The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-02-13


Desperate Erers~ II the Republicans u
Congress 10 ku~h Matters.
The question that il now agitating
Congress is one that i apt 70 arise, and
that generally does arise. whenever q
House holding over Is 20 be succeeded
by one Of a different political complex
ION. When the senate and the Pre~i-
dent are Of the same politics as the out
going House. there will be an effort 20
crowd into the session between the
Congressional election and the next
eth Of March legislation favorable -
their party. and corre>pondingly often
sive to the minority about 70 become a
majority. This latter party will Of
course resist such Legislation by using
all the expedients for delay with which
parliamentary law furnishes them.
That is 10 say. the last session Of a
Congress under the condemnation Of
the people will necessarily hc a filibus-
tering session II is perfectly idle for
the members Of the transient and pre-
carious majority 10 complain OF this. as
they are rather foolishly doing at pres
emit. Every man Of them knows per
fectly well that he would be doing the
same thing II his party were in oppo-
%sition. and an appeal to the people is
futile when the question at issue has
Just been submitted 70 the people
and decided against the MAORI
~ in the existing Congress. Yet
this is what the Republicans
have been doing in both houses.
senator Aldrich read the Democrats .
solemn lecture upon their criminal con-
duct in 'silibustering' TO prevent the
passage Of q bill intended to put the
control Of elections TO Congress in the
hands Of agents of the Republican
party. and in the House Mr. Mckinley
has been doing the same thing. and has
further been guilty Of the absurdity OF
calling himself and his fellow-Repub-
leans agents Of the popular will"
OF course. this is nonsense. The Re-
publicans are the agents Of the popular
viii Of November. lsSs. when the
people did not know what use they
were going to make of their agency.
Since the people found out. the Repub-
leans in Congress are the discredited
agents Of the popular will. and they
would be the discharged agents but for
the curious anomaly in our system by
which a discredited Legislature is al
lowed to 20 on for four months exer-
cising functions Of Shich the people
have shown their will that it should be
deprived
Of course such a co2dition gives rise
70 flihustering But the anomaly and
the injury Of il DO not lie in the danger
of flibu~tering. They lie in the danger
that a discredited and desperate party
may be able 4 foist upon the country
legislation that the country has re-
jected. in spite Of all that filibustering
can do to prevent it, That is she
real ofensc against the principles
Of representative government. and it
Is that offense that the Republicans in
Congress are trying TO commit 1t is as
idle to complain Of this as 10 complain
of flibustering. If the Republicans
were in the minority they would fill
buster 70 prevent the passage Of bills
hostile TO their party. If the Demo-
Gratis were in the majority we have no
reason for supposing that they would
not use their power as the Republicans
are using theirs II is only fair. how
ever. to say that the Democrats have
not shown in National politics that be-
lief in a divine right Of their party to
govern the country. without regard 70
what the country may think about it.
which Republican leaders have so often
exhibited and acted upon. In a gem
eral way. however. either party will do
in its own behalf whatever il is per-
mitted to 40. unrestrained by any thing
short Of positive law.
The real grievance is the anomaly
that makes it possible for a defeated
party 70 90 on acting as If it were the
victorious party. Complaint Of this is
not idle. and ought not to be futile. II
is not altogether clear just how this
anomaly came about. 1t is not EN-
bodied in the constitution. and the cas-
ual circumstance that the early in
augurati0ns Of the Presidents hap
pened to be fixed for the 4th OF
March Is probably responsible fol-
it. A hundred years ago a
Journey from the most remote part OF
the country 70 the capital was a long
and tedious business. and before begin
ming his service a Congressman elect
needed time TO put his private affair.
in order. Perhaps Our months wa.
not too long a time for all this. but il il
an absurdly long time now. Inaugural
tion day can not easily be changed
since the constitution secures a term o.
four years TO the President But there
Is nothing 70 prevent an amendment o.
the statute BY which the Representa-
tives shall take office. as all other Of
fce-holders do, on the first Of Januar,
succeeding their election The consti
tutional provision hat Representative
shall be chosen every second year is no
a guarantee Of a term Of two full years
1t would be cas- TO provide that mem
bcrs Of the House lcgislated out Of Of
fee by the reform should be paid il
full. The present House would b
cheaply gotten rid 81 AZ that rate. Sucl
an amendment would not only do awa'
with the most serious flibustering b.
taking away its motive; IL would d
away with the much more dangcrou
and disgracefnl spectacle presented b,
a Legislature voted out Of Office contin
uing to exercise its functions in def