The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-10-06

crn,io Authority IN tho Subject.
Nes FORK Sun tDem.)
The failure Of the House on Wcdnes.
day to propose or pass any resolution
thanking Speaker Reed for his uniform
fair mesa and courtesy 10 the members
regardless OF party, Is noted by some O
our contemporaries as M extraordinary
AMI highly significant omission.
"The solemn fact remains" says tue
New York Herald, for example, "tha,
Congress- has adjourned without II vote
Of thanks to Speaker Reed" Tho New
York World speaks OF tho supposed
omission as tho first OF the kind In
many years, u no. in the history OF the
Government"
AS a matter OF fact, the "omission'
has no significance whatever. 1t has
been customary for years to express tho
gratitude and admiration OF tho House
Tor the Speakers services at tho end oil
HE term Of office; that Ia, Just before
the final adjournment OF q Congress, and
not at the end Of every session OF that
Congress. In the Senate tho practice
has been different.
Mr.. Randall was tho Speaker OF the
FOrty.sixth House, and he certainly
possessed the confidence and esteem OF
every member Of tho Republican mi.
notify Es well 40 OF the Democratic ma.
jority. When that House adjourned at
The end OF its first or long session, no.
body moved u resolution OF thanks. The
thanks passed III the opposite direction.
The Speaker expressed his sense OF oh.
legation to tho House for its kindness
and confidence, and declare i the nd.
journment. Nor was there ally resolu.
ton OF thanks at the end OF the second
session. Atthe end o fthe third session,
when the lie Of the Forty.sixth Con.
gees was about TO expire, tho formal
resolution wa presented and unani.
mouBly adopted, and MIR. Randall de.
liyered his valedictory reply.
The same thing Is true OF the Forty.
seventh House, with the difference tbnt
the Speaker then was the ridiculous and
unsatisfactory person named Keller.
There was no resolution OF thanks to
Keller at the end Of the first session OF
the forty-sevcnth. On the last day of
tho second session Mr.. Randall, rs the
leader OF the minority, introduced n res
olution recognizing the liability and
courtesy" OF the Speaker, and charitably
forced it through "under the rule OF
propriety," in tho face OF considerable
opposition. A division was demanded,
and the unpopular Keller had The hu.
initiation Of hearing only Sc ayes and s
noes upon a formal resolution which is
customefily adopted by unanimous vote.
This is tho worst thing that has hap.
pened to any Speaker in recent times.
1t is much worse than anything likely
to happen to Mr.. Reed when the time
comes next March for valodictory com
pliments.
Mr.. Carlisle was Speaker of the Forty
House. At the end OF the first
of that Congress there was u vote
Of thanks by the House, but it was to
Mr. Blackburn, who had been filling
The chair temporarily. Mr.. Carlisle was
not thanked until the end Of the second
when he received the compli.
nent OF a rising vote on the usual reso-
which was unanimously adopted.
That, likewise, was the case OF the
Congress, Mr.. Carlisle still
being the Speaker.
The. first break, at least in recent years,
the custom OF %reserving the compli-
nentary motion to its appropriate time
1t the end OF the Speakers term Of
,i!ice, vas at the first session OF the
Siitieth Congress, when resolutions were
thanking, not only Speaker Car
isle, but also the Clerk and the officers
II the House Tor their courtesy during
he session. At the end OF tho second
,ession q similar resolution respecting
Speaker Carlisle wls offered in the usual
way by Mr.. Reed.
So much importance is attached in
.omo quarters to an omission that is ig-
lcrantly assumed to amount to Il rebuke
,r an insult, that in fairness to Speaker
Reed we have taken the trouble to show
ust. what the practice has been in the
:ases Of his predecessors. Instead Of it
icing true that this is the first omission
VI the kind in many yeare, if not in the
Of the Government, the fact is
q u oASS Ia many 1Saio lt5 Iut
louise formally thanked its Speaker at
he end Of its first session, on the eve Of
for only a few weeks. That
case was doubtless due to
ONE confusion in the mind Of the mem.
yer Offering the resolution.
Speaker Reeds personal popularity
With Democrats was great ut the begin
ling OF the session; and, however the
minority may have come 10 hate his in.
client politics and to abhor his official
Methods, we do not believe they think
much less of him now as 4 man and al
1t is not likely that this burly
yrant and %bald-headed good fellow will
,e singled out at the end Of the next
ession for a personal alTront which even
be ignoble Keller escaped by. the
OF Democrats.
Nevertheless, it may be necessary to
somewhat the usual phraseolosy
Il compliment in Reeds case.
-. &sn,lhn - 40, Ny-