Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-02-13
SPEAKER CARLISLE.
His Address to the Country Explain
lag the Situation in Washing gton.

| Thomas Is. Reed, OF Maine, has as
sumed control Of the popular branch oi
Congress, and, aided by the other Re.
/ publican Congressman, has commenced
p, to unseat Democratic Congressman In
an unconstitutional way. Congress has
been in an uproar since Reed has as
sumed the powers Of q king, and the
end is not yet.
The following address to the country
was prepared by ex-Speaker Carlisle,
and has been signed by all the Demo
cratic Congressman. IL Is fair and
unimpassioned account Of Reeds
tyranical course.
SPEAKER CARLIsLE,s ADDRESS.
To the People Of the United States:
The present situation in the House OF
Representatives is so anomalous and
the unprecedented decisions of the
Speaker are SO full of danger to the in
tegrity of future legislation that we
consider it our duty to submit brief
statement of the facts In order that the
propriety of the course we have taken
may be fairly determined.
The House met on the I'd day of De-
cember, 1889, and Immediately organ
lied by the election of Speaker and
other officers. On the same day, by a
resolution of the House, the Speaker
was authorized to appoint committee
on rules and the rules of the last pre-
ceding House were referred to that
committee. That committee, consist
ing of the Speaker himselfand four 9TH
er members, was appointed on the 5th
day of December and on the 9th it made
a report authorizing the Speaker to ap-
point committe and defining their
Jurisdiction. The committee on elec-
tions, to which were referred all cases
Involving the rights of members to their
seats, was appointed on the 9th day of
December. Although nearly twomonths
have elasped since the committee
on rules was appointed, it has made no
report upon the matters referred to It.
except the partial one made on the 9th
of December, and consequently the
House has been compelled to conduct
its business without any rule or system
except the general parliamentary law
as construed by the Speaker. There
has been no calender, no order of busi-
ness, no fixed time to receive reports
from committees or for the considera-
| ton of bills or resolutions, and, In fact,
no, regular methods whatever in the
proceeding of the House. The Ameri-
can House of Representatives has been
during all this time, and still is, so far
as rules for its government are con-
cerned, in precisely the same con-
dition as popular meeting or politi-
cal convention, in which the chairman
and his partisans absolutely control all
the proceedings. No measure can get
through the House for consideration
unless the Speaker chooses to allow it
to be presented, and members have DO
means of knowing in advance when
they are to be called upon to discuss or
decide. This is the first time in our
history that a Legislative Assembly, or
even public meeting, has attempted
to transact for any considerable period
without a regular code of rules pre-
scribing the order ofits proceedings, and
the inconvenience and injustice result
ing from such an attempt have been
forcibly illustrated in the. present in
stance. ..5-s s.-.r E...
The Speaker has repeatedly during
these extraordinary proceedings refused
to entertain parliamentary motions
| that have been recognized as legitimate
ever since the government was estab-
lished, and when attempts have been
made to appeal from his decisions he
has refused to submit the question to
the House. By his arbitrary rulings,
sustained in some instances by less than
quorum, he has subverted nearly
every principle of the constitutional
parliamentary law heretofore recog-
nized in the House. This personal and
partisan domination of the House was
submitted to, though not without re-
peated protests, until we became con-
vinced that it was the deliberate pur-
pose of the Speaker and his supporters
to proceed without rules to GUST the
Democratic members whose seats are
contested and admit their Republican
opponents whether elected or not.
On "Wednesday, Jan. 20, the COM
mittee on elections called up contest
ed case, and the Democratic members
determined that in tue absence of rules
| 1t should not be considered If they
could prevent it by any proper parlia-
mentary proceedings. Accordingly
they raised the question of copsidera-
ton, demanded the yeas and nays, and
on the call of the roll RETAINED. from
voting. The result was that less than
a constitutional quorum voted, but
the Speaker, in violation of the uniform
practice of the House for more than q
century, proceeded to count members
who were present but not voting and
declared that the house had decided to
take the case up. From this decision
an appeal was taken and on a motion
to lay this appeal on the table the yeas
and nays were taken and less than q
quorum voted, but the Speaker again
counted members not voting and de.
cided the motion was agreed to and his
ruling thereby sustained. @
The constitution of the United States
provides that majority Of each House
''shall constitute q quorum to do busi
ness, but a smaller number my adjourn
from day to day and may be authorized
to compel the attendance of absent
members in such manner and under
such penalties as each House may pro
vide" Another clause of the consti
tiOn requires each House to keep 9
Journal of its proceedings. and pro
vides that when one-fifth of the mem
bers present dessre it the yeas and nays
shall be taken on any question and
entered on the Journal. Since the be
ginning of the government under the
constitution, more than 100 years ago
the House of Representatives and the
Senate have uniformly construed the
first clause of the constitution quotes
above to mean that a majority of al
the memhers-electmu be present anC
Il e. A.. 4. nka