The Portland daily press., 1890-02-12
SOME POINTS TO Be REMEMBERED
When Reading the Debate on the
New Rules In Congress.
How the Republican Code Will Sc
cure Prompt Action.
How the Old Code Made a Crave
yard for Legislation.
Especial to the Press. !

clearly before the man9uvres of the con-
testants can be followed inteligently. The
first relates to the counting of quorum,
whether a member sitting in his seat but not
voting shall be considered as present or alb
sent. With the former precedents, and with
the reform instituted by Speaker Reed, the
country is already thoroughly familiar, Sc
this point Of issue between the parties needs
no further explanation. But there are two
other points of difference, of almost equal
practical Importance, though they have not
been called SO strikingly to public attention.
One of these relates to the size of the quo
rum of the committee of the whole House.
As often as may be necessary, the House, in
order to consider measure more freely than
can be done under the formal regulations OF
the body, resolves itself into committee of
the whole. The Speaker leaves the chair, call.
ing some member to it who becomes the
chairman of the committee. Then measures
are debated freely, but nothing is decided
The committee of the whole can only vote
to recommend that any measure which it
has considered, and amended perhaps, shall
be passed. The recommendation is then IT .
ported to the House, which resumes its sit
ting as soon as the committee rises. The
Committee of the House then is like any
other committee in its relations to the House
with the exception that it is larger and more
important than other committees. In the
past, the quorum of the committee of the
whole has always been regarded as the same
as the quorum of the House; that is, ma
jority of all the members. There has never
been any constitutional or other provision
that this should be so; nor is the usage one
of parliamentary precedent. The English
House of Commons has 670 members, but
the quorum of the committee of the whole
is 40. But in this country, the first prac-
of the committee at one-half of the whole
of the House, and this prece-
dent remained inconspicuous and unassailed
for long years, because no one thought of
the transaction of public busi-
ness by breaking the quorum. But since the
filibuster has stepped upon the scene and ex-
tended his depredations into the
committee of the whole, the plan
Of reducing the quorum of the committee
ten. In the new rules it is carried out for
the first time, but not moment too soon.
For with the present narrow majority of the
Republicans the Democrats could do an i'm
mense amount of obstruction were it possi-
BILE for them to keep enough members out of
the committee to break the quorum. For
the committee of the whole is not the House,
and its chairman has no constitutional au-
thority to compel the attendance of absent
members as does the Speaker 20 compel at
tendance in the House. The Democrats are
of course, opposing this portion of tho new
rules very strenuously. Mr.. Carlisle and
Mr.. Randall give as their reason for opposi-
tion that the change is an innovation, and
rather than have this innovation they would
submit to the downright tyranny of a still
greater innovation upon the ancient prac-
tises of the House, the list of obstructive
schemes which the filibuster has devised
The thild most conspicuous point of differ
ence between the Republicans and Demo-
Gratis relates to the order of business in the
House. To understand this point thorough
ly it is necessary to consider the order OF
business under the old rules and compare
it with the proposed order Excepting GER
tain special days set apart in the month for
special business, the order of procedure in
the House under the old rules was as fol-
lows:
PRAYER by the chaplain.
Reading and approval of the journal.
Disposal of business upon the Speaker s
table, such as executive communications,
etc.
Call of standing and select committees for
reports from them.
each committee in turn had the right to call
up for consideration any bill reported by it
on preceding day, and have that bill dis
cussed to the end OF the hour if necessary
and during the hour of the next day. But
if not settled then the bill had to go to the
await its turn. Then another committee
would bring up another bill to be put through
the same process. This hour was limited
strictly to sixty minutes.
Unfinished business.
Now between this hour of sixty minute:
and the calendar for unfinished business wa:
the slaughter house of legislation. If mat
tel was not settled in the two morning hour,
allowed to its committee it went to ''unfn
ished business" to be taken up in turn. This
business" was really tomb. For Sc
many things went 10 it, and tn,
time for its consideration was SO shor
after the other items of the programme had
been attended to, that bill in unfinished
business" had about as good chance fo
getting turn as a man has of getting fort
une out of lottery. Only by suspendinl
ba ru1ac xuhioh ranuira6 q fupo thirde xroto
could bill on the unfinished business
list be given a chance out of its turn. So il
order to defeat bill the filibuster used tC
scheme to get it into the 'un6 1ished bust.
ness" list, where he could leave 1t with thu
comfortable assurance that it would die
without further trouble and without the
people finding out satisfactorily how, or BY
whom, it had been murdered. And it wa
very easy for the ilibuster to get bill into
this cemetery. If during the morning houl
of GO minutes he could prevent action on thu
bill two consecutive days, or 100 minutes ir
all, the thing was done. And he was slow
flibuster who could not get away with 12t
minutes when Mr.. Carlisle was in the chair
This curious trap for catching and destroy.
ing legislation was worked to the utmost
limit in the last Congress, which accounts
for the do-nothing reputation of that body.
The new rules make radical change Tn,
order of business is this; ~
Prayer by the chaplain.
Reading and approval of the journal.
Correction and reference of public bills.
Disposal of business upon the Speaker
table.
Unfinished business.
The morning hour for the consideration .
bills called up by committees.
Motion to go into the committee OF tn
whole House on the state of the Union t
consider bills designated.
Orders of the day.
1t will be observed that unfinished busi
ness" is taken from the end of the list ant
given a position Of precedence This is ac
cording to the old usages of the House be
fore the filibuster ad begun to fix things Il
suit himself. 1t gives the majority the tim
to finish considering measure without tn
modification of finding itself held off by in
terveniDg business which can be set asid
only by suspension Of the rules not to b.
obtained against the wishes of a minority o
one-third. Next the rules are so drawn tina
the morning hour for the consideration O
bills called up by committees is not limite,
to sixty minutes. After the bills in orde
during this hour, (they are limited to publi
bills not appropriating money! have beel
considered an hour, it shall be in order +
proceed to the next item in the order of bust
ne s. But If such motion is negative tn