Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-30
The House Of Representatives enjoyed q


The House Of Representatives enjoyed q
lively and occasionally a boisterous time yester.
day in discussing "the great constitutions
question" Of point Of parliamentary practice
In respect to which the members strangely
enough divided on partisan lines. The demo
crats denounced unconstitutional and rev.
dictionary the act Of the Speaker in counting
~ present to constitute q quorum members
who were actually present but did not vote,
and cited the opinions Of distinguished re-
publican authorities, under other circum-
stances, including Speaker Reed, in sup
port of their contention. The Speaker
quoted the words Of Governor Hill Of
New York as presiding officer Of the New York
Senate in which he reached the same conclu-
sions a. the Speaker and pronounced the
action Of those who, being present, tried to
break quorum by refraining from voting as
fActlous and revolutionary. The Speaker also
referred to other distinguished democratic pre-
esdents, but based his decision mainly upon
the suggestion Of common sense that the pres
snce Of quorum is q physical fact. which the
presiding officer can observe, and, II he fails to
see straight, he can be corrected by the House.
The absence of rules causes the controversy
10 be even more heated than the ordinary clash
Of the two parties in making and repelling
movements for partisan advantage. Under
general parliamentary practice there is,
il is stated, no compulsory process
which obliges members to vote. On
less the compulsory attendance of absent
members, for which the Constitution provides,
is Of service in constituting quorum, without
the actual voting Of the members whose at
tendance il compelled. the republicans cannot,
with their present sick list, secure u quorum
under the general parliamentary law The alb
sence Of rules. with their limitations upon the
power Of the presiding officer and their pro-
lection Of the minority, renders additionally
offensive to the democrats the Speakers claim
of power to declare a quorum by counting
those who refuse to vote, and fills them with
apprehensions Of arbitrary and unfair use of
the alleged power. As far as the public is con-
cerned, the general desire is that some rules
shall be adopted, and that the ma
tional Legislature shall quit wrangling
~ soon as it can conveniently do SO
and get to doing the peoples work. On
the one hand the people want no reversal of
Legislative traditions, no resort to strange and
arbitrary methods BY an impatient majority;
and, on the other hand. they want neither par
lamentary rulings nor rules Of practice which
will tie the house hand and foot, and at the will
Of an Insignificant minority disable it from
performing its functions as a legislative body
The appointment of ex-senator Bruce as
recorder of deeds in the District of Columbia
will give wide satisfaction not only because il
Is a just recognition Of the colored race IN the
distribution of lucrative posts but because Mr..
Bruce himself is eminent!y worthy of the honor
and has shown himself capable OF filing ac-
ceptably almost any post for which the Presi-
dent might select him. Philadelphia Press.
If the Office of local recorder of deeds is
to continue to be treated as among the "lucra-
tive posts which are to be distributed"
among classes OF voters for political purposes,
and is especially to be devoted to the Just
recognition of the colored race" then Mr..
Bruees appointment is unobjectionable as
any that could be made. He is of recognized
ability, has made a wide circle of friends during
his official residence here, and while he has
acted until very recently citizen of Mssis-
sippi he Is a property owner in Washing
ton. The carpet-bag feature of the
importation is disguised and rendered some
what less disagreeable to the community by
the circumstances suggested. But. as the Press
indicates. the fact is generally recognized that
the appointment is a political one. in which the
dominant party takes an interest and satisfac-
ton. and not merely the filling on "home rule
principles of purely local Office to the salts
ton of the community which is compelled by
law to pay an excessive tribute to support it.
There is more excuse for the appointment
II Congress is about TO change the law in
regard to the Office. The discovery that
there was extorted annually from the prop
erty owners of the District to pay the polit-
zeal debts of successive administrations a salary
in fees considerably greater than that of the
chief justice Of the Supreme Court Of the
United States, and sufficient to pay the salaries
Of three simple Senators, naturally suggested
the political ACCESSIBILITY of substituting at the
receipt Of tribute a republican colored man
from Mississippi in place Of democratic COL
ored man from Massachusetts,, to enjoy the
profits until Congress could regulate them and
make them reasonable. Since the Office has not
been taken from the category of political
pap" by presidential appointment it should be
removed by the action of Congress. The office
should be made salaried one, the appoint
ment should be limited to citizens
Of the District, the fees which
produce so large a surplus above the expenses
of the Office should be reduced, and whatever.
amount the property owners Of the District paw
in recording fees above the cost Of doing this
work for them should go to the credit of the
District a. local taxes. The man who becomes
property owner in Washington should not be
compelled to pay in his recording fee twice
what the work Of recording costs, and thus be
svindled out Of one half his payment in order
to meet the political debts Of either the demo-
cratic or the republican party, or to render
Just political recognition to the colored race or
any other race or c.'s, OF voters.
Not only IL the New York assembly con-
fronted by the fact that the Worlds Fair ten
million dollar bill is unconstitutional but prop
erty holders on the proposed site are protest
ing against measure which will force them to
sell their land and viii contest the action Of