Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1890-02-08

MinOr1ty-A Il ull ana Nleaf SlHtehlenb
of the Case as 1t Is-The Chairman and
Ills Partisans Absolutely Control the
Proceedings.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-An address to
the country, explaining the position of
the Democratic members of the house,
has been prepared by ex-Speaker Car
Isle, and signed by all of the minority
members. The address, in its full text,
is as follows;
The Address.
The present situation in the house of
representatives is so anomalous, and the un
precad9nted decisions of the speaker are SO
full of danger to the integrity of future leg
islation, that we consider it our duty to sub
init brief statement of the facts, in order
that the propriety of the course we have
taken may be fairly determined
The house met on the 21 day Of De
cember, 1899, and Immediately organized by
the election Of a speaker and other officers.
On the same day, by resolution Of the
house, the speaker was authorized to ap-
point a committee on rules, and the rules Of
the last preceding house were referred to
of the speaker himself and four other mem.
bers, was appointed on the 5th day Of De
cember, and on the 9th it made a report
authorizing the speaker to appoint all the
other committees and defining their juris-
diction. The committee on elections, to
which was referred all cases involving the
rights of members to their seats, was ap
pointed 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 re-
ferred to it, except the partial one made on
the 9th of December, and consequently the
house has been compelled to conduct its bus
iness 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 consider
alton cf bills or resolutions, and, in. fact, no
regular methods whatever in the proceed.
ings of the house.
Same as a Political Convention.
The American house of representatives has
been during all this time, and still is SO far
as rules for its government are concerned, In
precisely the same condition as popular
meeting or political convention in which
the chairman and his partisans absolutely
codtrol all the proceedings No measure
can get before the house for consideration
unioss tho speaker chooses to allow it to bl
presented, and members have no means Of
/ knowing in advance what they are to bt
called upon to discuss or decide This is the
first time in our history that a legislative as
sembly, or even public meeting, has at
tempted to transact business for any consd
erable period without a regular code of rules
prescribing the order of its proceedings, anc
tha ;nennve,iencas> anu rv'strT ing
fTGi:l. s65n an attempt have been forcibly il
lustrated in the present instance.
The speaker has repeatedly, during these
extraordinary proceedings, refused to enter
tain parliamentary motions that have beel
recognized as legitimate ever since the gov
ernment was established and when attempts
have been made to appeal from his decisions
he haSrefuso ID to submit the question to tn,
house By his arbitrary rulings, sustained
in some instances by less than a quorum, III
has subverted ne1ry every principle of con
stitutional and parliamentary law hereto
fore recognized in the house.
This personal an partisan domination o.
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 GUST the Democratic mem
bers whose srats are contested, and admit
their Republican opponents, whetAer electe,
or not
On Wednesday, Jan. %, the committee OF
elecyon called up contested election case
| IL bo Il az
that in the absence of rules it should not b.
considered if they could prevent it by any
proper parliamentary proceedings. Accord
ingly, they raisel the question of consd3
tion demanded the yeas and nays, and on tn
call of the roll refrailel from voting. Ia,
result was that less than a constitutions
quorum voted, but the speaker, il violation
of the unifor practice of the house for NOR,
than a century, proceeded to count member
who were present, but not voting, and de
clared that the house had decided to tax
the case up. From this decision an appea
was taken, and on motion to lay this appea
on the table the yeas and nays wer
taken, and less than a quorum voted, bu
the speaker again counted members moi
voting and decided that the motion wa
agreed to, and his ruling thereby sustained
Constitutional Provision.
The constitution of the United States pre-
vides that majority of each house "shal
constitute a quoEum' to do business, but
smaller number may adjourn from day t.
day, and may be authorized to compel tn
attendance of absent members in such man
ner and under such penalties as each house
may provide" Another clause of the con
stitution requires each house to keep
journal of its proceedings, and provides tina
when one-fifth of the members present de
sire it, the yeas and nays shall be taken o.
any question and entered on the journal.
Since the beginning of the government
: under the constitution, more thar 100 year
ago, the house of representatives and tn
senate have uniformly construed the frs
clause of the constitution quoted above t.
mean that a majority of all the members
elect must be present and actually partic
pate in the transaction of business, and tina
whenever, upon a call of the yeas and nays
it appeared from the journal, which is tn
only official record, that less than the constI
tutional quorum has voted on any PROPOSE
ton, the vote was nullity, and no furthe
business could be done until the requisit
number appeared and voted. Every presid
ing officer in the senate and every speaker o
the house, except the present one, has he'll
that when less than quorum voted on tn