Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-03-17
Supreme Court of the United
States Declares It to Be Valid
in Every Way.
Affirmation Also of the Lawful
Character OF Speaker Reeds
Rulings.
Judgment of Senators Spooner
and Aldrich Handsomely En-
dorsed by the Court.

The United States supreme court. ~
| says the New York Tribune, has sup.
pressed an immense volume of democratic
| clap-trap by Its decisions In relation to the
tariff and worsted acts. For nearly two
years the leaders and press of the opposi-
ton have confidently asserted that both
the procedure and the tariff legislation of
| the last republican congress were uncon
stitutional, and would be invalidated bv
the supreme bench. Democratic senators
have repeatedly stated their reputation as
constitutional lawyers upon the fulfillment
| OF this prediction, and as the free trade
Journals have published elaborate argu-
ments to demonstrate the unconstitution-
ality of Speaker Reeds rulings and of the
| sugar bounty provisions AMI the ..reci-
procity clause of the, tariff act. AID the
questions at issue have been presented to
the United States supreme court by the
ablest lawyers whose services could be Sc
cured by the importers and democratic
hackers. The result is an uneauivocal and
| final decision affirming the constitutional
| ity of Speaker Reeds method of counting
quorum and also of the tariff act with
the bounty and reciprocity clauses
Justice Brewer, in declaring the united
opinion of the supreme bench on the
validity OF the house rule providing for the
counting OF non'voters present during the
| proceedings, analyses 1t as purely ques-
ton of power. The constitution has en-
powered the house to make its own rules
| for the regulation of Legislative business
and consequently the validity of measure
enacted in accordance with a rule author
| izlng the speaker to count quorum can
not be questioned. This is the opinion of
| the court reduced to the simplest terms.
The constitution provides that a majority
OF each house shall constitute a quorum to
| do business. Rule XIV of the republican
house prescribed method of ascertaining
| The presence of a majority. The speaker
| enforced a regulation which the house had
clear and unequivocal right to establish.
Accordingly, any measure passed by a
| majority of votes when the Quorum had
been ascertaineo in this way was legally
enacted. With three democrats on the
supreme bench this decision has been
reached unanimously. All the partisan
exclamation about ''the republican car"
and revolutionary methods of gagging the
| minority passes as the wind roaring in a
broken chimney-pot.
The constitutlonality of the tariff act is
affirmed with equal unanimity except on a
single point, the reciprocity clause. The
chief justice and Justice lamar have taken
the ground that the Aldrich amendment
! involves delegation to Legislative power
| to the executive, and is therefore uncon-
| stltutional. The ajority of the Justices
have not sustained this view, but have in
terpreted the amendment as constituting
the president an agent of the lawmaking
power. Congress pre- scribad the condi-
tlons under which he was to act, and
authorized him to execute its will when
ever he should preceive that these condi.
toned existed. This was the view taken
by Senators Aidrich and Spooner when the
clause was adopted, and their judgment
has been fully sustained by the supreme
court. The objections based upon the sugar
bounties and the tobacco section omitted
In the enrolment of the bill after its pas
sage by the house are overruled by the
full bench. The constitutionaIity Of the
tariff act has been affirmed with sub
stantial unanimity, and democratic panic
mOngers who have been assuming for
many months that it would be invalidated
and left in d state Of utter decentralization
and collapse"
The reference in the foregoing editorial
from the Tribune to the position of
Senator Spooner On the reciprocity ques-
ton, shows how firmly and ably the
Senator stood on the principle of constitu-
tionaI law His speech delivered during
the memorable debate in the senate on the
Mckinley bill, was one of the ablest of
the whole series, and it is a matter of pride
to the people of Wisconsin that Senator
Spooner's argument On the reciprocity
clause in that bill has been honored by the
highest judicial tribunal on the con-
tinent