New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-02
SPEAKER AND HOUSE.
THE HON. THOMAS B. REED REVIEWS RE-
CENT IMPORTANT ACTION BY CONGRESS.
WHAT THE MAJORITY IS ENTITLED TO Do
COUNTING A QUORUM - LANGUAGE OF
THE CONSTITUTION - COMMON
gENsE on THE QUESTION.


From The North American Review for March.
When the passions of the hour have subsidized when
glibustering has been forgotten, and men have re
turned to the notion that public ollce implies puuno
duties the scenes described but family In Ihe Con
gressIonal Record of January 80 VIII be reau WIN
amazemcnt even by some OF those WHO pal'i.'P
as actors. The very fact that great coieV''"'i
question met on great occasion Dy meio oNp'o
sons Of turgid rhetoric and rank disorder VIII see
almost ncomprehensiblc on any basis, and quite so on
the part of men so eminent TO DO chosen among
thirty thousand OF their fellows for high pontcai
Office.
The House Of Representatives IS body of men $50
In number, representing vast extent Of country, WIN
interests and wants varied that catalogue couiu
fully enumerate them. IL any one suppOSeS thdo
each question receives the deliberate Judgment VI
each and all the members, he Is INDUCING III
Il dream Of duty performed which has no correspond
ing reality. The great majority of the bills winch
pass Congress pass he authority OF committees or
Of members whose reputation carries them through.
OF this is not true Of public bills OF general
concern Of National Importance. Such bills have
full consideration, due debate and proper attention
hut bills Of local interest, affecting distinct regions,
and concerning small numbers only are daily passed
many bills passed without the utterance Of an audible
sound because even the promoter, amid the general
This was precisely what was contemplated by the
trainers of the Constitution II tho majority Of tho
actoD If they heard The bill read at the desk and
the voice OF The speaker putting the question taeIg
pass detrimental to the hepubllc In pursnah IT,. ~
' view eyfy day for o hIndea year S tHo
even "A count, by mere determination OF volume Oh
voice. Even when a more certain mctnou oi h uT
csiOn was demanded, and members stood In tlelr
places and counted, thousands u bns nave some
through on vote confessediy kss than a dnVr t.
he had heard Mr. Carlisle announce such DIS a. uuiY
passd hundred times he was altogether TOO euafueo
IA ought IN haCa SAID "A
1t is we'll TO comprehend Just what tins means
'S or the vsv purpose Of certifying tnat had
passed properly and constitutonaly Every SUI
and signed BY Mr.. Carlisle, was therefore, an aSse'ei
ton on his part that a quorum need n2I VOC 7, \,
il was not how could he justify his acuoh IL 10
be needful TO have a quorum in active participation 10y
voting, how could he dare Ia sign a OH when II,
not the absolute requisites The only reply 70 this
home question yet attempted Is that nasmnch as inc
journal does not record the vote NOBODY can Iue,.o
1t. which is the same a. SAYING that tne
can be constitutionany violated every gay IN mo
week. provided the House Journal falsines py olsso
I'm this connection, also. 1T must be noted that many
bills which ne himself declared IN open HQuse ti.
less than quorum had voted nave petn sisneu ~
/ tho late speaker the very day Of passage. ana
therefore before the journal was even E %r'e dcr n e
cept In happy constitutional reliance on Inc VOL,
founded hope that the journal. when BORN "oula
The sober Truth however, IS that all these proceed,
ngs strictly constitutional. ana ~ould De II NO
that the body 1, legally constituted; that majority
IS therea quoTm-ready to 90 business, S.. ,aIsi any
body doubts 1t, he can say so ana nave inc ee@i ~,
ference verified. This could be properly done by the
Speakers count. And here 1t Is Wen TO rsnrS ane
of the ascertanment Of quorum by the speaher ana
after oil tho MYSTERIES Of the ne~pspr hat the
"actual count by the speaker that quornn Is n os
paru@lar eSirency by Clause 8 OF No. XVII OF the
old rules. while, therefore. the friends OF easy on
the eve. but invisible to the law. Obliged TO adj
nit that outside the roll call OF yeas ana NAYS
preced"nts OF hundred years have been violated in
recognizing the fact that quorum OF he house W.
actually present when the roll call. owing 70 me VOL
! untary misconduct Of members. did not show
majority actually voting
THE ORIGIN OF FILrBUsTERING.
