Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-02-02

IV-ss4sAAtl y qaafuH- Ne sno3ll tase prC-
| per M a1s of xseseisinirg it. Burrows
( amendment proposed III sserresia that fact.
! As the idea hSs h, sstosion In every court
before which il hsi come, he thought it
/ ougat to have the sanction Of she House.
Barro~s thought thss IL Mr.. A.derson
~ss sincere in bis proposition. that be
should renew ID vhen the House reached
clause >, rule IL, ~h,rs il Vas provided
10 csll the House net 10 be IN order after
/ the previous qasst:0l, ualess il shall
sppesr from Se,usl count by the speaker
ths, quorum is not present, the Federal
, constitution provided thsi majority Of
the members should constitute u querum.
be cared rot } o. = qaornm was disclosed,
Two or thrse times during the present ses-
sion the point OF no quorum WAS Kissed
when = quorum WAS actually present. This
trouble and delay might be avoided BY his
amendment.
Dockery Of Missouri, stated that Mr..
Reed In 1881. said the constitutional idea
Of quorum was not the presence Of all
the ms mbers of the House hui & nsjorlty
Of the members preseDi, and participating
IN the business of the House. Il was not
the sctusi presence of the members, but
their Judgement sna woes that the cor.
stiiuu called for. Ths gentlemen from
Maine (Rsed) had chsnfed his opin on.
AlisIs,n said he made no issue with
Rec ed. The officers of tae House would do
thels work honestly But during the 5lsi
Congress the Speaker hsd counted quorum
by cou tirg the gentlemen down stairs in
the bath tubs ia order that a Repub-
lean msjorlty might carry cut what
they defended TO do IS sgAlnst the expressed
iii of the peopie. Formsn Of Illinois had
been counted 10 make 8 Qlorum when he
Was 70, IN the District OF Columbia, ard
he (Anderson) was not here 10 say that hats
ard umbrellas had been counted 10 make up
a quorum hut to say that an empty space
hsd been counted tiInc ard time again.
His amendment was rot intended SIS a re-
srlcaol upon the present Speaker or upoG
the common rules but vas intend
ed SIS reflection on the doings,
sections and tyranny aud sthirsry
will of the last Speaker and Republican
brethren who had stood st his bscs. The
people said by overwhelming v0Ic they
would have no more counting Of the quorum
such as had been indu. gei ia by the 5ist
Congress
Reed admitted that Formsn hsd bsen
counted t1 make quorum, when he ~ss
absent from the city. Psyson thsu o2cn-
pied the chair and he made al error
in the c0ua; There Vas no method OF
counting the vote or the presence of
q member that is not lsple 10 error, and
thers had been repeated distances uudet
the rules OF the present II 1use when not
| only were members recorded who had MT
| not voted. but members VINO voted record "a
| erronously.
Wheeler Of Alsbsms said "Suppose
| Republican House should ut some future
, day be elected (snd he prayed to God such
cSl4miiy would nor befal the country }
Applause on the Democratic rid- "spp-
pore that Republican msjori,y as ire
| sponeihle as that which occupied
this hall 25 years ago should sit
| here sgsin, suppose the crestion of a
| great portion should be under ,he consd
erstion to be endowed by the government
with an enormous subsidy, suppose the
stock was distributed 10 INSCRIPTIONS mem
| bers 20 they could not vote but
| Re counted 10 make quorum.
| Then but one affirmative vote could pass
| oill provided 8 buadred snd sixtl six ~ m
bers were presen.. most OF whom, ard po
sioly except a single member, might be
disquaiih d.
| Blount Of Georgis, said that In ths last
| Congress there had been contemplated
The usage Of measures danycrous II The
liberties Of the people. The right to
amend ard bate become q Iravesty.
the power 10 count r quorum been utilized,
and had il not heen Tor the congervstlsm
of the Senate the Institutions Of the
country as un lerstood By cur fsihers,
would have been a wreck
| After further debate, C1ckrsn of New
| YORK took the nIor, and his remarks, with
out goirg to the extent Of uTh lldinv an NJ -
| limited right Of the Speaker 10 coun, =
= quorum, advocated Ruch rule as would
permit the House t, the transaction Of
business ~hen the quorum was
present ard refusing to vote. He
sAii that he would favor closing the
doors during every roll call, and would
| give the House ether through Ihe Speaker
or upon motion Of any m NIB +
power to compel any Representative
10 bear that par. of the Legislation
which his presence gEve him. and which
was accorded to HIS presence al not to bis
voice. (applsuseJ
The House hsd the right to take any
absent member bv force ard bring him t.
the bar. l. has III, riaht to punish him
Was not that counting him for ore pur-
pose? Could th.t representativ', after
having been arrested, and released or pun.
ished, remain here silent snh in open cor
tempt of the House, and was the House
powetlcs, to c1unt him? He, (Mr
Cock am, believed the House had the right
to oouat quorum in any wsV i, saw proper
| Al1srsou withdrew his smendmsnf, and
the question wss taken on Burro~'s amend
ment. The yeas ard nays were ordered
panding which the House a. Jurned,