St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-01
FlIlBUsTERING.

lower mouse OF congress -NltIlu tic ldSt
two days are among the things that
make thoughtful citizens sometimes
doubt the perpetuity of republican gov
eminent in this country. On the one
side is the minority party resorting to
methods akin to revolution, to prevent
the majority from carrying into execu-
ton what the minority conceive to be
an outrage upon their constitutional
rights. On the other side the majority
are sustaining the speaker III an auto
cratic procedure that would cost Queen
VICTORIA her crown, if not her head,
under the British constitution. And
yet the great masses of the people look
upon these proceedings with as much
Indifference as they would witness the
the antics of lot of Gagged monkeys. 1t
is, perhaps, the latter fact which is
really the redeeming feature of the
whole business, for nothing can be
very serious that can be successfully
ridiculed.
While the GLOBE has seen proper to
condemn Speaker REEDS autocratic
assumptions from the time he first
occupied the speakers chair down to
the time of his remarkable rulings
within the last two days, we are not SO
blinded by partisan prejudice as to be
unwilling to admit that the very rulings
which invoked the ire of the Demo-
cratic minority are, in some respects, the
wisest acts of his parliamentary career.
While these rulings are generally to
the disadvantage of the Democrats in
congress, and will enable the Repub-
licans to seat some contestants who are
not entitled to seats. still Mr.. REED has
performed commendable service in
attempting to squelch filibustering in
congress. His remedy is of the heroic
type; yet it must be admitted that a
milder treatment would avail nothing.
In saying this much in Speaker REEDS
behalf frankness requires US to say that
if the party attitude had been reversed
in the house Mr.. REED would have in
sisted upon differentruline, and would
have denounced the opposition speaker
who made his rulings as violently
as the opposition are now denOuncing
him. His position now is grossly incon-
Sistent with mis- own previous record
and with the record made by former
Republican speakers. And yet he is
nearer right now than he Las ever been
in his life. The practice of filibustering
adopted by the minority party in con-
gress. and resorted to by all parties
when occasion seems to demand it, is
not only un-American and un-repub-
lican, but is absolutely diSgraceful, and
fraught with the greatest danger to our
institutions. The principle of majority
rule is fundamental to our whole system
of government. and every movement in
tended to deprive the majority Of free
and full exercise Of power is revolu-
tionary. When the Democrats were In
control of congress filibustering was the
fav0rite tactics of the Republicans. Now
that the situation is reversed, the Dem
Ocrats have committed the folly of fol-
lowing the precedent set by their antag-
oniStS. But it makes no difference
which party resorts to filibustering; the
practice is reprehensible, and should be
frowned upon by all good citizens.
A peculiarly faVorite method of fill
clustering is to break a quorum by the
minority members refusing to vote.
A member may be in attendance in
propria persona; and yet, if he declines to
answer to his name at roll call and his
vote does not appear on the journal, it
has heretofore been held that he is con-
structively absent. and unless the vote
of a majority Of all the members is re-
corded it has been the uniform ruling
in congress to declare that there is no
quorum present for the transaction of
business. Speaker REED has broken in
upon this fiction, and while his motives
are not the best. still his action must
be sustained by all American citi zens
who are DESTROYS to see the American
congress Invested of IFS rabble quality.
1t is the business of every member of
congress to be in his seat at each days
session. He has contract with the
people to that effect. And it is equally
his duty to vote upon every proposition
that comes before congress. Ii he is
derelict in the performance of these du-
ties there ought to be some power
lodged with the presiding officer to COM
pei a performance of duty On the part
of each and every member.
If the majority avail themselves of
their voting strength to peFpetrate such
an outrage as the Republicans in the
house propose to do in these election
cases, there is way to punish them for
it. The grand assizes of the people held
at the polls can usually settle scores
with unfaithful representatives. 1t
would have been better for the Demo
Gratis to have submitted in silence to the
wrongs imposed upon them by the ma
jority than to have raised such rum
pus. The people can be relied upon to
correct injustice and to ayenge public
WRONGS.