The phrase "prccedents Of a hundred years. Is
simply rhetoric. Our fathers knew nothing OF tiis
modern system Of metaphysics whereby man couiu DO
present and absent at the same time could be visible
To demand his yeas and nays, and Invisible wheh ey
wero called. 1t did not occur TO their simple MINDS
20 gorfy themselves for being SILENT whlc thes ic'
il an insult 20 have that silence pointed out. Ihes
thought that opposition meant voting against Dill
Hence hlbusterlng Is OF modern origin. IL hao It's
beginning As a business In the House OF Representa-
tiv.s at WASHINGTON Thence 1t spread all over the
country until from end Of the United states 10 'ho
other mere inertia had got 70 be match iOr DOM ua-
lots and BRAINS When hllbustorng began, 1t took a
whole political party to block business In the lase
Congress IL had rpcucd 10 such degree OF lpOssiDo
perfection hat man held the country AT Day. ING
doctrine OF tho Fights OF the minority Seeiieu -
bat inc trying time r al III doH %sn5 Is inf 10 su nno~
what lOu were gOlns 10 do about IT, no nau no
lcngcd both the Ingenuity aud the courage oI inaAi
and from that time Tweed against the World ana
I'M. result not doubtful. Had nllbusterhs con.
fined tscf 70 the House Of Representatives,, or ileu
fnns and lad many defenders. Ii Il convenient
method OF demanding debate Of calling the attention. ",
many Of tho concentrations II then received nu "a,
yncn In l-s2, commenced TO be the common meldou
m $50 re established tho Libcram Veto OF the ga
Polish Diet, whereby slnsle member ,.Ir1 tns
fact that the practice was doomed. , 4, ,,.
direction o( another disaster. 1t reached the state
Legislatures, where the people eOuiu sec II ''H ~
h",ras ~ If invaded even the assemblies OF the
churches and Rule XIV among the Rules Tor JHJ..
,aies ad0p,ed by the Presby teran General Assembly
Of Pcnnsylvania bears witness alike TO the evn ana
It's suppression, when IL declares lnte iti en-,
iers must be considered as acqucschs "loh tno
majority ~, o,nos,,,or nv
81 sill tAan 10 argue. much more restul 10 use
the attraction of gravtauon than TO exhaust ner, ,
thc use OF this power which had the heh sanction u
Dt men never remain reasonably bad they almost
always carry to excess, and therefore to cor
worked so wen In the distant atmosphere of the
National capital. soon met Its death when t got aU~n
and only little understood, but man whose contract
may be judged void and his business career ruined
by this doctrine VI toipoicai Pi'oii.o "'.
mentary absence soon begins to understand one place
Nher, the rights Of minortcs ought to leave of.
Hence. when municipal bodies began to initiate their
supcriors and tried to break contracts as well as
Shed upon them and the parliamentary fiction that
man present could truthfuy declare himself absent
disappeared from every place except the Capitol at
Washington. - :, 49,
,vhc, any court dealt with this question except In
one way In Maine. In 1880, In the state-tca case
the court declared that where Board Of Aldermen
seven I'm number had sent TO the Governor and Coun
eli an election return which the board was bound 10
make and there appeared the paper three names
only Il be presumed that these men had acted
legally and that the three were majority OF IN,
+ nnorIIn present and sufficient for both action and
authentcatlon In Illinois. years ago. In case whec
eqht aldermen were present and five was IA quorum
four voting and four remaining SILENT whlle tnc
Mavor gave the casting vote tho court declared ule
arfion legal aud added sentence which Il rich with
that saving common which Is the basis or All
In a