The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-02-13
MAJOR SAVERS
DISCUSSES THE PRESENT ANOMALOUS
CONDITION OF AFFAIRS
IN CONGRESS.
Showing What the Republicans Are
Doing and Intend Doing If
Possible.

|
been received by Col. Jno. w Robertson
and allowed us for publication. 1t is
an excellent discussion of the present
outrageous state of affairs in Washing
ton
In the struggle now going on the
Democrats are a unit with Mr.. Car
Isle as their leader, whose advice is
always adopted and followed.
He and Mr.. Randall are in thorough
accord, and the latter has sent us
word from his sick chamber not only
heartily approving the course which
we have taken, but also earnestly adj
vising us to maintain the fight to
the utmost of our capacity, and to the
very end.
Under the ruling of the present
speaker, and that too without any
authority given him by the house,
but upon his own motion only, it is
not necessary that a quorum of Re-
publicans should be present, or that a
quorum should vote to do business OF
any kind, even when the vote is taken
upon roll call. 1t is only required
that a quorum should be actually
present IN the hall when the vote is
being taken, to be determined by the
speaker upon his own motion, and
upon his exclusive and unquestioned
! count.
From this statement you will
readily comprehend and appreciate
the difficulty and gravity Of the situa-
ton.
That the present unprecedented
condition of the house has been delib-
erately planned and purposely brought
about not only by Mr.. Reed and his
associates in congress but also with
the hearty and active cooperation of
all who may be interested in class leg
lslation and in plundering the treas
'ry, may be readily and fairly inferred
from the failure of the committee on
rules, the majority of whom are Re-
publicans to report to the house a
code OF rules for its government
Again and again have the majority
been called upon to do so, and as often
has the minority been answered with
promises made only to be broken.
Never before in the history o; the
house has it been so long after its or
ganization without rules as now. Our
organization was perfected on Deem
Der , last, and since then we have
been operating under general parlia-
mentary law and usage, and this law
and use is so determined by the speak
er us to suit his purposes and to meet
the exigencies of the situation.
He has exhibited no regard for the
precedents which have been estab-
lished and universally observed for
many years by the house, but to sus-
tain his arbitrary rulings he has in
voked the proceedings of state legisla-
lures when under the control of cor
rupt rings, and of town councils.
How long we will remain in this
chaotic condition no one can
tell. The Democratic and Independ-
ent press of the country is speaking
out most vigorously and forcihly and
public opinion may compel the Re-
publican majority to report the rules.
The ruling of the speaker that it is
only necessary should the roll Call
fail to show a quorum that a majority
of the house should be present in the
hall though not votingis entirely con-
trary to the uniform and unbroken
practice OF the house for one hundred
years.
At all times, and under all circum-
stances, in peace and in war, under
every exigency, however pressing, it
has been held and maintained with
out single instance of hesitation or
deviation that upon the demand of
one-fifth of the members under any
proposition or motion whatever the
roll shall be called and when SO called
shall alone determine the presence or
non presence of quorum, and the
speaker has never been permitted to
announce any result other than that
which has been developed by the roll
call itself.
On last Wednesday, however, this
ancient, uniform and firmly estab-
lished practice was departed from by
Mr. Reed and that, too, upon his own
motion and without any authority
whatever from the house.
The observance of this rule has
proven OF inestimable value in times
past.
In 1878, when the celebrated Force
bill was before the house, Mr.. Speaker
Blaine, though pressed again and
again and in the most strenuous terms
by his political associates upon the |
floor, refused to deviate from the we'll
established rule that the speaker
could not 60 outside of the roll call
in order to ascertain the presence of a
quorum, when the call had been
made, upon the demand of onefifth |
of the members. And he repeatedly |
held, against the urgent appeals of an
arrogant Republican majority, that
the response of members to the roll
call could alone determine the pres
ence OF quorum and that it was not |
within the power of the speaker to
constitute quorum by taking into
account the members who were pres
ent and not voting.
m c-...o,, cd tho i,1,pa rfi lity