The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-04
Sneaker Reed Cornared.

speaker AeS1 corn ersd.
In the August number of the North
American Reriew Speaker Reed attempts
TO answer the very able article, signed TX.
4 VI. C., ;" which appeared in the July number
Of the sam peri Jdical, and which show to
the satisfacti n of about everybody that
| Speaker Reeds action il counting a quo
rum when a quorum does not vote, is un-
constitutional. The answer is virtually no
answer at all. The truth is, TX. VI. C.'s"
article is unanswerable. 1t puts Speaker
Reed in a corner, and there he VIII remain,
notwithstanding all his efforts to get out
OF it.
As matter of fact Speaker Reed has. on
more than one occasion. maintained posi-
ton directly the opposite Of that which he
now occupies. When he was in the minor
ity he protested vigor Dusty against any at
tempt Of the majority to limit debate, and
he insisted that constitutional quorum
was one where ajority was not only pres
ent, but also voting. He maintained this
position in an article published in the
Chaut0uq,tdn several years ago, and
he maintained it in a speech
on the floor OF the House in
January, 1880 In that speech he said:
THE constitutional idea of a quorum is not
the presence Of a majority of the members
Of the House, but majority of the mem
bers present and participating in the bust
ness of the House. 1t is not the visible
presence Of members, but their judgments
and their votes, that the constitution calls
for" Further along in his speech he said
that the practice is that the members of
the minority of the House, upon great occa-
sions. demand that every bill which is
passed shall receive the absolute vote of a
majority of the members elected. They do
this in the face and eyes of the country. If
they demand upon any frivolous occasion
that there shall be such an extraordinary
vote as that, they do it subject to the censure
of the people of this land. This practice has
hitherto kept this House in proper condition
upon the subject, so that there has been no
improper impeding of the public business.
1t is valuable privilege for the country
that the minority shall have the right by
this extraordinary mode of proceeding to
call the attention Of tae country to measures
which party in a moment of madness and
of party feeling is endeavoring to enforce
upon the citizens of this land. And it works
equally well with regard to all parties, for
all parties have their times when they need
to be checked, so that they may receive the
opinions Of the people who are their con-
stituents and who are interested in the re
suits of their legislation. l say, that as
practical matter, the results hitherto
throughout all our history have justified the
construction which those upon this side of
the House have put upon the matter, and
which has been put equally by members of
TIE other side in times past"
Speaker Reed was a member of the
minority when he made the speech from
which the foregoing is an extract. The
views therein expressed are those which are
entertained by leading public men of both
parties, and, no doubt, were entertained by
Speaker Reed until he determined to ignore
the rights of the minority for the purpose of
carrying out partisan schemes which he and
some Of the republican leaders had agreed
upon as being necessary to enable the Re-
publican party to retain control of the gov
eminent. In nothing which he has written
Ut sdiu sluC6 ue DecaIne speaker mas ne
answered the arguments he made in behalf
of the rights of the minority when he was a
member Of the minority. When he became
speaker he changed his views relative to
the rights of the minority, not because he
was convinced that the views he had enter
tanned were wrong, but because he wanted
to accomplish certain things which could
be accomplished only by disregarding the
rights which had always been recognized as
belonging to the minority. Under the cir
cumstances, does he occupy an enviable
position in the eyes of the country! Does
he not stand convicted of having Abandoned
his principles to achieve party success? The
thought that must find place in any hon
est mind is, can power be safely entrusted
to such maug