The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-02-18
THE FOLLOWER HOUSE
Desperate Efforts of the Republicans In
Congress to Rush Matters.

Desperate Efforts of the Republicans In
Congress to Rush Matters.
The question that is now agitatinr
Congress is one that is apt to arise, and
that generally does arise, whenever a
House holding over is to be succeeded
by one Of different political complex
ion. When the Senate and the PRESS
dent are of the same politics as the out
going House, there will be an effort to
crowd into the session between Tie
Congressional election and the next |
4th of March legislation favorable to
their party and eorrespondingly often |
sive to the minority about to become a
majority This latter party will of I
course resist such legislation by using
all the expedients for delay with which |
parliamentary law furnishes them.
That is to say, the last session of a
Congress under the condemnation of
the people will necessarily be flibus-
tering session. 1t is perfectly idle for
the members of the transient and pre-
carious majority to 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 if his party were in oppo.
sition, and an appeal to the people is
futile when the question at issue has
just been submitted to the people
and decided against the majori-
ty in the existing Congress. Yet
this is what the Republicans
have been doing in both houses.
Senator Aldrich read the Democrats a
solemn lecture upon their criminal con-
duct in ''flibustering" to prevent the
passage of 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-
licans ''agents of the popular will. ~"
OF course, this is nonsense. The Re-
publicans are the agents of the popular
will of November, 1883, when the
people did not know what use they
were going to make Of their agency.
Since the people found out, the Repub-
licans 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 go on for four months eXer-
cising functions of S-hich the people
have shown their will that it should be
deprived.
Of course, such a co2dition gives rise
to filibustering. But The anomaly and
the injury of it do not lie in the danger
of filibustering. They lie in the danger
that a discredited and desperate party
may be able to foist upon the country
legislation that the country has re-
| jected, in spite of all that flibustering
can do to prevent it. That is the
real offense against the principles
of representative government, and ii
is that offense that the Republicans in
Congress are trying to commit. 1t is as
idle to complain of this as to complain
of filibustering. If the Republicans
were in the minority they would fill.
buster to prevent the passage of bills
hostile to their party. If the Demo.
Gratis were in the majority we have nc
reason for supposing that they would
not use their power as the Republicans
are using theirs. 1t is only fair, how
ever, to say that the Democrats have
not shown in National politics that be
lief in divine right of their party tx
govern the country, without regard tx
what the country may think about it
which Republican leaders have so otter
exhibited and acted upon. In a gen
eral way, however, either party will d.
in it's own behalf whatever it is per
mitted to do, llnrestrained by any thing
short Of positive law.
The real grievance is the anomal,
that makes it possible for a defeated
party to go on acting as if it were TIN
victorious party. Complaint of this i
not idle, and ought not to be futile. I
is not altogether clear just how thi
anomaly came about. 1t is not EN-
bodied in the constitution, and the cas-
ual circumstance that the early in
augurations of the Presidents hap
pened to be fixed for the 4th o
March is probably responsible TO
it. A hundred years ago
journey from the most remote part o
the country to the capital was a lon
and tedious business, and before begir
ming his service Congressman-elec
| needed time to put his private affair
in order. Perhaps four months wa
, not too long time for all this, but it
/ an absurdly long time now. Inaugurs
, ton day can not easily be changed
since the constitution secures a term c
four years to the President. But ther
, is nothing to prevent an amendment c
| the statute by which the Represent;
t tives shall take office, as all other o
fce-holders 30, on the first of Januar
/ succeeding their election. The const
tutional provision that Representative
shall be chosen every second year is NJ
guarantee of a term of two full year
1t would be easy to provide that men
, bers of the House legislated out of o
, fee by the reform should be paid
full. The present House would
cheaply gotten rid of at that rate. Sue
an amendment would not only do ava
with the most serious flibustering /
taking away it's motive; it would {
r away with the much more dangero,
and disgraceful spectacle presented
Legislature voted out of Office contil
uing to exercise it's functions in de
ance of the popular will.-N. Y. Time