The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-14
QUESTION Of ( QUORUM.
After Congress Adjourned Reed
Worked in a Justification
Of His Ruling.
A Majority Of the Living Members
Is Sufficient to Transact
Business.
The United States OF Colombia Quite Anx-
ious to Have Some American
Railroads Built.

WARRINGTON, March 18-Speaker Reed
has embodied in thsI records OF congress q
reafiirmation of his opinion that quorum
OF the house consists Of q majority Of the
living members elect. When, on September
BLAST, he expressed the opinion that 1854 was
quorum Of the present house, there wae
great excitement, and Mr.. Reed was driven
from his own position. He expressed ar the
time the conviction that he was right,
however, and referred to like opinion
OF ex-Speaker Randall delivered from
the chair. which Mr.. Reed did not then
have at his tongues end The Randall
opinion has since been discovered, and the
Record contains statement of Speaker
Reed that was slipped in without attracting
attention, and which appears in the Record
as abstract matter in the midst of the re-
port of the routine proceedings of the
house. This statement. which Mr.. Reed
evidently desired to hand down to posterity
as part of the official record of congress-.
is as follows:
What number constitutes quorum?
The spesker-On the 10th Of last Ssptem
Der the speaker made a decision with re-
gard to the number then necessary for n
quorum. which he desires to comment upon.
Prior to 1861 it had always been held that a
quorum consisted OF majority Of all the
possible members Of the house. After the
rebellion had caused large number of con-
stltuencles TO refuse to elect, il was held
(Juiy Is, 1861 that quorum consisted of 4
majority OF "those chosen.'' The last de-
cislon was cited. but the language "those
chosen seemed for the moment to the
chair to be ambiguous. 1t was susceptible
OF two meanings, as the chair then Thought
npi inin o11v
second, of members chosen, then alive. Ii
the first meaning is to be taken. 1G6 vas
quorum; If the latter, 164. There was some
excitement at the time, and the clerks were
unable to find the presidents, and the chair.
desirous that the action of the house should
quorum. Some days later the precedents
were found and it will be evident that the
latter meaning-namely members ''chosen
and lving"--was intended. and that in ac-
cordance with the precedent of 1861, 1854
was the true quorum. Such was the de-
cision made BY the senate, Reverdy john
SON voting in the affirmative, in 1861 and
~ late as March "a, 1885, that body, on the
aeath \ of senator Miller, of California, had
ltS quorum reduced TO thirty-eight, ~ viii
20 seen by'the journal of that date. In the |
september decision tho chair cited the
opinion OF Mr. Randall, OF which he had . |
trong impression and as he has been able |
o find it. will cite it as it will be found IN |
he Record of Feb. 25, 1879:
: The chair desires to state in this con.
'ectlon that with his vote there are 147 |
MEMBERS voting, making q quorum of full
louse. But In his own mind he does not
hink that under the present circumstances
AZ votes are required for quorum, as
here are two vacancies
This was not a decision. It was an opin-
on. As upon reflection the present speaker
oes not desire to be cited as opposed to
he opinion under which the most imnort-
mt legislation of the country was passed
uring critical years, he takes the liberty
, add this comment. He does not regret
aving made the decision with the light he
aen had, and only makes this statement to
omply with the promise of further inves-
cation then made.