The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1890-02-13

I eEfH!9s 9; n %eISn'y that He . . has
rum shall hereafter be AN optical majority
instead of an oral majority; that. if he can
/ see them present in fact. on the flo n and
! within the green baize screen. or, perhaps
outside of that emerald barrier ana in the
cloak rooms they shall he considered to be
present for all legislative purposes, whether
they choose to answer to their names on roll
call or not.
This is a radical thing to do. The Relub-
licans call it courageous and splendid the
Democrats call it insolent and revolutionary.
Nobody calls it commonplace. Everybody
asks what nextg'
.Well. next shall count all members in
sight as present." replies Mr.. Reed.
Does that include the galleries. inquire
the minority.
ave shall see,'' replies the audacious
speaker.
Suppose we stay away interrogate the
Democrats you can not get more than $50
Republicans here another day this session ;
what Will you do then?'
Then" says one of Mr.. Reeds lieuten-
an 81 we will send out the sergeantat-a.
to fetch you in that you can be counted.
The rules provide that all members shall be
present. and that when not present, they
can be hunted up, brought in and fined To
be absent can be punished as contempt, at
the discretion of the House."
asked prominent member about this
and he said, ''There isn't force enough in the
House of Representatives to keep me i'll there
against my will. Under the laws members
can be arrested if they absent themselves,
but there is not power enough to detan them.
1t would require sergeant-at-arms for every
member. As soon as he let go of them they
would dash through the glass windows into
the corridors. Therell be fun when Reed
I4n.I So he =
has been done. and it can not now be me-"
y The preliminary skirmish in the House on
Wednesday and Thu sday may be regarded
as the prelude to the battle-r"yal. The prom
inent and excited part taken by Carlisle, Can
non, Crisp, Breckenridge, Butterworth. and
other leaders made a scene TO be remembered,
and crowded the great galleries for the week.
The Republicans under the lead of the
Speaker, having determined to count to make
quorum all members who are yisibly pres
ent, and, when they are lacking, to send the
sergeant-at-arms after the delinquents, it is
probable that the minority will find it easiest
to yield to the inevitable and go ahead with
the public business under this new ruling.
Some Democrats very indignant and
threaten to make trouble; but the conserva-
tive members, under the lead of the late
Speaker Carlisle, are making strong appeal.
I'VE shall be in a majority next year for GER
tain,' says Mr.. Carlisle, land then we will
feed 10 the Republicans their own medicine.
We can stand it if they canl' 1t begins to
look. at the present moment as if this Fa-
bian spirit might prevail.
What the outcome of this is to be- nobody
knows. 1t looks as if one effect would be the
very opposite of that for which 1t was pre-
cipitated; to delay the passage IF bills If
the minority, baked in the exercise of what
they consider their prescriptive rights shall
become so exasperated as to substitute open
rebellion for filibustering. the result can not
fail to be obsiruc i've and probably destruc-
tive of all general legislation. Mr.. Reed can
lead the obstreperous horse to water, but it
will be very difficult to make it drink.
The gun-factory Established years ago in
D the old buildings of the Navy Yard here
is great success. The twenty men then
employed there have increased TO 1, 200, and
the place resounds with enormous trip-ilam
mers and varied machines. Fifty great guns
are now in progress. Some of these are IS
feet long. bigger than hogshead at the
breech. ca able of sending projectile as big
a member of the fat mems club for IL OF
10 miles, and using half ton of powder at
every discharge.
a.