Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-02-06
In THEIR DEFENCE.
THE DEMOCRATS STATE THEIR CASE
TO THE PUBLIC.

| Blaine, Hawley and Others-Address
Signed by all Democrats.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. Am address to
the country, explaining the position of
the Democratic members of the house,
has been prepared by ex-Speaker Car
Isle, and signed by all of the minority
members to-day. The address is as fol-
lows:
1.-The present situation in the house of
representatives is so anamlous and the
unprecedented decisions of the speaker
are so full of danger to the integrity of
future legislation, that we consider it
our duty to submit brief statement of
the facts in order that the propriety of
the course we have taken may be fairly
determined.
The house met on the second day of
December, 1889, and Immediately organ
lied by the election of speaker and
other officers. On the same day, by
resolution of the house, the speaker was
authorized to appoint committee on
rules, and the rules of the last preceding
house were referred to that committee.
The committee, consisting of the speaker
himself, and four other members, was
appointed on the fifth day of December,
and on the ninth, it made a report au-
thorizing the speaker to appoint all the
other committees and defining their
| Jurisdiction. The committee on cleo
tions, to which was referred all cases
involving the rights of members to their
seats, was appointed on the ninth day of
December. Although nearly two
months have elapsed since the commit
tee on rules was appointed, it has made
no report on the matters referred to 1t,
except the partial one made on the ninth
of December and consequently the house
has been compelled to conduct its busl-
ness without any rule or system, except
| the general parliamentary law as con-
strued by the speaker. There have been
no calendars, no order of business, nc
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 condi-
ton as popular meeting or
A Political Convention,
in which the chairman and his partisans
absolutely 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 dis
cuss or decide. The speaker
has repeatedly during these extraordi-
nary proceedings refused to entertain
parliamentary motions that have baen
recognized as legitimate ever since the
government was established. and when
attempts have been made to appeal from
his decisions he has refused to submit
the question to the house. By his
arbitrary rulings, sustained in some in
stances by less than quorum, he has
subverted nearly every principle of con-
stitutional and parliamentary law here
tofore recognized in the house.
This personal and partisan domination
of the house was submitted to, though
not without repeated protests. until we
become 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. 80, the commit
tee on elections called up a contested
election case, and the Democratic mem
bers determined that in the absence of
rules it should not be considered if they
could prevent it by any proper parlia-
mentary proceedings. Accordingly they
raised the question of consideration, de-
manded the yeas and nays, and on the
call of the roll refrained from voting.
The result was that less than constitu-
tional quorum voted, but the speaker, in
violation of the uniform practice of the
house for more than a century, pro-
ceeded to count members who were pres
ent, but not voting, and declared that the
house had decided to take the case up.
From this decision an appeal was taken
and, on motion to lay this appeal on the
table, the yeas and nays were taken, and
less than a quorum voted, but the
speaker again counted members not vot-
ing and decided that the motion was
agreed to, and his ruling thereby sus-
tanned.
The constitution of the United States
provides that majority of each house |
shall constitute quorum to do business; |
but smaller number may adjourn from
day to day, and may be authorized to
compel the attendance of absent men,
be1s in such manner and under such pen |
alties as each house may provide" An |
other clause of the constitution requires |
each house to keep journal of its pro- |
ceedings, and provides that when one
fifth of the members present desire it, |
the yeas and nays shall be taken on any |
question and entered on the journal. |
Since the beginning of the government
under the constitution more than
Hundred 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 the men, |
bers-elcct must be present and actually |
participate in the transaction of busi- |
ness; and that whenever, upon call of
the yeas and nays it appeard from the
journal, which is the only official rec
ord, thai less than the constitutional |
quorum has voted on any proposition, |
the vote was a nullity, and no further |
business could be done until the requi- |
site number appeared and voted.
Every presiding officer in the senate |
and every speaker of the house, except |
the present one, has held that when less |
than a quorum voted on a call of the |
yeas and nays, no matter how many |
might be actually present, it was his |
duty to take notice of the fact and de-
clare that the pending bill or motion had
not passed. Speaker Reed |
himself, when in the minority on the
floor of the house, stated the true mean
ing and the true philosophy of the con-
stitution when he said: 1.-The constitu-
tional idea of a quorum is not the
presence of majority of all the MEM
bers of the house. but majority of the
members present and participating in
the business of the house. 1t is not the |
visible presence, but their Judgment and |
votes which the constitution calls for"
Gen. Garfield, Mr.. Blaine, Mr.. Hawley,
Mr.. Conger, Mr.. Robson and
Other Eminent Republicans
have taken the same position and their |
arguments have never been answered. |
If any legal or political question can be |
settled in this country by the long
acquiescence of jurists and statesmen of
all parties, certainly this question has
passed beyond the domain Of discussion. |
When, therefore, the present speaker
repudiated this settled construction of
the constitution and decided thai when
the official record, which the constitu-