Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1890-02-08
THE REPUBLICAN POSITION.
Speaker Reed Explains the Party
Positions IN the House COntrOver-
sew.

FOs1tIOnS IN the House COntrOVef-
sey.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.-Speaker Reed has
made the following statement concerning
the Republican position in the present great
controversy:
"Mr. Carlisle was entirely right when he
said, in substance, that the decision of the
House that quorum was constituted TO do
business when majority Of the House was
present would change from the foundation
the method Of doing business. 1t certainly
will do SO, for it will enable the majority
elected by the people to rule by their own
votes, and not by the suherance of the mi
nority. The rule of the majority is at the
very base of our Cove rnment.
'If it be not true rule, our faith is vain
and we are yet in our sins. Look at the
practical working of the other doctrine.
The Republicans have majority OF seven,
but they have only three over quorum.
One hundred and eighty eight is our num-
Der, and IS5 is quorum. If we are to fur
nish quorum the whole Democratic party
is silent when business is being transacted,
but vocal when it is to be DISTRACTED. Then
there can be but three Republicans absent
on penalty Of the sloppage of public bust
ness.
SHOW let us see how that works. We
are allowed but three absentees. Rockwell
is sick, and it would endanger his life to
come. WILDER is in the same case. T. w.
present all the time. Caswell's wife was
dying. Another member must be with his
wife for reasons somewhat similar. Just
about this number of members will at all
times be sick or incapacitated. These may
get well, but others will fall sick in their
turn. There is then our quorum, according
to Carlisle's idea. gone entirely, gone to
pieces, though, even after all fraud be de-
Quoted the people had found for the Repub-
licans by majority. All this time, while
we keeping in the House other men hard
ly less sick, I4o Democrats refuse TO vote.
Is it possible that the United States is pay
ing these gentlemen SI3 day without even
the poor privilege of counting their silent
forms?
"Mr. Carlisle says there is no precedent
for the decision of the House. l have per-
sonally seen and heard him furnish hun.
dred. A hundred times have l heard him
declare that the number for and against such
a bill was. say, eighty for and twenty against,
automatically less than quorum, and yet
declare the bill passed and sign the bill,
thereby certifying under the most solemn
sanction Of his oath of Office that the bill had
properly and constituiionally passed the
House. How could he do this if his doc
trine be true that quorum must vote? Un-
derstand me, day after day Carlisle, in my
presence, has declared the member of full
votes for and against bill by his own count
as Speaker less than quorum, and yet I'M
mediately declared it passed and signed it,
thus furnishing the only proof the President
this be except on the plain ground that if
quorum did not vote the presence of quo.
urn was enough.
"But this matter does not need argument.
In Carlisle's own State, Democratic Ten
nessee, in Democratic New York, in Demo-
cratic Ohio, in Massachusetts and in the
courts eve rywhere, as you may see by But
terworth's speech, the doctrine just upheld
by the House is the law of the land, and it
ought to be, if good government is not to
perish from the face Of the earth.
"Not ruling has been made in the House
to suppress flibustering which has not the
full sanction of parliamentary law. That
men should resist only shows how ingrainei
the wrong course has become and how nee
essary the remedy.
"What is the House trying to do3 Why,
to perform its highest function, that of de-
Until 1882 no man ever dared to fihbuster
against such case. No man ought to be
allowed to do it to-day. Yet every day
three hours are wasted in approving the
journal, when hVe minutes would be ample.
These three hours belong TO public business.
The people do not understand that every
wanton roll-call consumes three-quarters OF
an hour.
"When we first came here The Obstruc-
tionists declared that they would die in the
last ditch against any rules they did not ap-
prove of, and now they are wanting to die at
Ihermoplya in defense of the liberties #
their country, because we don't force rules
on them. II there could be fewer deaths at
Thermoply@ and more business in the
House the country would be better off. II
is true that Democratic leaders, like Mr.
Carlisle, have long since ceased to partc-
pate in this defiance of good government.
but they should now make themselves heard
afhrmatively on the side Of order."