five seats in the house have been
wrested from US under the open, defiant
declaration that the southern democratic
white man shall not only rule the black
man of the south but the white man of the
north.
1.-TWO years ago. under the tremendous
stress caused by the battle set in array by
the free traders, the republican party
,-iumphed SO signally that even the CO.
horts OF fraud were routed, and after a
few Intellectual struggles to count us out,
we had the house by the small majority Of
FIVE instead of our real majority of twenty
FIVE.
Long before congress assembled, the
air had been resonant with the hopes and
threats of the minority, with declarations
that they were to rule in utter disregard of
the will of the people of the United States.
At the very worst, no measure should pass
which did not have the sanction of their
high approval. If any man here thinks
they reckoned without their host, that
they had no foundation on which to build
their hopes and their threats, he knows
little of the deep-laid schemes of many
years to render the republicans powerless
whenever they should get control. For
years rule has been piled upon rule and
decision upon decision to render legisla-
ton dependent upon the sutferance Of the
minority. Filiblstering lurked in every
line. The power of obstruction was with
out limit. You will naturally ask why it
was that those who most of the time had
the majority should so strengthen the
minority If you will consider the nature
of the two parties the cause cannot escape
you. The democratic party
WANTS NO LEGISLATION.
1t is not charged with the progress of the
world All the southern men who control
the party want Or ask for is to be left alone.
When the republican party comes into
power it has work to do. If that action
can be prevented what more should the
southern democracy desire? Hence all
their plans, whether in power or out of
power, is eentered in obstruction.
Now. the house of representatives is
not a body quick to do business under any
set of rules Its large numbers and the
diverse interests they represent will always
make it slow and cumbersome. But sys-
tenn which enabled one member to hold
the whole house at bay until the going
down of the sun and then to hold it until
physical exhaustion set it free, and one
fifth to hold it forever, was evidently a
system which rendered elections useless
and called halt to civilization itself
''Of what use was it to summon into the
field an army of orators to explain the
questions of party policy? Of what use
was it that the great throng of journalists
set themselves to explain to the people the
needs of the hour? Of what use was an
election itself, that grand elimination of
the power of the citizen, if, after all,
nothing could be done without the sanction
of the beaten party? What statesman
could there be so foolish as to battle for
power with responsibility when he could
have the same power without responsibility?
What kind of a fight is that to go into
where the victim will be victorious and
the conqueror powerless? Says the Koran:
'Dost thou think, o man, that we created
the heavens and the earth in jest?' Are
elections a farce, and is government by
the people juggle? Do we marshal our
tens of millions to the polls for sport? If
there be anything in popular government
it means that whenever the people have
elected one party to take control of the
house or the senate that party shall have
both the power and the responsibility. If
that is not the effect,
WHAT is THE USE OF THE ELECTION?
1T was with far other ideas of public
duty that the minority met US at the open
ing of the session. Not only were no
measures to pass which did not have their
approval. but no rules. even of procedure,
were to be permitted except those which
seemed suitable to the beaten party. So
we begin life without any rules.
1.-The constitution says: The house
may determine the rules of It's procedure, -
and does not say that it must. After two
months time the opposition found that un-
der the parliamentary law which had been
built up by the American people in conson-
ance with their institutions, the public bust
ness was going on every day without its
consent, and they began to clamor for the
very rules they had denounced. | need not
describe to you the scene of disorder which
were preliminary to the establishment Of
sound business principles in the house. It
is enough to say that the good work was
done and the house of representatives has
taken large stride towards business and
the performance of its duty.
will you, my old friends and neigh
bors permit me Just one word which is
purely personal? Any time these last
eight months | have been the subject of
much indiscriminate praise and much in
discriminate blame. The one is just as
much deserved as the other. Great events
do not turn upon one man. The house of
representatives was ready and ripe for
change and the people stood ready to APP
prove. What all the world wanted was
easy to do. am not greatly proud to be
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