Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-15
Rare Political Bravery,

The pages of the Record containing the
history of the last week of January and the
first weeks of February, are an illustration
of the bravery, ability and judicial polse Of
one man such as cannot be found elsewhere
in the books OF the proceedings of parlia-
mentary body. The scenes of disorder
which were coincident with the first pro-
cedure of the Speaker to "count quorum, %
are without their counterpart even in the
days of the discussion of the questions aris-
ing from slavery. Time after time as the
Speaker refused blandly to entertain
motions that were grow messy with
age in the mouths of fllibusterers, and
proceeded to count quorum by calling out
the names of those present and not voting,
be was interrupted with violent epithets
and the most insulting personalities ever
heard on the floor of the House. He was
never rufled for one moment. He would
wait for the volume of shouts and epithets
to subside, and calmly continue to call out
the Names occasionally making courteous
request that the House be in order. Spring
er, OF Illinois, was one of the noisiest and
most insulting of the Democrats, and vet
the harshest word the Speaker said to him
at any time was: "Will the gentleman
from Illinois now kindly allow the House
to proceed?'
Repeatedly when the Speaker requested
the House to proceed in order the furious
Democrats would shout back: "We are in
order. 1t is you who are out of order.''
Next to Springer, Bynum was probably
the most obstreperous. On one occasion this
colloquy occurred:
The Speaker-The gentleman from Indi-
ana will be in order.
Mr.. Bynum-The gentleman from Indi-
ana is in order. I propose, Mr.. Speaker. to
stand here in behalf of the rights of the
constituency represent on this floor. You,
sir, have violated more than anv man on
this floor parliamentary rules, parliamentary
practice. You may consummate what YOU
have undertaken to do. You have the power,
backed up by mob. [Applause and cheer
ing on the Democratic side
The Speaker-Gentlemen will refrain
from expressions of opinion
Mr.. Bynum-They may we'll refrain Mr..
Speaker. The people of the country are
witnessing the arbitrary, outrageous and
damnable rulings OF the chair, in defiance of
parliamentary law, In defiance of right and
justice. They have spoken through the
press of the country, and they have spoken
in condemnation of these proceedings which
will bury you beyond resurrection.
And much more to the same effect. But
let us stop there. The funeral occasion is
over, but the corpse is wonderfully alive
and vigorous.
don't think Mr.. Bynum, or any of the
Democrats. like to turn back to those pages
of the Record. To read them now, the
frenzied shout of Springer and Bynum and
Crisp and Mills and Bland and Mcmillan,
sound like the tales of idiots, full of sound |
and fury, but signifying nothing. Every |
frank and fair man among them long ago |
admitted the good sense of the revolution |
that was brought about in the management |
of the House, no matter how much il |
CALLED them at times, even as many of |
then admitted at the time that the rules |
adopted by Reed should have been the rules |
OF the House long ago. But this Demo-
cratic outcry and unparalleled abuse gave
Reed opportunity to show his abilities as a /
master of men. He not only conquered. ]