The Portland daily press., 1890-02-03
! Mr.. REED TALKS.
Practical Effect Of the MinOrity's Idea
Of a Quorum.
They Could Stop Business When -Four
Republicans were Absent,
And This Number Would Probably Be
Away All the Time.
Silent FERNS For Which the Country
Pays $l3 Daily.
Fewer Deaths at ThermOpyls and
More Business Wanted.
Saturdays Struggle in The House and
This Weeks Prospect.
Saturdays Struggle in The House and
This Weeks Prospect.

WASHINGTON, February. q - Speaker
Reed today made to representative of the
Associated Press statement concerning the
Republican position in the great controversy.
Mr.. Reed said: "Mr. Carlisle was entirely
right when he said, in substance, that the
decision of the House that a quorum was
constituted to do business when majority
of the house was present. would change from
the foundation the method of doing business.
1t certainly will do so, for it will enable the
majority elected by the people to rule by
their own votes and not by the suffrage of
the minority. The rule of the majority is at
the very base of our government. If 1t be
not the true rule, our faith is vain and we
are yet In our sins. Look at the practical
working of the doctrine The Republican,
have majority of seven but they have only
three over quorum; 1853 is our number, 165
is quorum. If we are to furnish quorum
with 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
the penalty of the stoppage of public busi-
ness. Now let us see how that works. We
are allowed but three absentees. Mr.. Rock
we'll is SICK 1t would endanger his life to
come. Mr.. Wilbur is in the same case. Mr..
T. W. Browne is too sick to be able to be
there all the time and Mr. Caswelps wife is
dying and common decency required his
presence at her bedside. Another member
must be with his wife for reasons somewhat
similar. Just about this number of members
will at all times be sick or incapacitated.
These may get well but others will fall sick
in their turn. There then is our quorum ac
cording to Mr.. Carlisle's idea gone entirely
pieces, though, even with all fraud deduct
by seven majority
"All this time, while we are keeping in the
House other men, hardly less sick, 14O lusty
Democrats sit silent in their seats, doing no
public duty except to draw their pay. Is it
possible that the United States is paying
those gentlemen $13 day without even the
poor privilege Of counting their silent forms?
Mr.. Carlisle saysthere is no precedent for
the decision Of the House. 1 have person.
ally seen and heard him furnish hundred.
A hundred times l have heard him declare
that the number for and against such bill
was, says for and 20 against, mathemati-
cally less than quorum, and yet declare the
bill passed and then sign the bill, thereby
certifying under the most solemn sanction of
his oath of Office that the bill had properly
and c0nstitutionally passed the House. How
could he have done this If his doctrine be
me; day after day Mr.. Carlisle, in my pres
ence, has declared that such bill had votes
for and against, by his own count as speaker,
less than quorum and has yet Immediately
declared it passed, and signed it, thus fur
nishing 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
enough? But this matter does not need ar
gument. 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 doc
trine just upheld by the House Is the law of
the land-and it ought to be If good govern
ment is not to perish from the face of the
earth. Not ruling has been made in the
House to suppress fllibustering which has
not the full sanction of parliamentary law.
That men should resist only shows how. in
grained wrong course has become, and how
necessary is the remedy.
'TheHouse Is trying to perform its highest
member to his seat. Until 1882, no man ever
dared to filibustef against such case. no
man ought to be allowed to do it today. Yet,
every day, three hours are wasted in approx
ing the journal, when five minutes would be
ample. These three hours belong to public
business. The people do not understand
that every wanton roll-call consumes three
quarters of an hour.
''Some of these men are talking about
rules. They are now acting under body of
rules which the American people use in their
assemblies, body of rules we'll known and
understood by all those not wifully igno-
rant. When we first came here. the obstruc-
tionists declared that they would die in the
last ditch fighting against any rule of which
they did not approve. Now they are want
ing to die at Thermopyle, in defence of the
liberties of their country, because we do not
| force rules on them. If there could be few
| or deaths at Thermopyle and more business
| in this House the country would be better
| off. True Democratic leaders, like Mr.. Car.
Isle, have long since ceased to participate in
the defiance of good government. but they
should now make themselves heard affirma-
lively on the side of order"