Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-03
The SPEAKER,S SIDE OF II,


Good demonstration the Watchword.
GFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
WAsHINGToN, February 1.-The noisiest and
most disgracetul scenes ever enacted in
the Congress of the United States have been
witnessed during the last two or three days
| Altogether it was an insane and senseless up
| roar, which would have been creditable to the
| population of Bedlam. 1t was not called into
being by any great question of public policy,
but merely by point of parliamentary tactics.
The whole affair has been very generally mis-
| understood. individuals and journals in SYM
| pathy with the minority have been interested
in proving that the action Of Speaker Reed is
| autocratic and revolutionary, and even many
Republican journals and independent
ones which aim to be right and
not partisan. have appeared to think
that the Speaker was arrogating to himself
absolute power, regardless of any question of
| right or fairness for mere party advantage, and
that the Republicans in supporting him, were
lawless mob, simply bent upon ruling at any
cost. 1t may be we'll, therefore, to go q little
farther into the situation than was appropriate
in the news kilograms describing the scenes of
each day.
1t Is only within few years that filibuster-
| ing has become q constant practice Of the mi
nority of the House, for the prevention of any
act of the majority not acceptable to that
minority. Gradually, in the elaboration OF
general parliamentary law, known as the
"Rules of the House," clauses were in
serted which gave TO one man. or a
few men, absolute power to battle and defeat
the will of the majority, and this, even though
quorum were present; and. furthermore, even
though the party of the majority had quorum
present and voting. Motions for the reading Of
the journal, to adjourn. to take recess, points
of mo quorum" on all of these motions, pos
sibly; demands for reading bills and reports in
their entirety, and other motions designated as
privileged notions" repeated over and over
(as was permitted by the extraordinary rules),
sufticed the flibuster to "block the wheels of
legislation" as the conventional phrase goes.
The power, by means of small vote to COM
pei the calling of the yeas and nays on each Of
these motions, and thus consume the time of
the House, greatly added to the force of the
weapon IN the hands of the minority.
IT often happened, as in the instance of
the contest upon the Direct Tax Bill,
about two years ago, that the question is not q
political one on which the party line is drawn.
That bill was supported by large majority of
both parties, yet for weeks mere handful of
men who wanted to make a record for ''eeon-
omy," defeated every fort of the majority to
pass the bill, and that majority was finally
forced to yield and deliver the control of legis-
lation into the hands of that small and not
particularly saVory minority.
Frequently single member, sincere, but of
bad judgment, or one merely playing
the part of a demagogue, or possibly
one purchased by some influence desiring the
defeat of measure, would prevent absolutely
the consideration of such bill single-handed |
and alone, against all prayers and protests of
every other member. No such condition was |
ever contemplated in the institution of the !
Parliament. The groundwork and super |
structure of democratic government was defied |
and destroyed by it, and in America, the center |
of republican spirit and growth an abuse was |
fostered and established that would not be |
tolerated for moment in the Parliaments of |
any of the older, less free and less progressive |
countries.
In their Parliament a reasonable number of |
dllatory motions are permitted-enough to en- |
phaslze the protests of the minority and call |
the attention of the country to them-but, to |
these Parliaments and peoples, continued and |
successful flibustering by one member, or a |
small minority of members, would be viewed as |
not only revolutionary but an anomaly at once |
criminal, grotesque and ridiculous impossible |
with reasonable and honest beings. From time |
power of the minority, but the most that was |
done at any time was once to agree to a tempo
rary suspension Of dilatory motions. except the
few orderly ones recognized by the most digni-
fed Parliaments.
In conference Speaker Reed and few of the
Republican leaders determined to abolish this
abuse which tended to make legislation to a
great extent farce. to emulate it, to amend it
outof all semblance of common sense, and to
defeat it altogether. 1t was decided to en-
body in the new rules of the House clause
which would be prohibition of filibustering,
except as to the few dilatOry motions which
may be made in apparent good faith, and
which; until they are repeated cannot be recog-
temper of the House by an application of
these rules to the proceedings. They were SIM
ply the rules of common sense. first, that
a minority must not absolutely and finally rule
the majority; and, second, that it is the duty of
a member to be in his seat. and that when there
he might be counted as taking part in the pro-
ceedings, though not voting.
This last feature was the great stumbling
block. One of the chief means of delay in the
the hands of the minority has been to abstain
from voting. and then, if the majority present
failed to number majority of the whole
House, to make the point of mo quo |
rum;" that is too few to legally transact
business. Unless this point be raised any num- |
Der OF members voting may pass bills and
transact all the business delegated to the whole
House. The question of a quorum once
raised, tellers must be appointed ana quorum | ,
Of members file between them and be counted. |
Or the yeas and nays must be called. A quorum |
must be disclosed in some way. If it be -impos-
sibIe to find a quorum business ceases abso- |
utely and the only means by which II can he
put in motion is to Send out the sergeant at | ,
lrms and his assistant, arrest members, fetch
hem before the bar of the House. fine them or
excuse their fault and compel them to vote OF =
pass between the tellers and be counted. |
EFT us suppose this to be the situation: 1t is
- impossible to discover quorum by tellers
" by call of the roll. The doors are closed
The officers Of the House are sent scurrying
bout the town, for truant members They are
n the restaurant, at home, or driving about !
own. If it be at night they are In bed, in bill
lard rooms, gambling at the clubs, or at other Z
,laces They are dragged to the bar of .
he House. All members are Jailed :
,efore a quorum can be mustered. {
When that IS accomplished. the doors are | II
pened, the members scatter again, and upon !
he very next motion quorum vote is lacking | =
nd the whole wreLched farce has to be played "
yer again.
Speaker Reed and his friends determined to a
% away with this most powerful weapon in the o
ands of filibusters. For members TO sit in p
heir seats and break a quorum by refusing to .
ote. and thus compel tellers. roll calls calls of
be House, arrest of members, and so on, was b
be most revolutionary and destructive of pro- | Il
eedinGs. The Speaker would save the time
the House by counting these silent filibust- ! =,
rs as present and taking part in the proceed =
lgs of the House, though not voting. 1t was u
lonstrous absurdity to permit man to howl i
imself hoarse in debate and then upon roll 81
all subside and become absent. in a par | h,
amentary sense. Mr. Reed changed all this | =,
y watching for those members who were in ~
he hall and refusing to vote, and recording | u
oting to constitute quorum. 1t was the duty
every member to be in his seat and to vote
nd in ruling as he did the Speaker was but ~
lrrying out the spirit of the Constitution and 81
le dictates of common sense.