The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-02-10
TILE MINORITY REPORT
or tho Committee on Rules In tho House of
Representatives.

or tho Committee on Rules In tho House Of
Representatives..
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9.-The report OF
che Democratic minority of tae Com.
mittee on Rules, signed by Carlisle and
Randall, has been made public. The
first change aptagonized is that to Rule
"a. On this subject the minority report
says:
Under clause OF rule "a no bill on the
House calendar eau be reached for con-
slderation unless called up by the CON.
mlttee that reported it, and under clause
. OF the same rule no individual member
can make an original motion for the
purpose OF considering any particular
bill in the Committe OF the Whole
House Oh the State OF the Union. When.
however, motion has been made by
direction OF u committee to 60 into the
COMMITTEES OF the Whole on the State
OF the Union to consider public bill,
an individual member may move to
amend it by designating another bill,
This is the exteut Of his right uuder the
proposed rule, and it is evident that he
will be placed ut a great disadvantage.
We are unable to discover any sufficient
reason for this Discrimination aruipst
members who may not be fortunate
ehoug h to secure the cooperation OF
committees in making their motions. II
a majority vote isNsutlicent to suspend
the rules and tx day for the consider.
alton OF q bill, when tho motion is made
by direction OF u committee, certainly
the same vote ought to be sufficient
when made by an individual member
upon his responsibility aud in behalf OF
his constituents, the only reasonable
explanation for this discrimination is
that it is the policy OF the proposed
rules to suppress the individual mem
bers OF the. House as far as possible and
increase the powers of the committees.
Relative to the change in the rules
governing the committee Of the whole,
the minority says:
It has always been so universally con-
ceded that committee OF the whole
Houae. was simply the House itself, that
it has never been considered necessary
to prescribe in the rules what number Of
members should be necessary to consli-
tute quorum in such committee. The
resolution requires the permission of
all the members.elect to constitute II
quorum to do business in the House and
without any rule on the subject the
same number has always been recog-
nized as necessary in committee of the
whole and whenever it found itself with
less than that number present, and vot-
ing, it has been compelled to suspend its
proceedings. r&1H%
Referring to tho clause authorizing the
Speaker to count a quorum, the minor
ity report says:
This is the most radical and, in our
opinion, the most dangerous innovation
proposed by the majority. Ii agreed to
it will not only overthrow the consiruc-
ton that has been uniformly given to
the Constitution for more than CEN
tury, but it will enable less than major.
ity Of the representatives Of the people
to pass the most important laws Affect
ing the interests Of the whole country.
The personal property rights Of the clti.
zens, protected heretofore by laws en-.
acted by the votes OF majority may be
impaired or destroyed by the votes OF a
mere fraction Of the members OF Con.
gress, for il less than a majority may
constitutionally pass measures in the
House, OF course, the same thing may be
done in the Senate. itss.