Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-02-25
OVERRIDING A MAJORITY.

OVERRIDING A . MAJORITY.
How Minorities Disregard the Voice Of
the People
1t is true, as commended by Mr. Reed
end his associates. that ours is "a
government of majorities,'' but it is of
majorities duly ascertained and duly
recorded.
There was a majority of democrats
in this country in 1875 but their vote
was not '.duly recorded" and the re-
suit was that Mr.. Rutherford 3. Hayes
filled the Office to which Mr. Tilden
had been chosen.
In 1888 majority of the people in
this country preferred Mr. Cleveland
for president to Mr.. Harrison but that
fact was not ''duly ascertained," and
consequently was not 'sduly recorded, 3"
and Mr.. Harrison for the past three
gears has been president of the United
States
Ours is a government of law. The
law is formulated by the majority, de-
Gently and in order. but the law is
above the majority until the majority
changes it.
In discussing the new rules, Mr.. Reed
says: 1.-THE principle that the presence
of a majority Of members constitutes a
quorum has had the sanction of every
court to which it has been referred,
and / think it ought to have the sane
ton Of this house,
Not at all. This principle was re-
ferred to the highest court in America,
the court of the people; Mr.. Reed and
his congress were tried before that
tribunal, and the principle was not
sanctioned. On the contrary it was
repudiated as forcibly as people can
possibly repudiate anything.
What the people hold to is that the
presence of a majority, duly ascer-
tanned and duly recorded, constitutes a
quorum. The rules for ascertaining
and recording this majority are well
known; the chief is that of calling the
roll. Each member Of the house an
swers, or declines to answer, as in his
Judgment best fits the situation. From
that roll call there is no appeal.
There has never been a time in the
history of the country when the major
ity could not-by patiently pursuing
its own end. and holding its followers
together-enact any law that seemed
to be wise, Or repeal any statute that
seemed to it injurious
Mr.. Reed laid down the new princi-
pie, that the speaker should himself
determine the presence of a majority,
not for the purpose of giving force'and
effect to the will of the majority of the
house, but in order to retain in the
hands of ''a majority of the republican
party'-which is quite a different
thing-the control of the house.
The leaders of the republican party
had formulated certain measures that
were abhorrent to a large part of their
constituents, and the protests that
came from the people had weakened
the forces which Mr.. Reed thought to
hold together.
All that the democrats contended for
was that Mr.. Reed should bring into
the house his majority, and keep it in
the house, and tn us put the full respon-
sibility on his party. This he was un-
able to do Some of his me MI ers failed
him on one issue, and some on another;
some were unwilling to go upon record
as openly defying the party caucus,
and equally unwilling to participate in
the legislation that Mr.. Reed thought
nece ssary.
The result was that they absented
themselves. The democrats took ad-
vantage of this position of affairs, as
they had right to do. They insisted
that Mr.. Reed bring his majority to
the house and place it on record. He
refused to do this, and instead changed
the time-honored method of ascertain
ing the presence of a majority, substi-
tuting for it his own will.
1t is urged in behalf of this change
that such rules prevail in other legisla-
tive assemblies. It is true that they
prevail chiefly in countries that only
have recently adopted parliamentary
government. They prevail in countries
that are just beginning to free them
selves from personal government, and
SO the personal element still largely
predominates in their parliamentary
forms
In England and America the SUI
pretnacy of the speaker has not been
accepted and will not be &C
copied as long as the people have
representative government. When
they are willing to substitute for it,
government by caucus Or govern
ment by steering committee or a
government by the speaker, then the
principle that ''the presence of ma
jority of the mem bers constitutes a
quorum, that presence ascertained by
the speaker himself will not be dis
puted.- Louisville CourierJournal.