The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-01-29
MIR. Reed Points Out Weak Spots in
the Democratic Code.
THE MAJORITY HIDING THEIR
HEADS IN THE SAND.
Are They Seeking an Excuse for Doing
Nothing?-The ex-Speaker's Allusion to
a Certain Interview with Mr.. Bynum-
Comment on the Chilian Correspon-
dence-Navy Department Admits That
It Was All Prepared for War.

WASHINGTON, January 2S.-The de-
bate on the report of the committee on
rules was resumed in the House today,
and Mr.. McMillin made speech in sup
port of the proposed rules. Mr.. Reed
spoke in opposition to the report of the
committee. He favored the rules of the
51st Congress and proclaimed his adher-
ence to the doctrine of majority rule.
He believed in the rule of the majority
even when it had been chosen against the
views he himself entertained. He was
in favor of majority rule, because that
rule would give the people the sense that
when they went to an election, that cleo
ton meant something; that it was de-
termination on their part, not Whim to
be corrected afterwards by the House of
Representatives manacling itself. He
criticized the Holman amendment con-
tending that the House ought to be as free
as it could for the purposes of legislation.
In a sarcastic vein, he proceeded to ana
lyze and ridicule the rules, and especial
~ satirized the rule limiting the morning
hour to 60 minutes. This would give
rise
To Nothing But Filibustering
and it would put it in the power of a
small minority to prevent the transaction
of business. 'sAnd yet" he said, adj
dressing the Democrats, ''you will do it,
although every one of you must be, as
the constitution requires, 25 years DID,"
Laughter.
Mr. Reed turned his attention to Mr..
Bynum of Indiana, whom he congratu-
lated upon being on better track than
he was when he Mr.. Reed last had the
pleasure of an interview with him. This
allusicn to the occasion, when, as Speak
er, Mr.. Reed had delivered the censure
of the House upen Mr.. Bynum, caused
hearty laughter in which Mr.. Bynum
Joined. MI Reed called attention to the
fact, that an appeal from the decision of
the Speaker,
Favorite Mode of Fillibustering,
was unknown in the British Parliament.
1t was in vogue here, but he never had
known a case, with one exception, Of a
decision of the Chair being overruled.
That exception was the case when tenn
porary Speaker, through mistake, had
delivered an incorrect decision. An ap-
peal was taken and the House had sus-
tanned him. When he realized what he
had done, the Chair had, in manly
way, rectified his mistake. This left the
House in bad shape but left him all
right. [Laughter]. Perhaps the Demo-
Gratis thought that by
Hiding Their Heads in the Sand,
they rendered themselves invisible. Per-
haps they thought that by cutting them
selves off from action, they could go to
the people with the neclaration that they
had done nothing because they were pre-
vented by the rules. The majority was
responsible not only for what happened,
but what did not happen. Applause on
the Republican side,
MI. McMillin of Tennessee said if there
was one thing that made him happier
than another it was that the gentleman
from Maine no longer occupied the
Speakers chair and his party was in
hopeless minority. The Democrats were
here
At the Old Stand Doing Business
and the places which had recently known
the Republicans would know them no
more forever. Democratic applause.
Mr.. Catchings of Mississippi, defended
the proposed rules and animadverted up
on the code adopted by the 51st Con-
gress and the rulings of Speaker Reed.
He referred to the published statement
that Mr.. Reed had in counting quorum,
CONT tn the cloak rooms and included in
his count the gentlemen whose hats were
upon the hooks.
Mr.. Reed interrupted with the declara-
ton that that was only one of the lies
the country had been led to believe.
Mr.. Catchings retorted that the gen
tle1nan from Maine had, on various ocea-
sions, explained the position taken by
him in the 51st Congress and the coun-
try had passed judgment on that expla-
nation. Democratic applause.
The general debate was then closed
and the rules were read by paragraphs
for amendment.