St. Paul daily globe., 1890-01-30

Woo HilCuutu W pOSSeSS.
He then quoted from Speaker Blaine's
ruling Oh the force bill, to the effect
that the speaker had not the power to
count quorum. and declared that the
decision just made by Speaker Reed
would be the foundation of the greatest
legislative frauds ever committed. The
Republican members were now invited
oy the speaker to sustain him in rul-
ing which leading Republicans had
stated would have tendency to bring
SCANDAL UPON THEIR NAMES.
The house was invited here, Mr..
Crisp said, to pursue the course which
Mr.. Blaine had declared to be revolu-
tlonary. The remedy of the majority
here was that which Mr.. Blaine had de-
clared on that occasion to be the rem
edy-that was, that a majority of the
house could legislate. And so, to-day,
the Republicans of the house could
Ieglslate by. simply bringing in their
men and keeping quorum of them in
the mouse. The Democrats stood on their
constitutional right to have the yeas
and nays entered on the journal; and
when that right was exercised there
could be DO appeal from what the jour
nal said as to who were present and vot.
ing by yeas and nays. He quoted Mr..
Garheld as denouncing a similar rule
When 1t was proposed in his time, and
as asking the questions: "Who was to
control the seeing of the speaker?n and
"How do we know but that the speaker
may see forty members for his own
purpose) more than there are in the
house?" Cultivate declared that he
had been counted by the speaker as
present while he had not been on the
floor of the house from the beginning of
the roll-call to the end of it. Great con-
fusion ensued but the speaker soon re-
sotred comparative order. MIR. Crisp
said that Outhwaite'S statement showed
the force and power of Mr.. Garfleld's
argument: and he went on to quote
another remark of Mr.. Garfeld's in the
same, discussion-that the speakers
count of the house under the existing
rules could always be controlled by a
count by tellers. I'VE have lived" said
Mr. Crisp, Through great civil war.
when there was excitement almost un-
paraleled in thehiStory of parliamentary
action; yet, during all those years, no
man on this floor, no party, has ever be-
lore thought it necessary to introduce a
rule which would give the power of de-
claring the presence of members by the
single voice of one person." Applause
on the Democratic slde.l In common
with every member on his side, he de-
manded that there should be
A PUBLIC EXHIBITION
of the question, public record of the
vote, that there should be tellers, if de-
manded; that there should be yeas and
nays, if demanded; and that the yeas
and nays should determine how each
member of the house voted. He quoted
Shakespeare'S line, "a scurvy politician
pretending to see things he does not"
Such politicians, he said, might come
here on either side, and under the force
OF circumstances. and the impetuous
passions of members, declare that they
saw what they saw not, either with or
without glass eyes. [Applause.] Mr..
Crisp quoted from the remarks of Mr..
Reed (the present speaker) in the same
debate, when he used these words:
1.-The constitutional idea of a quorum is
not the physical presence of majority
of the members of the house, but ma
lority of the members present and par
ticipating in the business of the house.
triumphant cheers and clapping of
hands on the Democratic side and in the
galleries. 81 appeal (Mr. Crisp ex-
claimed) from Philip drunk to Philip
SOBER" Another outburst of applause.l
The speaker, in his blandeSt man
ner, and entirely free from every trace
of excitement, said: "Will the house
have the kindness to be in order"
[Laughter.] Order was restored, and
4h4. SitSp hOIb Ou Will HID uulCHG.
He was asked from the Republican siae
what had been the result of the decision
in New York referred to by the speaker.
The question was answered by Mr..
Springer to the effect that the action of
Mr.. Hill on that occasion had been de-
nounced by all the Democrats of the
New York legislature as revolutionary.
Mr.. Crisp was proceeding to read the
press report of the last Republican eau
Gus, but was Immediately called to Or
der by Mr.. Kerr, and the objection was
suggested that Mr.. Crisp had the right
to show that the ruling of the speaker is
A PARTISAN RULING,
got up by Republican caucus. The
speaker decided that Mr.. Bland was not
entitled to the floor, and was out of
order. Mr.. Crisp went on to say: ~
thank you for the attention given my
remarks. l have been in earnest. 1t
occurred to ME that, under stress of
circumstances and considering. your
selves to be in a desperate strait, you
were about to violate the precedents of
hundred years; that you were about
to take from US that which many of your
most distinguished statesmen have said
was high constitutional privilege.
You cannot but feel that there is some
doubt of the constitutional right of the
speaker to pursue the course which he
has marked out for himself. You are
in no way bound to enter on that des-
perate career. And | desire to appeal
to you. as fair-minded men, as men
regardfu full of your obligations to protect
the constitution, as men who really be-
lieve in fair play and justice, to
hesitate long before you indorse this
revolutionary and unconstitutional rul-
ing.p Mr.. Cannon declared that the
presence of the members not voting,
but counted by the chair, constituted
more than a quorum. Gentlemen on
the other side might rise and say that
the action of the chair was revolution
ary, (and with great applause on that
say that it was not revolutionary. As
they disagreed they should consult the
constitution, for, after all, in the consti-
tuition they had the mode of ascertain
ing what quorum was. And if, by the
constitution, there was quorum pres
ent to-day, the country would sustain
the house of representatives in going
on and legislating. Applause ON the
Republican sidel. The constituti tion
provided as follows:
Each house shall be the Judge of the cleo
ton, returns, and qualifications of its own
members, and the majority of each house
shall constitute quorum to do business.
DlQ Ine constitution say JnaC ma
Jority should be required to vote for
measure, a motion, or resolution, in
order to pass it? Not at all. 1t merely
says that a majority of each house shall
constitute quorum to do business. He
had no recollection during his service
in the house, of such question being
raised and decided. and the decision
appealed from, but able Democratic
members--Randolph Tucker, of Vir-
ginia, and others-had taken the posi-
tion in the debate in the Forty-sixth
congress which the speader took to-day.
His colleague (Mr. Springer) had argued
in the same line. Mr.. Cannon laid down
the proposition, in conclusion, that by
general parliamentary law and under
the constitution, when a quorum is
present and when that fact is ascer-
tanned, and when there is majority
voting in favor of measure, that
measure is adopted, whether it