The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-02-12
CARLIsLE's ADDREssl
To the Country at Large. Explaining
the Position of the Democrats Of
the House on the Controversy
Preeipitated by Reeds Despotism-
Full, Fair and Clear Statement Of
the Case as 1t Is.

WASHINGTON, ID. T., February 3.
An address to the country, ex-
planning the position of the Demo
cratic members of the House, has
been prepared by Ex-Speaker Car
isle, and will be signed by all OF the
minority members tomorrow. The
address, in its full text, is as follows:
"The present situation in the
House of Representatives is so ana
malous, and the unprecedented de-
cisions of the Speaker are SO full of
danger TO the integrity of future
legislation, that we consider it our
duty to submit u brief statement of
the facts, in order that the propricty
of
THE COURSE
We have taken may be fairly deter
mined.
The House met on the second day
of December, 1889, and Immediately
organized by the election of Speak
er and other officers. On the same
day, by resolution of the House,
the Speaker was authorized to ap-
point Committee on Rules, and the
rules of the last preceding House
were referred to that Committee.
The committee, consisting of the
Speaker himself and four other
members, was appointed on the 9Th
day of December, and on the ninth
it made report authorizing the
Speaker to appoint all the other
committees and defining their juris-
diction. The Committee on Elec-
tions, TO which was referred all cases
involving the rights of members to
their seats, was appointed on the 9th
day of December.
Although nearly two months have
elapsed since the Committee on
Rules was appointed it has made
NO REPORT
Upon the matters referred to it, ex-
cept 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 have been no
calendars, no order of business, no
fixed time to receive reports from
committees or for the consideration
of bills or resolutions, and in fact,
no regular methods whatever in the
proceedings of the House.
The American House of Repre-
sentatives has been during all this
time, and still is, SO far as rules for
its government are concerned, in
precisely the same condition as a
popular meeting or political con-
vention in which the Chairman and
his partisans absolutely control all
the proceedings. No measure can
get before the House for considera-
ton unless the Speaker chooses to
allow it to be presented, and mem
bers have no means of knowing in
advance what they are to be called
upon to discuss or decide. This is
the first time in our history that a
Legislative Assembly, or even a
public meeting, has attempted to
transact business for any considcra-
BILE period without regular code of
rules prescribing the order of its
proceedings, and the
INCONVENIENCE AND INJUSTICE
Resulting from such an attempt
have been forcibly illustrated in the
present instance. The Speaker has
repeatedly, during these extraordi-
nary proceedings, refused to enter
tain parliamentary motions that
have been recognized as legitimate
ever since the Government was es-
tablished, and when attempts have
been made to appeal from his decis-
ions he has refused to submit the
question to the House. By his ar
bitrary rulings, sustained in some
instances by less than a quorum, he
has subverted nearly every principle
of constitutional and parliamentary
law heretofore recognized in the
House.
This personal and partisan domi-
nation of the House was submitted
to. though not without repeated
protests, until we became convinced
that it was the deliberate purpose of
the Speaker and his supporters to
proceed without rules to oust the
Democratic members whose seats
are contested, and admit their Re-
publican opponents, whether elected
or not.
On Wednesday, January 90, the
Committee on Elections called up
contested election case, and the
Democratic members determined