Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-23
TIL URSDAY. -. JANUARY %. 1890.
Rnlns or No Enles .


II is evident from the proceedings OF
the House Of Representatives at Washing
ton on Tuesday last that the Demo-
Gratis are not free 10 vote uncon-
ditionally against the code Of rules which
the Republican majority of the Commit
tee on Rules are expected very soon 20 re-
port. The Democrats have 20 choose be-
tween the arbitrary. uncomfortable rulings
Of Speaker REED. as exemplifed by HIM on
Tuesday last. on the one hand and on
che other code Of rules which may he
bad. but which could hardly he more OBJ
sectionablo than the alternative of leaving
ii to such d Speaker TO carry out his
own sweet will. To a member who
raised point of order last week
the Speaker said Tho Chair does not
think so. and the Clerk VIII proceed TO call
the roll" These are almost the exact words
he used. He summarily dismissed the
point OF order ~ OF no valuc whatever.
If Mr.. REED has ALREADY the hardlhOod thus
e. snub the Democrats and to proceed rs
81 no point of order had been raised. and to
decide that there is no rule or law which
compels him TO appoint tcllers upon a
proper request, then there is no telling
what be will do or won't do when it IS
settled, If il is ever settled. that he IS 10
rule the House Of Representatives as he
pleases.
The question. therefore, which the Demo
Gratis Of the House of Representatives will
be compelled to decide first of all viii be.
as we have said, whether REED without
rules TO govern his conduct would not be
worse than REED with bad rules to govern
his conduct. II has been said Of the laws
of the land that il IS moro important that
the people governed by them should know
what the laws are than that the laws them
selves should be exceptionally good. The
zane remark might possibly be made as TO
the House of Representatives. IL may be
that it would be better for the members TO
know what the rules are. even if objection
able. than to trust toSpeaker REED to make
rules as the occasion for them arises. We
have no guarantee that he would even be
consistent in his rulings. He might decide
every point in favor of the Republicans
without regard to previous rulings. He
might refuse TO allow appeals from his de-
cisions He might even claim the right to
decide by an inspection Of the House
whether quorum was present or not; and
then if in addition to that ruling he should
yefuse to entertain an appeal the Demo-
Gratis would be so environed as that even
RANDALL would not be able to extricate
them from their helpless and hopeless con-
dition.
The fate Of the South may depend upon
whether the present Congress shall or shall
not legislate in the interests of the Repub-
lican party. The enactment of national
election-law would inspire the carpet
baggers. scalawags. and negroes with new
hopes, and render the condition of the
southern people deplorable indeed. To
prevent the passage of such n law Is the
most important duty which the Democrats
I'm Congress will have to perform at this or
the next session. Next fall new House
of Representatives will be elected.
and it will almost certainly con-
tain good majority Of Democrats. One
more effort and the enemy ia ours. If the
next House is Democratic there will never
be another Republican House, or. at any
rate IA sectional House. If the attempt to
rule the South from Washington shall fail
this year such an attempt will never again
be made. The Republican party may in
that case abandon all hope of securing
Legislation from Congress intended to com
pei the return of majority of Republicans
70 the national House of Representatives,.