, 1890-09-11
THE spEAKER's ADDRESS.
what Has Been Accomplished by th
Houae During the Sessi0u.

What Has Bsen Accom- ri ish cd by the
Aouss During the Session.
Speaker Reeds address was devoted to
a review of the work of tho present
house of representatives. He spoke of
the threats" of the minority before the
assem- milling of congress, and the declara-
tions that they were to rule In utter dis
regard of the will of the people, and of
the Rlibustering tactics they were pre-
pared To employ. "The house of ropre.
sentatives," he said, ''is not body
quick 20 do business under any set of
rules, Its large numbers and the diverse
interests they represent will always
nlake 1t slow and cumbersome, but the
system which enabled one member
to hold the whole house at bay until the
setting of the sun and then to hold IL
until physical exhaustion set IL free
and one.hfth to hold 1t forever, was evil
IDENTIFY system which. rendered cleo
tions useless and called a halt to civiliza-
tion itself II there be anything in our
popular government, 1t means that when
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.
ut was with far other ideas of this
public duty that the minority opposed
us at the opening of tho session. Not
only were no measures to pass which
did not have their approval, but no
rule, even oil procedure, were TO be per-
mitted, except those which seemed
suitable to the beaten party so We began
without rules After two months of
opposition IL was found that under the
parliamentary law which had been built
up by the American people In conso-
nance with the institution the public
business was going on every day with
out their consent, and they began to
clamor for the very rules they had
denounced. need not describe to you
the scenes ofdisorder preliminary to the
establishment of the sound business
principles of the house. 1t is enough to
say that the good work was done, and
that the house has taken u large stride
toward business and the performance of
its duty.
'During these last eight months II has
been subject to much inuiscriminate
praise and much indiscriminate blame.
One is just as much deserved as the
other Great events do not turn on one
man. The house of representatives was
ready and ripe for "A change, and the peo-
pie stood ready to approve. What all
the world wanted was easy to do i am
not greatly proud to be speaker but | am
proud with ali my heart, to be one OF
that magnificent majority of the house
Of representatives oil the fifty-tirst Con-
gress, which Tor nine long months has
never for one moment faltered in its
duty. We have achieved all the repub-
lican party promised and more. We
promised the people that the tariff
should have fair and exhaustive treat
aud bat ks.V I'll nj ttNla nf 10
should have full recognition, and we
have kept these promises. BY tho ad-
ministrative bill, u wise and discrimi-
mating effort has been made to secure to
our manufacturers and merchants the
complete benefit Of the rates of duty i'm
posed by law. Two years ago the demo-
Gratis In the house admitted. owing to
the change in the meth DDS of the manu-
facturers. that the whole woolen industry
was tottering to fall, unless woolens and
worsted we're put upon footing OF
equality. Nevertheless. for the purpose
OF adding to the votes of the Mills bill,
which could never pass, thoy sacrificed
the woolen industry without delay, and
without waiting to strengthen their own
tariff bill by the support of the worstsd
men. Major Mckinley and Governor
Dingley have pushed through measure
OF justice, which has secured SO many OF
our woolen mills from disaster and ruin.
But these bills useful as they are, are
but forsrunners of the tariff bill. The
Mckinley bill was not made In closet
II was not the product OF one man who
tried to know everything. IL any tariff
bill was ever the result OF the beliefs of
the whole people of the United States,
tits the Mckinley bill.
Another great achievement Of the
house Is the silver bill. The republicans
had promised that all the silver dollars
should be furnished which could be
kept equal with gold. Such bill, full
filling That promise to the uttermost,
now adorns our statute books, as u
tribute TO the wise conservatism OF the
republican majority OF the house,
Already silver seems to be climbing TO
par with safety to all the interests OF the
country.
There was also another promise to be
kept made long ago, and often renewed.
For years the republican party have de-
elared most righteously that there could
not be In republic duty more sacred
than the duty of upholding tho right OF
every citizen to participate In the gov
eminent. The house, true to its duty,
has passed q bill, which, when It has be-.
come law. will give to the people of
the United States the sufirages OF mil
lions. IL will on "a hia votes To be Caal