The Russellville Democrat., 1890-02-06
UNPRECEDENTED.
Reed's Action in the House Is Condemned Out of His
 Own Mouth.
Secretary Blafne's Statement During the Great F0rce-Biil
 Excitement is Pertinent.
lwashington speclal to the st. Louis Repub.

lic.l
 It is important that the people of the country should understand clear ly the character of the issue between the parties in the House of Repre- sentatives and Reeds doings. It IS not difficult to understand, and here is an attempt to give clear account of the business. It has been the un- broken custom of the House of Rep resentatiyes, from the beginning, to adopt at the opening of the session, code of rules under which to carry on its proceedings. It is evident that this IS absolutely necessary to the effective and proper work Of the House. The Republicans have, since the opening of Congress in Der, refused and to the pres ent time continue to refuse to even propose such code of rules. They have insisted on carrying on busi- ness without rules and under what is known as general parliamentary law" The Democrats unwillingly and under protest, but with the as- surance of the Republican leader on the floor of the House, MT. Mckinley of Ohio, that rules would soon be proposed, agreed to go on in good order and did so. On Monday last the Republicans broke faith entirely and openly gave up all promise of q purpose to propose new rules, and the Republican Speaker began on that day to assume the extraord;na ry power, never before claimed. but, on the contrary opposed and de- nounced by the highest Republican authority, to declare quorum at his own will.
 MIR. BLArNE's COURSE.
 When, in 1875, in the course of the most prolonged and bitter strug gle since the war, the battle over the Force bill, it was proposed to Speaker Blaine to do what Speaker Reed is now doing, Mr. Blaine re- fused, saying: "The chair never heard of that being done. He begs to remind the House that whereas it might and doubtless would be true that there is quorum h the hall, the very principle enunciated by tue gentleman from Indiana (of having the Speaker disregard the rules and declare quorum), has been the foundation, probably, for the great est legislative frauds ever commit ted. Where quorum in the judge ment of the chair has been declared to be present in the House, against the result of roll call these proceed ings in the different legislatures have brought scandal on thelr name. The moment you clotbe your Speaker with power to go behind your roll call and assume that there is a quo. rum in the hall, why, gentlemen, you stand on the very brink of a vo.ca- mo-"
 In later Congress Mir. John Randolph Tucker of Virginia, a very good lawyer, but who has been over. ruled in his opinions very frequent ly by the higher courts of the State of Virginia and also by the Supreme Court of the United States, propos. ed to enact rule that the Speaker might declare q quorum present. Gen. Garfield, Gen. Hawley and other Republicans and Democrats strongly opposed this as mlsehieyous and intolerable, as we'll as unconsti- tutional, and Tn the course of the de- bate Mir. Reed, then a member of the House from Maine said:
 'If it was my purpose to reply to the gentleman who has just taken his seat, it seems to me that it would be suitable and proper reply to say to him that the constitutional Idea of a quorum is not the presence of majority of all the members of the House, but q majority of the members present and participating in the business of the House. It is not the visible presence, but their judgement and votes which the con stitution calls for"
 It is thus in the face of declarations of the most eminent men of his party and of the democratic party, and in the face of his own declaration that the Speaker is now assuming powers never before assumed or pretended.