Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-08-01
REEDS RESPONSE.
The Speaker Replies to a Name
less Writer.
A DEFEssB OF THE HOUSE RULES.

The oaestIOn Of ouoTHIns and How To De
ferTnIne Taesr Presence silver Own
ers to Have an Opportunity to Sell 20
Uncle san-A Newspaper charge No
Good a Privileged QuessioR-Ihst
Eternal Tarin Debase-Censas RaseAIity
at ST PauI-onaeIaI Notes
WASHINGTON CITY, Aug. LIN this
weeks North American Review Speaker
Reed viii make reply TO the criticism of
C.-supposeIi 70 have been inspired
If not written by Mr.. Blaine-which re-
Gently appeared in that publication The
criticism was on the new rules Of the
house and WAS q vigorous presentation OF
the objections 10 the present method OF
doing business The following extracts
from advance sheets give VERY general
idea OF Mr.. Reeds argument:
The Consent of a ouorIm-
The presence OF a majority II the legislative
body constitutes quorum to do business The
esseDce Of al tusiness on the psrT OF the Lewis
Iative BODY : the consent Of a quorum of that
bccy. esi her express or implied II may BE- a.
Thoroughly expressed by silence as By sound
IN the parliamentary sense- P.ess1ce always
fmpifes fun sight and hearing q al that axis
plsce. II member. then. Il prs 1T ia fan
sight and sound Of ali Occurrences. and il all
act on Is loudly proclaimed by clerk or speaker.
h- Is a. mach a party consenfSnz 70 al that oc-
Gers a. II he voc frrared "a his loude-t tones.
This all admit. Eyen the writer Of he anOny-
nous article admits this IN ali cases except
that Of a y-a ana nay vote. Hence. even with
him re have only 70 deal vslth that method OF
determining the result
How TO Determine Consent
II must be obvious that all methods OF de-
termining tie consent Of the members are OF
equal value By ach Of them laws are passed
which have equal validity. Nhrfhe- the sense
Of the house l. male manifest by mere volume
OF sound or By tie rising OF the members in
their places. BY members passing between
tellers. or by yeas and nays, makes no differ
eaee whatever il the result. Laws passed
either way have equal force What. thea.
was the object Of the constitutional provision
As TO yeas and nays: Was u To establish new
and SEPARATE doctrine Of quorum: Was the
quorum 10 be a majority pre-ent when all
other merhG ds OF determining the question
were used, tut a majority voting when yeas
and nays were called: Was there one quorum
70 BE- required IN one case and another quorum
IN another Docs II require any different
body pass hill by yeas and nays than by a
rising vote: A majority Of the hOnse being
present. can 10 members TO one pass bah
standing up, and rot pass il b yeas and nays
Purpose OF the Yeas and Nays.
4 claim like this utter ignores the mean
Of the call for yea. and nays and the right L
have II. which i given under the eonstitu-
ton. What were the yeas and NAYS given forl
Look AZ the debates on the Adoption OF the
constitution and you viii see. IL was TO in
form the people how TIE representative
voted. II they voted at all; and also tie TACT
that they old not vote. II such WAS the case.
The idea that in addition 70 tins. the constr
IionAl quorum was thereby insanity shifted
from a majority present 10 a majority acting
l. entirely modern invention, e. illogical a.
II i gncOn stu utionAl.
Some Sarcastic Reflections
Mr.. Reed then refers 10 the proposal Of
the unknown writer 70 apply another rem
edy 10 the trouble Of nOn-voting aud says;
Did it ever occur 20 the reader what singu-
lar di-pensation OF providence il Is whereby
those who do not have the things of this world
20 do cOaid have always done them much
better than the poor creatures who did &c
theLns DID you ever see sidewalk COMMITTEES
VINO could Lot Iuild q finer house than the
architect and master workman II really
looks a. If providence had wasted It's most
cloying -~eetn-ss on the desert ar The new
rule Which the critic suggests Is that the
speaker should fine each u1emter who refuses
10 vote not exceeding So and thereby CON.
Pei the horse 10 drink
The last allusion refers TO the remark Of
". VI C that you can lead a horse to
water but can't make him drink