The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1890-02-08
THE FIGHT IN THE HOUSE.

The Congressional dispatches IN TIM
weeks exchanges contain an account c
the beginning of movement which,
successful, will be one of the most valu
able steps ever taken in legislation. TIL
object of this movement is to make eli
fective the will of the majority. Thi
may fseem like singular statement
Constitutional governments are sup
posed to be controlled by the will of tn,
majority. This is the foundation of lib
erty-the rule of the many, not the rule
of the few. Yet, strange as it may ap
pear, l. is a fact, we'll known to those
familiar with parliamentary practice
that minority of legislative body car
defeat the popular Will by making dila
tory motions and other obstructive tao.
tics, commonly called "flibustering.
This is one eff the defects of parliamen.
tary law. The fact that it has not been
entirely corrected long ago, is because it
has been rarely resorted to until late
years, except in behalf of some great
principle, wherein the people at heart
supported the obstructionists. The
weapon being used only for good was re.
garded with favor. But lately it has be.
come the practice of the "rule or ruin"
politicians to resort to it on the slightest
pretext, and the result is that legisla.
ton, however much needed by the peo-
pie must fail, or else be enacted only by
making disgraceful compromises with
shameless representatives who abuse
their privilege and their trust. Recog-
nizing this fact, the Majority of the
House of Representatives have deter.
mined to make needed reform. The
minority object. They fear to let the
majority rule in the House because they
are aware that if they do so there will be
some long wanted legislation enacted,
which the stronger party is ready to en-.
act, but which the obstructionists think
it would be too bad to allow the stronger
party the credit Of enactng.
As TO THE RULE of Parliamentary
practice involved, the particular point
whereon the Democrats take issue with
the ruling of Speaker Reed is this: The
Constitution of the Nation provides that
the presence Of majority of the mem.
bers of the House is requisite in order
that business may be done. 1t is very
rare thing for all the members Of body
as large as the House of Representatives,
(about three hundred thirty in number
now to be present at any one time
Sickness and other unavoidable causes,
always detain some from attending.
Therefore, while the Republicans have
an undisputed majority of the House,
their majority issosmall that the necessary
absence of few leaves them without
enough members to constitute a quorum,
that is, enough to legally do business, if
no members of the opposition party are
present. The Democratic leaders have
made another blunder worthy of, though
probably not inspired by, Rainbow. chas-
ing Brice. In order to defeat the ends of
the Republicans, they propose to
constructively withdraw from the
House, leaving the Republicans with
less then a quorum. But they persist
in actually remaining in the House,
claiming that if they do not vote they are
constructively absent. 1t seems that
they want to be present and absent at
the same time. Present to obstruct,
absent to defeat. No wonder that with
such men surrounding him, during the
excitement of the last campaign, National
Committee Chairman Brice, of New York,
now senator.elect from Ohio-started
west with full faith in the legend that
underneath the rainbow's foot there Law
pot Of gold. The Irishman's bull, the "ab
sent members all are present" has be.
come startling fact insisted upon by
the leaders of thegreat Democratic party.
We can now understand why otherwise
intelligent men are said to believe
certain Democratic newspaper published
in KthtucLv