The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-07-14

A few days ago the Argus published des-
patch from Washington which appe AIRED
originally in the New York Sun in which it
was strongly intlmated that the author of
article In the last North American Review,
entitled Speaker Reeds Error" and signed
"X.MC." was written by the Hon. James
q. Blaine. The article in question was a crit
clsm Of Speaker Reeds quorum ruling. Sim
liar intimations have been thrown out else
where. There is, however, nothing but |
guess work TO base these intimations Oh.
Not one Of the numerous persons aud pa
pers which have attributed this article to-
Mr. Blaine pretends to have any asot,rite
knowledge on the subject y AZ onassss
are based upon anyth' 'no
on tha intarnal ing at all 1t must Dc
affords. Tn ev dence which the article
.hing-ir 4. II is to say, there mpst pIoina
The ideas there expressed must be known to
coincida with the ideas held On the subject
by Mr. Bl&ine in the past, or the style must
resemble Mr.. Blaine's. As regards evidence
of resemblance in style it may be said truth
fully that no kind of evidence is more mis-
leading than that. Bow often it has been
the case that articles published
anonymously in books and newspapers
have been attributed to we'll known writers
on the strength Of apparent resemblances in
style and then it has been cOnclusively PROV
en- that the writers to whom they were cred
tied had nothing to do with them whatever.
So even IL a resemblance could be de-
tected between the style of the North Amer
lean article and articles knewn to have
been written by Mr.. Blaine, it would fur.
nish an altogether insufficient basis for at
trlbuting the article to him, even If there
were no evidence pointing the other way.
But in this case there is evidence-very
strong evidence-that he did not write. nay.
could not have written it-because the most
prominent position taken in it is diametri-
cally opposed to his position on the same
subject when Speaker of the House of Rep
resentatives
The final and most impressive point which
TX. NJ c." makes in the arraignment of the
ruling upon the quorum question is that it
was not necessary for Mr.. Reed to count
quorum when the Democrats sat in their
seats and refused to answer to their names,
since he could have forced them to vote by
levying upon them penalties, as is provided
for In the following section of the Constitu-
ton:
Article !, section g. clause 2, Each house NAV
determine the rules Of its proceedings, punish Us
concurrence OF two-thrds, expel member"
X. M. c." argues with great gusto that
'disorderly behavior" would of course IT,
clude such an act as remaining silent when
ones name is called, and hence that the
majority of the House might have brought
the recalcitrant Democrats to terms without
invoking the new rule, of which Mr.. Reed
has been the author. tit be conceivable
that apublic man so well informed as Mr..
Blaine should be ignorant of the fact that
many able and adroit speakers have never
considered such plan practicable, it is not
fer moment conceivable that Mr.. Blaine
should have forgotten that he, himself, when
speaker OF the House, did not, in a crisis
Similar to that which Mr.. Reed has faced so
successfully, try or even suggest the remedy |
which tx. M. c." sets forth with So much |
confidence. Nay, more, he practically de- |
clared that there was no remedy.
In 1876, when the civil rights bilp'
as it was called, was before the House.
the Democratic minority under the lead of
Mr.. Randall RETAINED from voting as a
means of killing that bill. Mr.. Blaine was
speaker and he had read to the House the
following rule:
Every member who shall be in the House when
the question is put shall give his vote unless the
House excuse him. All motions TO excuse
member from voting shall be made before the
House divides, or before the call Of the yeas and
NAYS is commenced; and the question shall then
be taken without debate:
After this rule bad been read this dialogue
occurred:
Mr.. Cox-How can you compel members to
vote?
The speaker-It is not for the Chair to say.
Mr.. Randall-What pTacticel plan does the
Cnallr propose to enforce that rule2
Inc bpeaker-None whatever. The chair only
proposes that 1t shall be made manifest what the
aros u Inc House do require, and tlat members
nov ddied to vote, which some OF them are not
those who do not vote ~ 'sP 0A-''"i-''
rua ees9 responsibility of having the
iuo ie@u los1S WIN the chair.
At another point in the debate Mr.. Blaine
was calieu upon 70 give his opinion directly
Oh the power OF the rules to compel men to
Vo1e' motion was made to lay on the table
motion TO reconsider and no quorum voted
MI Y Drien then moved call Of the House
when the following dialogue took Mace.
question s ~ ord that motion is put raise
Y Sna INIT oBrien) was in his seat ard did nS5t
Mr.. oBEien-I did vote and NV no,,o
corded. u my name is re-
The question was put on motion of NJ
OBrien that there be call of the Fonsa.
and on a division there were-ayes 100
nays, IL. 80 the motion was agreed to.
Mr.. Butler of Massachusetts, rise 10 a nariia
mentary inquiry There is evidently quorum in
Mr. Randall-Well, the call Of the House will
diFulge that fact, If there be one here.