The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-05

fair count" The House of Representatives. true
to its duty, has passed a bill which, when Il be-
comes law, viii give to the people OF the
United states tue SURFACES OF millions IL WIZ
enable votes TO be cast and counted as cast.
TIE HUBBUB OVER TIE BILL
What an enormous hub-bub has been raised
about that simple bill There has been nothing
Ike II since Walter Scott discovered the uprfs-
ing Of the virtuous people Of Alsatia on the APP
proach Of the sheriff What is this bill on which
so many Interesting epithets have been rainedl
IL Is a simple proposition to have United
States supervisors 20 see that United States
elections OF United States officers shall be hon
estly conducted; that all honest votes shall be
cast and hone silly counted as cast III there be any
man in this country who opposes this bill. there
viii not be many years before ne VIII look ike
those who proclaim the divine origin OF slavery.
DESuECIATIoN EXPECTED.
That the democrats now denounce with NO
lent epithets the republican measure, Is no new
fact in their history. so prosecuted they the
saints When Abraham Lincoln proclaimed
that this land should not be permanently half
free and half slave, the democracy OF my
younger days all declared that he said so because
he wanted his sister TO marry negro. So
when the republicans Of our day proclaim that
IN the republic 100000 OF voters can never be
permanently DISTINGUISHED, the democrat of
our day shouts Negro dominationp' and
'Bayonets!"
Speaker Reed then proceeded with his
enumeration of the Oklahoma bill and the
bills for the admission of new states, the
Conger lard bill, the meat inspection bill.
the Bankruptcy bill, the original package
soribed the obstacles under which all this
work was done, and the waste of time
caused by facttous opposition.
TIME SPENT ON CONTESTS.
In this connection he said:
We were forced to spend more time on con-
tested elections than any democratic congress,
because fraudulent certificates came from
southern states and we were Obliged to cou-
sumo the time of the House in giving those
members seats who would have had the certih-
Gates in beginning had they been fairly
treated So justly we're the democrats treated
by the returning officers that
not single republican seat has been contested
Our loss OF time from contested elections will
NOS be less than twenty days.
TIME WASTED ON EULoGIEs.
One other cause of loss of time will be a sur
prise perhaps to the community at large.
NO man would regret more than to be
thought wanting In all proper respect for the
dead, and all proper reverence for departed
comrades and for the feelings of surviving
friends, yet the method by which the House
shows Its respect and pays its reverence is very
costly to the nation. Since the election of the
present House ten members have died and one
senator m0st ,. Among them have been p the
William d. Kelley, the great champion of pro-
lection; Samuel ]. Randall, with heart of oak
and will of iron, the strongest force in half a
century, anu samuel sullivan COX, at once Drill
liant and laborious. When we have paid due
reverence and spoken proper eulogy over these
and their companions, not less than twenty-one
working days will have to be counted. This
means almost a month of time. When John
| Bright died the English House thought it could
| best honor his memory by going on with the
business OF the country.
COULDN'T BE HELPED.
These losses which have enumerated could
not perhaps be helped without greater reforms
hOnAd
| what is about to be described could be avoided
| by either the commonest patriotism or healthy
| public sentiment in the House. II ought &c
| be known all over the United States that
| with $50 member 1t takes Is minutes to
make roll call. Our ancestors when they es
| tablished in the constitution the provision fol
| the ayes and nays, did not know how fearfully
| they were wasting the time of unborn genera
| lions. Now the session of the House two
| years ago lasted one month and q half longer
| than the present session thus far.
HOW THE TIME WAS WASTED.
During that session of two years ago there
| were 226 roll calls, of which eighty six were
| recorded during the long filibuster against the
| direct tax bill leaving but 40 which were seem
ingly legitimate. say these 14O were seem
| ingly legitimate, for have no doubt that 10
would have fully complied with the demands o.
| the constitution. One hundred roll calls woulC
have been more than ample for all prope
pst ba Sne baS Three Sunrsd
these have been utterly useless, were wantol
waste The legislative day, exclusive of tn,
| reading of the journal, is a scant five hours
| Three hundred roll calls; they mean twenty-five
| legislative days. Think of twenty-five legis
| lative days wasted in mere useless calling owe
| of names and all done to waste time, with pub
| lie business unfinished.
| VALUE OF THE EXAMPLE.
1 But in closing what have had to say, 4
| would not be jest to rest the claims of th,
| House upon even the catalogue of its grea
deeds. What the House has shown thu
| country that any House can do is worth
| princes ransom. Henceforth. promise canno
be excused except by performance. Hence
| forth great measures cannot be lost and no
| body know what has become of them. Party
responsibility has begun, and with it asC
can no longer elect democratic
| House and hope that the minority will neutral
| ize their action In the republican House without
being sure that it will keep its pledges. If We
| have broken the presidents of an hundred
years, we have set precedent for another hun
| dred years nobler than the last, wherein respon
| sibility will wait on power, and wherein the
| people, with full knowledge that their servants
| can act, will choose those who will worthilJ
| carry out their will
THE OFFICERS ELECTED.
The following officers were elected:
Decentralization McMichael of Phila
delphia.
Chairman of the Executive Council
John Jay Knox of New Yorg.
Treasurer-George F. Baller of New
| York.
STANDARDIZATION B. Greene of New
| York