The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-06

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not the Speaker, declare their verdict.
Their verdict is conclusive. In the bal
lot box the minority does rule, and
upon that there is or should be 10 re-
straint.
One or two observations more and /
have done. One of the very greatest evils,
might say curses, Of our time in the
conduct and administration Of govern
ment, both State and Federal, is too
much law making. Almost every leg
islative body in the country is deluged
with bills and resolutions and acts.
An act is passed at one session to be
repealed or modified at the next,
breeding confusion and uncertainty IN
the minds of the people and instability
in public affairs. I think this may be
accounted for on two assumptions.
lst. That printers ink and stenography
have become 80 cheap that the
average statesman is encouraged to
ventilate himself somewhat at the
public expense and 2nd, that the
people are looking too much 10 the
government for aid in their private
affairs, instead of relying upon them
sci yes, as in the good old days Of self
and independence, and
individual self-reliance. Perhaps the
tendency of our modern civilization to
coIc Jination, cooperation and corpora
ton dwarfs individualism, overshadows
and paralyzes individual effort; hence
the government is appealed to as being
the only agency behind which the in
dividual can take refuge. Whatever the
cause, the effect is mischievous, and
the government is assuming a relation
of paternalism to the people and the
people, relation Independence instead
of mastery to the government. !f"filli-
clustering" could check this evil, If 1t
could postpone it, I should fall down be-
fore and worshipit. should incorporate
it in the rules for the regulation of leg
islative bodies, and make it an adden-
dunn to Jeferson's and Cushing's
manuals, and in doing this 1 should
feel perfectly assured that the govern
ment, State and Federal, would be
administered more satisfactorily and
honestly.
I know that in advancing these views
shall incur the criticism, perhaps
displeasure, Of the rapid-firing, maga-
zine statesmen, whose coruscating am
bition will not tolerate opposition or
delay, but I shall, nevertheless, young
gentlemen, endeavor to impress them
earnestly upon you and ask you to in
vestigate for yourselves their soundness
and wisdom.
Majorities in legislative assemblies
unrestrained by anything but their
will, cloture rules and kindred iniqui-
ties are dangerous weapons in the
hands of any party. Experience has
shown that they will be used for per-
sonal and party ends, in entire disre-
gard of the public interest and welfare,
and you, young gentlemen, should see
to it, as far as you may have the ability,
that these great powers be rescued from
the impious hands that have seized
them, and restored to their proper GUS
todians, the people themselves.
Great talents have been and will be
employed to justify and excuse their
usurpation, plausible arguments will
be advanced in the press, periodicals,
on the stump, to uphold it, but a vigi-
liant public eye, careful examination
by those who have the time and ca
pacity to think and examine, will
puncture the fallacy and expose the
imposture.
Parliamentary practices in the British
House of Commons have been appealed
to, to support the late arbitrary, tyranni-
cal and unconstitutional proceedings
in both branches of the last Congress.
1t is not always safe or wise to rely
upon precedents made in the admins
tration of monarchicai forms of gov
eminent, however liberal they may be,
to sustain methods under republican
system. The very appeal stamps them
with suspicion. But when the parlia-
mentary proceedings of the English
House of Commons are misrepresented
as they have been, when the truth Of
history has been perverted and sup
pressed as it has been, and will be, to
Justify usurpation in this country, the
authors Of this fraud sink beneath con-
tempt.
7 venture to assert, that in the whole
history of that illustrous body, the
House Of Commons, unrestrained as it
is, and has been from its foundation
by a written constitution, there has
never been such an instance. or example
of usurpation and oppression as was
practiced in the last Congress of the
United States nothing approaching it.
No Speaker of the House Of Commons
was ever invested with such powers
as were placed in the hands of the last
Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives, and no Speaker of
the House of Commons ever ap-
preached the Speaker Of the last House
in the reckless, revolutionary manner
with which he welded the power he
was invested with.
Cloture rules have been adopted in
the House of Commons. They were
adopted in the last House of Represen-
tatives, and were attempted in the
Senate. Such rules ought never to be
used in any parliamentary body in a
free country. They are the natural
outgrowth of so-called majority rule,
and the twin sister of tyranny and
usurpation. In the House of Com
mons, the cloture rule, the rule to close
debate, was adopted after long, heated
and acrimonious discussion, and even
then, with many misgivings as to its
wisdom or propriety. This was in the
British Empire. The Speaker of the
House of Commons, is non-partisan.
He is elected to protect the minority
and never permits debate to be closed
until the minority has bad full oppor-
tunity to be heard-and the fullest and
freest discussion had on the pending
measure.
But in free America, in the admins
tration of a government of the people
by a majority exercising delegated
powers, that majority adopted cloture
rule, under which great revenue bill
involving millions of money to be taken
from the people was passed, practically
without debate. The Force Bill, that
have characterized none too strongly
as the direst conspiracy ever contrived
by man, was put through the House
with the smallest opportunity vouch-
safed the minority to discuss and eN-
pose its Infamous provisions.
a worthy, honorable member from
our own State was unseated in just six
minutes by the clock, without hear
ing, and without the ceremony Of
notice to him that he had been elected.