Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1890-02-13
Speaker Read Makes a Statement.

Speaker Read last week made to
representative of the Associat eel
Press the following statement concern
ing the republican position in the pres,
ent great controversy: "Mr Carlisle
was entirely right when he said, in
sub>ta tance. that the decision OF the
house that II quorum was constituted
to do the business when majority OF
the house was present, would change
from the foundation the met hod OF
doing business. 1t certainly will do so.
for IT will enable a majority elected by
the people to rule by their own votes
and not 10y the sullerance OF he mi
nority. The rule OF the majority is at
the very base of our government. Ii
it he not the true rule. our faith is
vain and we are yet in our sins. Look
ut the practical working OF the other
doctrine. Republicans have ma
iority OF seven, but they have only
three over a quorum. One hundred
and sixty-eight is our number, but 1875
is "a quorum. Ii we are to furnish n
quorum. the whole democratic party
is silent when business i- to he trans
acted, but vocal when it is obstructed
Then there can be but four republi-
cans absent ON he penalty of Il stop
page of public business. Now let Us
Sc. how that works: We are allowed
but three absent ees: Rock well l. sick
and it would endanger his life to come:
Wilbur is in the same ease; Y. W.
Browne is too sick to be able To he
here all the time; Caswelfs wife was
dying: another member must be with
his wife for reasons somewhat similar
just about this number of members
will be at all times sick or incapaci-
tated. These may get well but Others
will fall sick in their turn. There H.
then one quorum, according to Car
lisle'si idea. gone entirely, gone to pieces
though even after all fraud he deducted.
The people had found for the republi-
cans 10y seven majority. L. il possible
the United States - paying these gen
tlemen thirteen dollars day without
even the poor privilege OF count ing
their silent forms. Mr. Carlisle says
there is no precedent for the decision
OF the house. have personally seen
and heard him furnish hundred 4
hundred times have heard him declare
that the number for and against such
hill was, say 80 for and 20 against
mathematically less than u quorum.
and yet declare tine bill passed, and
then sign the bill. How could he have
done this if his doctrine be true that
n quorum must vote. Understand me,
day after day Carlisle, in my presence.
has declared such bill had votes
for and against by his own count a.
speaker, less than IA quorum and yet
he Immediately declared il passed and
has signed it, thus furnishing the only
proof the president could have that il
passed. How could this he. except on
the plain ground, ii a quorum did not
vote, the presence OF IA quorum was
enough? But this matter does not
need argument. lnCarlisle' own st ate,
in democratic Tennessee, in democratic
New York, in democratic Ohio. in
Massachusetts and in courts every
where, as you may see by Butter
worth's speech, the doctrine Just up
held by the house is the law of the
land, and it ought to he if good gov
ernment is not to perish from the face
of the earth. Not ruling has been
made in the house to suppress tilibus-
tering which has not the full sanct ion
OF parliamentary law. That men
should resist only shows how ingrained
the wrong course has become and how
necessary the remedy. What is the
house trying to do! Why, to perform
Its highest functions, that OF deciding
the right of "a member to his seat
Until 1852 no man ever dared to fill
buster against such cases. No man
ought to he allowed to do it to-day.
Yet every day three hours are wasted
IN approving the journal, when five
minutes would he ample time. These
three hours belong to public business
People do not understand that every
roll call consumes three quarters of an
hour. When we first came here the
declared they would
die in the last ditch against nay rules.
which they did not approve of, and
now they are wanting To die at 1'her-
in defense OF the liberties OF
their country because we don't force
the rules on them. Ii there could be
fewer deaths at Thermopyl;r and more
business in the house the country
would he bet ter of. 1t is true demo
cratic leaders like Mr.. Carlisle have
long since ceased to participate in
asiiance oi good government, but they
should now make themselves heard
:, ,tiirmatiyely ON TIN. side OF order.