Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-02-08
JusTIElEp Ills COURSE.
speaker Reed Makes Statement Ex-
plnnatory of Ills Position-Su uturdny's
Session of the House.

"
plnnatory of Ills Position-suturdny
| Session of the House.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3-Spealker Reed
has issued the following concerning the
Republican position in the controversy
in tho House:
MI. Carlisle was entirely right whom he said
IN substance that tho decision OF the House
that u quorum was constituted to do bust.
| ness when majority of the House was pres.
ent would change from the foundation
the method of doing business 1t certainly will
do so for 1t will enable the majority elected by
the people to rule by their own votes aud not
by the suiferance of the minority. The rule of
the majority is Mt the very base of our Govern.
ment If It be not the 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 u majority of
seven, but they have only three over quorum
One hundred and sixty eight il our number;
165 is Quorum. If we are to furnish quorum
the whole Democratic party, sitting idly by
in their seats but not present. dumb and
silent when business is TO be transacted
but vocal when IL is to be obstructcd
then there can be but three Republic.
ans absent on penalty of stoppage
OF the public business Now let us see how
that works. We are allowed but three absen.
tees. Mr., Rockwell is sick. 1t would endanger
his life to come. Mr.. WILDER is in the same case
Mr.. T. Nj. Browne is too sick to be able to be
there all the time. Mr. Caswell's wife was DIV.
ing, ana common decency required his presence
by her bedside Another member must be with
his wife for reasons somewhat similar.
Just about this number of members will ut
oil times be sick or incapacitated These may
get well, but others fail sick in their turn
There Is then one quorum according to Mr.
Carlisle's idea entirely gone to pieces, though,
even after all fraud be deducted the people had
found for tho RppublipnOS l,yc
All this time while we are keeping in the
House other men hardly less sick l40 lusty
Democrats sit silent in their seats, doing no
public duty except to draw their pay
us 1t possible that the United States is pay
ing these gentlemen Si3 day without even the
poor privilege of counting their silent formsS
Mr. Carlisle says there is no precedent for the
decision OF the House. have personally seen
and heard him furnish n hundred. A hundred
times have heard him declare that the mum.
Der for and against such bill was, say 50 for
and 20 against, mathematically less than
quorum, ana yet declare that
bill passed and then sign that
bill, thereby certifying under the
most solemn sanction of his oath OF office that
the bill had properly and dconstitutionally passed
the House. How could he have done this il his
doctrine be true that u quorum must vote?
Understand me, day after day Mr.. Carlisle
In my presence has declared that such q bill
had votes for and against, by his own count as
Speaker, less than Il quorum, and has yet i'm.
mediately declared it passed. and has signed It.
thus furnishing the only proof the President
could have that 1t was passed. How could this
be except on the plain ground that IL quorum
did not vote the presence of quorum was
enough?
But this matter does not need argument.
In Mr.. Carlisle's own State, in Democratic
Tennessee, in Democratic New York in Dem.
ocratic Ohio, in Massachusetts and in the
courts everywhere as you may see by Mr..
Butterworth's speech, the doctrine Just upheld
by the House is the law of the land
and it ought to be II good government is not to
perish from the face of the earth. Not y ruling
has been made in the House to suppress fill.
clustering which has not the full sanction OF
parliamentary law. That men should resist
only shows how ingrained the wrong course has
become and how necessary the remedy.
What Is the House trying to- do; Why, to
perform its highest function, that of deciding
the right OF Il member to his seat. Until 1852
no man ever dared to flibuster against such
case. No man ought to be allowed to 10 it
to-day. Yet every day three hours are
wasted in approving the journal when
five minutes would be ample These
three hours belong to the public business. The
people do not understand that every wanton
roll-cau consumes threeQuarters OF an hour
Some of these men are talking about rules
They are now acting under body of rules
assemblies Il body of rules known and
understood by all those who are
not willfully ignorant. When we first came
here the obstructionists declared that they
would fight to the last ditch against any rules
they did not approve OF, and now they are want.
ing to die ut Thermopylgs in defense Of the
liberties of their country because we don't
force rules upon them. II there could
by fewer deaths ut Thermopylm and more bus-
ness in the House the country would be better
on. 1t is true that the Democratic leaders like
Mr.. Carlisle have long since ceased to partic.
pate in the defiance of good government, but
they should now make themselves heard affirm
atively on the side OF order"
The time of the House on Saturday
was mostly occupied in reading the
journal and in the introduction by Dem
ocratic members of dilatory motions,
which Speaker Reed declined to enter
tain. Finally the contested election
case was taken up, and Mr.. Crisp (Ga.)
presented the minority report of the
committee, which provides for the seat
ing of jackson instead of Smith, stating
that he did so under protest against the
rulings of the Speaker for the past few