The Portland daily press., 1891-01-06

upon to run down and sink single craft,
but she will be a powerful peace-compeller
just the same, and in this manner will be
worth every dollar that she costs.
THE BOSTON HERALD AND WARDEN ALLEN.
Lewiston Journal
The Boston Herald succeeds pretty we'll
IN answering its own charges against Ward
en- Allen of the Maine State Prison, Its re-
porters In various Maine cities have been
ln9nstriously interviewing, since the Her
AID oroadside came out, and the results Of
tnelr efforts appear In the Sunday issue Of
our pig Boston contemporary. The general
opinion is that Warden Allen has shown a
business mans judgement In employing to
the states best advantage the services of a
prisoner OF so much ability as Mr.. Gould adj
mittedly has, and he has shown him only
the favors extended to any exemplary con-
Wet IN return for specially good behavior.
esA THOSE ABANDONED" FARMS.
lKennebec Journall
1t is very doubtful indeed whether there
are actually 5000 deserted farms in Maine or
anywhere near that number. A great many
farms which have been absorbed into other
farms have been enormously reported as
abandoned" A striking Illustration Of TIL:
has already been referred to BY the Journal
In the town of Waterford, Oxford county,
which returned to the Labor Commissioner
Office forty.fve abandoned farms" accom-
panied by the qualifying statement that all
Of these with the exception of per haps four
are absorbed; these four are awaiting pur-
chasers." Could the facts on this matter be
obtained with absolute accuracy there can
be little doubt but what very large per.
centage of those 5000 farms. designated as
abandoned would be found Incorporated
into other farms and still doing good work
for productive agriculture.
AN EMINENT OPTION OF THE NEW RULES
assa ~ philadelphia Press laana.aT8
The result of the election last November
led some sh ,rtsighted men to think that al
was over with the new rules by which the
majority In the House were able to rule ana
do the work given them by the people,
On those of this view we urge an article By
MT. Joseph Chamberlain In the Nineteenth
Century for December. ''Shali We Amrri
caniZe Our Institutions% Mr.. Chamberlain
asks in his title. The precise stem towart
| AmercaniZing the House of Commons urged
ny him is the adoption of theirules associate,
with Mr.. Reeds presence in the Speaker
chair, and under which the House of Repre-
sentatives has recovered the power to legis
late. lifs ats''. .' Ape
These rules gave the majority the powe
to act No other rules yet proposed here O
in England will. 1u7 Mr.. Chamberlain
opinion, this il sound ground for adopting
and acting ON them. The majority In a leg
islative body is given the authority to &C
by the people. Unless they exercise thi
authority they are false to their mandate.
The procedure Of the ,English House oil
Commons, Mr.. Chamberlain shows, Is fal
more dilatory than that of the 81 use of Re-
| representatives.. Thr English chamber In pass
ing bill gives six opportunities for tx
tended debate. Our own House gives bu
one. and Mr.. Chamberlain might have addet
that each OF the Sc ps by which our usage de
parted from English we're all attackedjust a
| Speaker Reeds new rules have been.
But even the solitary opportunity given i
| our House for drbate In the Committee of tn
| Whole. as Mr.. Chamberlain points out, give
room for obstruction which makes legisls
tion impossible save with the consent of tn,
minority. This consent was once the implie
foundation of all parliamentary law and us
age. But such consent Is over at Washington
and at Westminster. In both the English an,
American chamber 1t has become the rul.
not merely to oppose but to obstruct. IL
is absolutely CERTAIN says Mr.. Chamber
lain. that such bill (as the McKinle,
tariff could not possibly have passed tn
| House OF Commons under our present rule
| termined seriously to resist It," 1t Is equal,
| certain such q bill could not have beef
passed in the House OF Representatives unde
| its old rules, IL minority of nearly half tb
chamber had determined not merely {
oppose but TO prevent its passage.
1 NuW icEioldttUu ID NECESSARY. III Is villa
legislatures are constituted for. Mr.. Chan
berlain recognizes this fundamental primo
| pie. Speaker Reeds American critics d
not. BY consequence, Mr.. Chamberlain ap
| proves the rules of the present House a
both right and Indispensable. He justly say
that the last election turned chiefly on othe
issues and not on the new rules. Speake
Reed was returned by an Increased majority
sand 1t seems to be generally conceded tina
| the primary business Of Congress is to d.
| the business of the nation. and that the ma
'jority have the undoubted right to shap,
this business as they please" u
We do not dOuot that thisis the American
conviction. Speaker Reeds remedy for tn,
parliamentary paralysis whichh as brough
| parliamentary Institutions into discredit is
permanent addition to the power of the ma
| jority. Even the great Democratic majority
| in the next House will founder impotently
along, unless 1t uses these new rules. AL
rules, and histSry-liEe the foreign ' Yer
| dict" which speaks In Mr.. Chamberlain
will approve their adoption. i