Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-20
I.ueads I Win. Tails You Lose.

a
We must get out Of these village ways.
Heads Win, Tails You Lose"
The Republicans in the present repu-
dated House Of Representatives are
already maniiesting q desire to know
whether tho Democrats in the next
House intend to continue in force the
Objectionable rules by the aid of which
Speaker REED has ruled his party asso-
ciates as with a rod Of iron. OF course,
nobody is authorized TO speak for the
Democratic majority in the next House.
but we think it may be safely assumed
that they are not men with
whom the Republicans will be
able to play the game OF "heads l
win, tails you lose" III REED
has the right under the rules OF the
House to count as present Democrats
who have declined TO vote, and those
rules are constitutional, then the Speaker
OF the next Democratic House will have
the same right. 1t is not simply ques-
ton Of consistency. 1t is, on the con-
trary, an important question of practical
politics. When the Wings OF the ma
tional House of Representatives adopted
many years ago the one-hour rule, the
Democrats of that body denounced the
new rule as a suppression of the right of
free speech and as threatening to curtail
the liberties of the people. But the
Democrats afterwards found it necessary
TO resort to the same rule and of course
allowed no question of mere consistency
to deter them from adopting that
which seemed to have become al
most indispensable. Whatever may
have been true as TO the desirability
OF q one-hour rule, it was at any
rate not such q rule as REEDS rule au-
thorizing him to pass bills by the aid of
members entered by his order upon the
record, as present though they refuse to
vote. This rule confers upon the Speak
or q large part of the Legislative power
of the Government. Undoubtedly it
greatly facilitates the transaction OF bust
ness, and enables the majority to secure
legislation which could never have been
secured under the old rules. This is 50
great help to the party in power that II
the practice of thus counting quo
rum" ia constitutional, whatever party
NAV hereafter have majority in the
House of Representatives will be almost
compelled to adopt the Objectionable
rule under consideration, if for no other
reason, because self-defence is the first
law of nature with political parties as
with individual men.
The Philadelphia Press, therefore,
need not lay the fiattering JUNCTION to its
soul that the Democrats will neces-
sarily repudiate REEDS rules and thus
"suit the well-settled Democratic policy
Of do nothing, as well rs keepthe Demo
Gratis from doing much mischief until the
election of 1892 shall restore the Repub-
licans to power and rehabilitate the pres
ent Misunderstanding set Of rules.
There is too much at stake for the
Democratic party, as party, thus to play
into the hands OF their enemies. And the
Democrats will not do it. They will sur
vey the whole field before acting. If
REEDS rules shall have been found
constitutional or shall have been acqui-
esced in, and the laws passed under their
operation been recognized las they proba-
bly, will have BEEN unconstitutional, or at
any rate not found unconstitutional, then
it will be for the Democratic majority in
the next House of Representatives TO
"take the bull by the horns" and feed
the Republicans upon the fruit of the
tree which the latter planted in 1889.
There would be no sense and certainly
no craftsmanship in refusing to use such
weapons as REEDS rules in fighting the
Republican party, when we know that
these very rules will be employed to our
disadvantage and discontinue whenever
hereafter the Republicans shall gair
control of the House of Representatives
The Philadelphia Press says further:
"If they would be consistent they
must restore the old rule of unanimou
consent and bind themselves to d.
nothing save by and with the consent o.
, Director Holman and every single Re
publican and Farmers Alliance man il
, in the House"
The Press thus in few words tell
why the Democrats should not eAdeayo
TO he merely consistent. Consistenc.
may be jewel; but it will not save tn
country from Republican misrule. Mucl
more important considerations SHOULD
influence our action and we do no
doubt for moment that the Democrat
OF the whole country will stand by thei
representatives in the next Congress
: tho shally decide that it is necessary t
, eight the devil with fire."
Z | -------
The Street Fund.
fTboxo 90 c,onaroI co,n apHotioO 0f th