The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-03
REED FOR PRESIDENT.
THE POLITICAL FANATICS SPRING
THE IDEA.

"a OOA4s CS5LA0A e1l5O dL
the Thought Reed Attempts to
Justify His Usurpation of Power.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.-While Speaker
Reeds arbitrary conversion of minority
into majority for partisan purposes makes
the judicious Of his own party grieve, it
has undoubtedly made the unthinking in
his own party admire him more than ever
His very arrogance commends his audacity
to them. They like to see him controlling
1.-THE rebels" as they politely call the demo
Gratis. Some of the democrats, notably
Mr.. Springer of Illinois, are personally dis
liked by many republicans as much as Mr.
Reed dislikes them, and they delight in
seeing Mr.. Reed ''sit down on them"-the
more discourteously he does it she better
they like it. Mr.. Boutelle is the type Of
this class.
REED MENTIONED FOR THE PRESIDENCY
1t is from these mon that the talk of Mr..
Reeds nomination for President in 1892
talk which ex-Gov. Foraker in
| dorses empnatically. "We want in the
white house." said one of these men, what
we have got in the chair-a strong man,
man who will do things forcefully." OF
course, such talk could come only from the
| thoughtless; for, while Secretary Blaine
and senators Frye and Hale retain their in
fiuence in Maine, Mr.. Reed could not get
the Maine delegation to the national con-
ventiOn. But if he could get it,
| it is extremely doubtful whether
he or any other eastern man except Secre-
tary Blaine could get anything like a
| formidable vote in the national convention.
The west claims the presidential nomina-
tions of the Republican party, and tue west
| proposes to have them. There is reason to
| believe, however, that Senators Quay,
Platt and other eastern political managers
have already considered MIR. Reed as a
presidential possibility, the wish being
father to the thought. for he is the kind of
man they like, and that is why they made
him speaker.
REED DEFENDS HIS COURSE.
Speaker Reed to-day made to a repressn-
tative of the Associated Press the follow
ing statement concerning the republican
position in the present great controversy.
"Mr. Carlisle was entirely right when he
said in substance that the decision of the
House that quorum was constituted to
| do business when majority of the House
was present, would change from
the foundation the method of
doing business. We certainly will
do so, for it will enable the majority elected
by the people to rule by their own votes
| and not by sufferances of the minority.
"The rule of the majority is at the very
base of our government. If it be not the
true rule, our faith is vain, and we are yet
| in our sins.
| HOW THE OLD RULE WORKS.
"Look at the practical working of the
other doctrine. The republicans have a
majority of seven, but they have only three
over quorum. One hundred and sixty
eight is our number; 165 is a quorum. If
we are to furnish a quorum, the whole
democratic party sitting idly by in their
seats, but not present. dumb and silent
when business is to be transacted, but vocal
when it is to be obstructed, then there can
| be but three republicans absent on penalty
of stoppage OF. the pubic business. Now,
| let us see how that works. We are allowed
but three absentees. Mr.. Rockwell is sick.
It would endanger his life to come. M.
| Wilbur is in the same case. Mr.. 7. w.
| Browne is too sick to be able to be there all
the time. Mr.. Caswell's wife was dying,
and common decency required his presence
| by her bedside Another member must be
| with his wife for urgent reasons somewhat
| similar. Just about this number of men,
bers will at all times be sick or incapaci-
tated. These may get well, but others fall
sick in their turn. There, then, is our
quorum, according to Mr.. Carlise's idea,
gone entirely to pieces, though, even after
all fraud be deducted, the people had found
for the republicans by seven majority. All
this time. while we are keeping in the
House other men hardly less sick, 40 lusty
democrats sit silent in their seats doing no
public duty except to draw their pay.
NOT PAID TO DO NOTHING.
SIS it possible that the United States is
paying those gentlemen SIS day without
even the poor privilege of counting their
silent forms2 Mr.. Carlisle saws there is no
precedent for the decision of the House.
have personally seen and heard nim furnish
hundred. A hundred times have heard
him declare that the number for and against
such bill was, say, so for and 20 against,
and yet declare the bill
passed, and then sign that bill,
thereby certifying under the most solemn
sanction Of his oath of office that the bill
had properly and consttutionally passed
the House. How could he have done this
if his doctrine be true that quorum must
vote? Understand me; day after day, Mr..
Carlisle in my presence has declared that
such bill had votes for and against bv his
ow count as speaker less than a quorum,
and has yet immed ately declared it
passed, and has signed it, thus furnishing
the only proof the President could
have that it was passed. How could this be,
except on the plain ground that if quorum
did not vote the presence of a quorum was
enoughs
THE LAW OF THE LAND.
"But this matter does not need argument.
In Mr.. Carlisle's own state, in democratic
Tennessee, in democratic New York, in
democratic. Ohio, in Massachusetts,, and in
the courts everywhere, as you may see by
Mr.. Butterworth's speech, the doctrine just
upheld by the House is the law of the
land. And it ought to be,
if good government is not to
perish from the face of the earth. Not
ruling has been made in the House to sup
press filibustering which has not the full
sanction Of parliamentary law. That men
should resist only shows how ingrained the
wrong course has become, and how neces-
sary the remedy.
"What is the House trying to do? Why,
to perform its highest function, that of
deciding the right Of member to his seat.
| Until 1882, no man ever dared to
hlibuster against such a case. No
man ought to be allowed to
do it to-day. Yet every day three hours
are wasted in approving the journal, when
| five minutes would be ample. These three
hours belong to the public business. The
people do not understand that every wanton
roll call consumes three-quarters OF an
hour.
PARLIAMENTARY RULES.
ssSome of these men are talking about
rules They are now acting under a body