St. Paul daily globe., 1890-01-30
REED CAUSES A RIOT.
Wild and Tamultuous Scenes
in the Lower House Of
Congress.
Revolutionary Rulings by the
Speaker Bring Democrats
to the Fore.
They Protest Against Their
Names Being Recorded
Against Their Will.
Gar Reed Is the Organ of the
House, Not It's Mas
ter.


and most tumultuOuS scene since the
reconstruction times: was enacted in
the house to-day, over the motion to
take up the Smith-Jackson West Vir-
ginia election case. After the house
house had passed a bill relieving the
political disabilities of d. G. Smith. of
Texas, Mr.. Dalzen, of Pennsylvania.
called up the West Virginia contested
election case. Mr.. Crisp, of Georgia,
raised the question of consideration, and
f1libustering at once began. On this
the Democrats generally refused to
vote. While the roll was being called,
Speaker Reed noted the names of those
present and not voting. When the
vote was announced, it was found
that 161 votes were in the af-
irmative, and two in the negative.
Mr.. Crisp at once raised the point
of no quorum and Speaker Reed di-
rected the clerk to record the names, a
list Of which he had kept, of members
not voting, but present. A loud shout
of approval was raised on the Republi-
can side. Then as the names of Demo-
Gratis were read by the speaker, men,
bers got up in their places and pro-
tested against their names being re-
corded against their will. Mr.. Beck
enridge, of Kentucky, when his name
was called, took the floor and de-
nounced the action of the speaker as
Revolutionary" With this the Demo-
Gratis stood up and cheered him or
shouted their protests by cries of
Gear" which the Republicans charac-
acterized as the ''rebel YELL" The
scene at this moment On the floor of the
house was
ONE OF TUMULT AND RIOT.
When quiet was partially restored
Speaker Reed said he was simply an
nOuncing fact, not voting for mem.
bers. Subsequently he made state
ment in justification of his course, quot
ing precedents to maintain the correct
ness of his position, and citing the
action of Gov. Hill, of New York. while
presiding officer of the New York state
senate. in deciding that three-fifths of
all the members present, although some
of them refrained from voting, consti-
tuted a quorum, as precisely similar to
his decision to-day. Another process,
he said, which every old member would
recognize, whereby the opinion Of the
chair is accepted as incontestable evil
dence of the recognition of right to
record members present as consti-
tutlng part OF a quorum who did
not vote was seen in the everyday
occurrence at certain stages Of the ses-
sions of the house when votes were
announced blythe chair, containing obvi-
Ously and emphatically no quorum,
Yet, if the point was not made. the bill
was always declared passed, and that
could only be on very distinct basis,
and that was that everybody present
silently agreed to the fact that there
was quorum. There was no ground
on which by any possibility such bill
could be passed cOnstitutiOnally unless
the presence of quorum was inferred,
and it was inferred from the fact that
no one had raised the question. Ali
methods of determining the vote were
of equal value. The count by the
chair and the count by telIers, and the
count by yeas and nays were of equal
value. The house had right on a call
of one-fifth of the members to have q
yea and nay vote, and then, On that. the
question was decided, but the decision
in each of the other cases was of pre-
cisely the same value. 1t had always
been the practice in parliamentary
bodies of this character, and especially
in the parliament of Great Britain, for
the speaker to determine the question
If there was or was not
A QUORUM PRESENT BY COUNT.
1t was because that was determine
tion Of actual fact, and the determining
of that was entrusted to the presiding
officer in almost all instances. So that
when the question was raised whether
there was quorum Or not, without a
special arrangement for determining
it, it would be determined by count by
the presiding officer. Again, there was
provision in the constitution which
declared that the house might establish
rules for compelling the attendance of
members. If members could be present
and refused to exercise their functions,
and yet not be counted as a quorum,
that provision would seem to be entirely
nugatory. The speaker then read
at length Gov. Hill's decision
when presiding officer of the
New York senate, and laughter
and applause by the Republicans
greeted the reading of sentences where
the action of the minority was de-
nounced as rebellious and revolution
ary. The speaker ignored Mr.. Flow
er's request to have the Republican pro-
test against that decision also read. The
reading having been completed, the
rules that there is a quorum present
within the meaning of the constitution"
Mr.. Crisp, of Georgia. appealed from
the decision and demanded recognition,
out the speaker recognized Mr.. Payson,
of Illinois, for motion to lay the ap-
peal upou the table. This motion is
not open to discussion, and Mr.. Crisp
protested against Mr.. Payson's recogni-
ton, saying that it was unfair and un-
manly to prevent him from pleading his
case TO his fellow members. He ap-
pealed to the chair on
HIS FAIRNESS AS NAN
and speaker to give the Democrats an
opportunity to reply to the argument
which the speaker had seen proper to
make. Mr.. Butterworth. of Ohio, said:
81 hope the gentleman from Illinois
will withdraw his motion to Law
on the table. This is an important
question, and gentlemen on the
other side have right to be heard.
Loud applause on the Democratic side.1
Mr.. Payson thereupon withdrew his
motion. Mr.. Crisp said that the decis-
ion of the speaker was overturning an
uninterrupted practice of 100 years, and
was going directly in the face of argu-
ments of distinguished Republicans who
had considered this very question. This
was the first time in the history of the
government that the speaker had de-
cided that he could go behind the roll
call provided for by the constitution.
This was more than mere question of
rules. 1t was constitutional right
the right to have the yeas and nays en-
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