St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-04
The Minority in Congress Lays
Its Case Before the
People.
Reeds Rulings Dangerous to
the Integrity Of Future
Legislation.
Democrats Insist That Less
Than a Majority Shall
Not Govern.
A Majority Ruling Without
Limitations Is a Pure
Despotism.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-An address to
the country explaining the position of
the Democratic members of the house
has been prepared by ex-Speaker Car
Isle. and will be signed by all of the
minority members tomorrow. The ad-
dress in its full text is as follows: "The
situation in the house of representatives
is so anomalous, and the unprecedented
decisions of the speaker are so full of
danger to the integrity of future legis-
lation that we consider it our duty to
submit brief statement of the
facts, in order that the pro-
priety of the course we have
taken may be fairly determined.
The house met on the I'd day of Decem-
ber, 1889, and Immediately organized by
the election of a speaker and other
officers. On the same day, by resolu-
ton Of the house, the speaker was au-
thorized to appoint committee on
rules, and the rules of the last preced-
ing house were referred to that conf
mlttee. The committee, consisting of
speaker himself and four other MEM
bers, was appointed on the 9th day of
port authorizing the speaker to appoint
all the other committe, and
DEFINING THEIR JURISDICTION.
The committee on elections, to which
was referred all cases involving the
rights OF members to their seats, was
appointed on the 9th day of December.
Although nearly two months have
elapsed since the committee on rules
was appointed, it has made no report
upan the matters referred to it, except
the partial one made on the 9th of De-
cember, and consequently the house
has been compelled to conduct its busi-
ness without any rules or system, ex-
cept the general parliamentary law,
as construed by the speaker.
There have been no calendars,
no order of business, ne
fixed time to receive reports from COM
mittees or for the consideration of bills
or resolutions, and in fact, no regular
methods whatever in the proceedings of
the house. The American house of
representatives has been during all this
time, and still is, so far as rules for its
government are concerned, in precisely
the same condition, as a popular meet
ing or a political convention. in which
the chairman and his partiSanS abs0-
lutely control all the proceedings. No
measure can get before the house for
consideration unless the speaker chooses
to allow it to be presented, and
members have no means of knowing in
advance what they are to be called upon
to discuss or decide. This is the first
time in our history that legislative as
sembly, or even public meeting. has
attempted to transact business for any
considerable period without a regular
code of rules prescribing the order of
its proceedings, and inconvenience and
injustice resulting from such an attempt
have been forcibly illustrated in the
present instance. The speaker has re-
peatedly during these extraordinary
proceedings refused to entertain parlia-
mentary motions that have been
RECOGNIZED AS LEGITIMATE
since the government was established.
and when attempts have been made to
appeal from his decision he has refused
to submit the question to the house. By
his arbitrary rulings, sustained in some
instances by less than quorum. he has
subverted nearly every principle Of
constitutional and parliamentary law
heretofore recognized in the house.
This personal and partisan domination
of the house was submitted to, although
not without repeated protest until we
became convinced that it was the de-
liberate purpose of the speaker and his
supporters to proceed without rules to
ouSt the Democratic members whose
seats are contested and admit their Re-
publican opponents. whether elected or
not. On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the COM
mittee on elections called up a contested
| election case and the Democratic men,
bers determined that, in the absence of
| rules, it should not be considered if they
conld prevent it by any proper parlia-
mentary proceedings. Accordingly,
| they raised the Ques ton OF considera-
| tion, ordered the ayes and nays, and.
on the call of the roll refrained
from voting. The result was that
| less than constitutional quorum
voted, but the speaker, in violation of
the uniform practice of the house for
more than century, y,proceeded to count
| members who were present but not vot-
| ing, and declared that the house had de-
| cided to take the case up. From this
decision an appeal was taken, and on a
motion to lay this appeal on the table
the yeas and nays were taken, and less
than quorum voted, but the speaker
again counted members not voting, and
| decided that the motion was agreed to.
and his ruling thereby sustained. The
| constitution of the United States pro-
SHALL CONSTITUTE A QUORUM
| to do business; but a smaller number
| may adjourn from day to day. and may
| be authorized to compel the attendance
of absent members in such manner and
under such penalties as each house NAV
| provide. Another clause of the conSti-
tuition requires each house to keep a
journal of its proceedings, and provides
| that when one-fifth of the members
| present desire it, the yeas and NAYS
| shall be taken on any question and en-
| tered On the journal. Since the begin
ming of the government under the con-
| Stitution, more thah 100 years ago, the
| house of representatives and the
senate have uniformly construed the
| first clause of the constitution, quoted
above, to mean that majority of all of
| the members-elect must be present and
actually participate in the transaction
| of business, and that whenever, upon a
call of the yeas and nays, it appeared
| from the journal, which is the only Off
cial record, that less than the constitu-
| tional quorum has voted OH any propo-
sitiOn, the vote was nullity, and no
| further business could be done until the
requisite number appeared and voted.
| Every presiding officer in the
senate and every speaker of the
HouSe, except lne present one, has neld
that when less than quorum voted
on call of the yeas and nays, no matter
how many might be actually present. il
was his duty to take notice OF the fact
aud declare that the pending bill or mo-
tion had not passed. When the vote is
| not taken by yeas and nays, it is not en-
tered upon the journal; but if any MEM
Der makes. the point that no quorum has
| voted, the proceeding is 3 nullitY and