The Portland daily press., 1891-03-05
WHAT THIS CONGRESS HAS DONE.
A Remarkable Record that VIII be Of
Historic Importance.
The Reform OF the House Rules JUS
titled by the work Done.
Facts and Figures that Refuts stock
Democratic Mlsrepressnta atlons.
Especial to the Press.1

lopeclal 10 Tue freSs.I
WASHINGTON. March A. The ffty-firsi
American Congress has expired by consti
tutlonal Limitation at noon to-day. Hence
forth Its acts are In history, where they are
destined TO occupy. In comparison with the
acts of other Congresses, large and impor-
tant place.
Every review of the work Of this Congress
must start at one point, and one all impor-
tant fact must be kept in view continually.
The House of Representatives In Decem-
Der 1889 was composed of $50 members, Of
whom 166 were required for constitutional
quorum. The roll OF the House, made up by
the Democratic clerk of the preceding Con-
gress, allowed the Republicans 168 members.
or two more than quorum. There were
several other seats from which Republicans
had been fraudulently counted out, but there
was no way to right those wrongs until the
House should be organized.
In legislative group composed of 168 men,
such was the number composing the Re-
publican side-it Is a practical impossibility
to retain 166 Of them present all the time or
even respectable fraction Of the whole
time. The chances of sickness and death, to
say nothing of the pressing demands of busi-
ness always felt by men Of sufficient emf
nence to have attained seat In Congress,
would almost continually prevent the mus
tering of 166 out of 16S members of the ma
jority party in the House.
The Democrats understood this. They
saw that by utilizing parliamentary trick
hitherto brought into practice at rare inter-
vals,-the trick Of remaining silent in their
seats on a roll call for vote-they could
force the Republicans to furnish quorum
or compel the public business to stop. Mr..
Mills. of Texas. boasted publicly that the
Republican majority In the House should be
doomed to impotence. because the Democrats
would control the despatch of business
through their facilities for breaking q
quorum.
The steps by which this threatened legis-
lative paralysis was averted are famous in
the minds of all men; and these facts in re-
gard to the situation in December 1889 have
been recalled only to show distinctly how
great was the crisis and how doubtful the
outlook.
The establishment of the principle that all
members present form part Of quorum,
whether they vote or not, was only part Of
the reform wrought. The "new rules
differ In multitude of important paItlcu-
lars from the old code OF rules under which
Congress had become so inefficient In the
transaction Of business that its incapacitv
had become by-word. Columns would be
required to describe the differences between
the new and old rules, for 1t would be neces-
sary to go into the intricacies of parliamen-
tary law. But simple Illustration will ex-
plain the difference.
The House trying to pass measure under
the old rules was like man with heavy
mittens on his hands trying to pick mp from
the floor one by one handful OF pins and
needles. With patience and good luck the
man could pick upa few Of the pins and
needles but he could not get them very
rapidly, sort them very carefully, or be sure
when he should get hold of particular pin
or needle that it would net slip through his
hampered fingers.
Evidently a man wearing pair of tightly
fitting gloves would be much more successful
at picking up the pins and needles.
When Speaker Reed framed the new rules
he tore the heavy and cumbersome mittens
from the hands Of the House OF Representa-
tives and put on in their place pair of close
fitting gloves; and Congress, rejoicing in
having its hands freed, responded by noble
exertiOns aud picked uD out of the confused
pile of measures that had waited to be sorted
for many years those of most pressing inter-
est, aud gave them consideration.
Before passing to an enumeration Of the
measures considered, 1t should be noticed
that this reform of the rules is of Importance
not alone today and in America, but so long
as legislative bodies shall exist and in all
lands where they do exist. Already an EN-
inent English statesman has warned his
countrymen that the legislative paralysis
which threatened the House Of Represents
tives Is creeping over the House of Commons
In spite Of the fact that measures have al
ready been taken to avert it. The Demo-
cratic Speaker Of the next House Of Repre-
sentatlves may not count quorums because
ne Will not have so narrow majority OF his
own party: but the great reforms Of the
new rules" he must adopt in part or In
whole unless he intends to deliver his major
ity bound hand and foot to the minority.
II.
The list Of the measures of great public
importance passed by the House Of Repre-
sentatives Is the best evidence Of the effec.
tiveness Of the reform wrought in the meth
DDS of procedure. That list comprises meas
ures that have been before Congress for
twenty years or more. which have been SUD-
ported by the loud demands of public senti-
ment. and which have at various times COM
manded actual majorities in Congress; but
have failed because of the facilities for OBJ
struction given to factious minortties by an
absurd system OF rules.
Conspicuous examples of this class of bills
are:
The bankruptcy bill, passed by the House,
although it has been destined to fail In the
Senate.
The bill for the relief of the supreme court.
which has been of the most pressing import
a ah0ut
hind with its business.
The direct tax bill. which brings
into the treasury Of the State
Of Maine over S350.000, conspicuous for the
years that it has fingered around Congress,
and for the long contest of six days and
nights by which q minority filibustered 1t to
death In preceding Congress.
These bills are conspicuous examples of
measures that are not partisan In their ma
ture, and that have In former years general
its system of rules, be master Of Its own en-
ergies sufficiently to do the business which
the will of the majority wished to do. So far
from passing, these measures have not often
even succeeded In getting consideration.
Another group OF measures comprise those
bills which are generally termed partisan .
This word partisan Is often used as a term
Of opprobrium, and the Democratic party In
the last year has squarely taken the position
that no partisan" measure ought ever to
pass the American Congress. Inc TACT tnat
any great reform so unfortunate as to have
a party behind 1t would, under this construc-
tion Of the duty of Congress, be doomed to
failure Is the best answer to those who apply
the word partisan" as an epithet, There
were three great measures demanded In the
platform Of the Republican party in the year
when the Fifty. first Congress was elected
The tariff bill
The federal elections bills.
The bill establishing lines Oh vessels Ior
extending our foreign trade.
resentatves and the Senate were specially
commissioned TO pass these measures. The
House has passed all three OF these bills, al
though the proud Democratic boast was
made that the majority should not be allowed
to pass either In the Senate they were able
r. make their boast good so lar as the Elec-
tions Bill was concerned.
Other important measures, not essentially
partisan, that have to be placed to the credit
of the House are,
The copyright bill.
The "original package" bill.
The silver bill.
The pension bill.
The bill admitting the state of Idaho.
The bill admitting the state of Wyoming
The bill organizing the territory Of Okla
homa.
The bill organizing the worlds fair.
The bill to put the agricultural colleges OF
the various states upon more secure basis
The Agricultural College Of Maine gets from
fifteen to twenty-five thousand dollars yearly
under this bill.
Compared with the work of any Congress,
OF late years, this record for industry anC