The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-01-27
REED ON CLOSURE
The Speaker in Justification of
His Rulings in the
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
A Sketch of Obstruction by Debate the World
OVer-Expediting Business-The Famous
Case Of the Commons.
[specialt to THE HnRALp-Exam,ner Df.n,.ob /,

Case Of the Commons
lSpecialto THE HERALD-Exam1ner DispaSch.1
NEW YORK, Jan. 25.-The speaker of the
Rouse, Thomas b. Reed, has written a long
letter TO the World in which ne shows that
ne was perfectly justified in making the
rulings which warranted the Democrats Of
/ the country in calling him Scar Reed ,,
In MS letter to them the speaker saws.
civilized mankind is SO closely bound
together, so united in thought and feeling.
that Whatever IS happening of human prog
ress IN one region is quite likely to be hap
penlng In another Each condition of
humanity being a natural evolution from
lhe last II is fairly to be expected that
tnoSe VINO have taken the first step shouId
aiSo take the second. Hence, widely sep
arate countries having reached nearly the
same level OF intelligence seem, almost in
dependent of each other, to be undergoing
1he same changes. a careful review of the
legislative bodies Of this country and OF
the world shows a repetition of the
same difficulties and everywhere the same
application of remedies That Ohio and
kentucky, New Y ork and Tennessee.
massachusetts and Virginia, although con
.Ioileo Dy dHerent parties and represent
ing somewhat different modes of LnOupbt
should have the same distractions to their
legislative work and meet the distractions
| Oh refusal to vote in the same way bv the
methOo OF counting those present to make
up constitutional body, is not perhaps to
| NC So Lhucn wondered at, since these states
are component parts of one nation.
| a car fT11 -.
| history OF the European and North Ameri-
can world Will show THAT everywhere. ex-
| cepG III TWO small countries, the same 0ues-
| tOn mas been agitated and discussed and
received decision. The new method of OBJ
strucuOn now in full tide of successful ex-
i pertinent IN the Senate Of the United
states, the method of obstruction
by debate, so-called, is now having
us career all over the world. and
Will IN time have its remedy.
need not say that the remedy will leave
real debate intact and only include that
| false debate which does not even resembIs
the genuine article. So little interest do
the people take in the modes and methods
OF transacting legislative business thai
PROBABLY not one in twenty has any knowl-
edge OF some remarkable scenes which
took place In the British house OF commons
ten years ago."
Reed then writes about the famous strup
gle which commenced when Stuart RendeI
moved the address on the Queen's speech
on January b, 1881, and which lasted till
February 26.
Speaker Reed thus describes some of the
proceedings showing that he has a pre-
cedent for his famous rulings:
AFTER about nine hours and at about l
O'CLOCK Iuesday morning, Mr.. Gladstone.
on a motion to adjourn debate, gave notice
tnat the government proposed to resist
the motion. This was intended and con-
strued as notice that the debate must end
before the close of the session. 1t kent ON
It's monotonous way, however. until 4 40
O'Clock III the morning when Mr. Speaker
reJlred and the clerk at the table informed
the house of the unavoidable absence of
Mr. Speaker, WhereupOn the deputy
speaker took the chair and Mr..
sexton took the floor and unlimited debate
on the motion pending proceeded The
members were cross and Mr. Deputy
Speaker had much trouble in keeping them
IN order and combining them TO the question
and did often meet with success. AT 40
O'Clock IN the afternoon Mr.. Speaker re-
appeared ana resumed the chair against
the objections of Mr. Parnell. The debate
! and the motion went on very much as be
) lore until about IL o'clock in the evening.
when there were made some suggestions 10
the speaker that the way out of the trouble
Was to suspend all recalcitrdnt members
as being in a conspiracy against order. To
these suggestions MIR. Speaker RESPONDED
somewhat vaguely, having evidently not
made up his mind what course to pursue
and called on the member who had been
speaking to resume at II 80 O'Clock. My.
Speaker again retired, leaving Mr. Deputy
Speaker III the chair TO struggle with her
maiesty's opposition.
After midnight, and in the early hours.
an effort was made to induce the deputy
tcVNEA l-gsNsf 70, ar.,.v~
ideas OF Mr.. Speaker, but he declined so to
do and the wearisome iteration went on for
many hours more. When Mr.. Speaker
refreshed by sleep, returned at O'Clock in
the morning he, In a vigorous alIocutiOn
in full control of all the powers of the house
IN great contrast with his somewhat doubt
ful and unsatisfactory remarks of the
evening before, proclaimed the sound doc
trine that the speaker, as representative of
the power of the house, had the right, and
it was his duty to override the proceedings
: however regular in form and debate how
l ever sacred in theory, which stopped the
business of the house. After this address
7 which is model of its kind he refused
further motions and further debate and mi
the question on the amendment then pend
] ing and on the main question, which were
both carried.
, "'These proceedings caused great excite
j ment,' says Hansard, among the mem hers
4 present, and those who voted in the minor.
g ity withdrew from the house. crying priv
S ilege,' privilege. That afternoon wher
the house met, Mr.. Labouchere asked The
9 speaker by what authority he did this thing
e and Mr.. Speaker replied with spirit ans
s dignity: Il did it upon my own RESPONSE
bility and from sense of duty to tn.
house,
after this lesson of the power of tn,
I few over the many, Mr.. Gladstone felt tn,
II time had come when the unlimited powel
: of making motions and the unlimited RICH
. of debate should give way to the transac
9 ton of public business. Hence, on tn,
e Thursday following, Mr.. Gladstone Offered
y his motion to remedy the evil, which, afte
q amendment took such shape that whel
a the house, on motion of minister of III,
Il crown, voted urgency, the speaker was pu
4 for the regulation of business. This motion
q was carried after one days debate, OWN,
q to the fortultous circumstance that tn
n house was able to turn out all the IrisI
y members for that day, and measures mucl
more restrictive than Mr.. Gladstone's clio
ture have since been adopted, and still
others will be required"
e Green vs.. Bogue ct al. Dismissed.