Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-02-05
Mr.. PENDLET0N.
THE TEXT OF HIS RECENT SPEECH on THE
NEW RULES
He Has Coca Reasons For Not Liking Counted
Qgorums-Ihs Speech Wei Received by
his Colleagues in the House.
EpsciaI Telscram % Ms Rsgislsr.

Special telegram to ths REGISTER.
WASHINGTON, February THE
speech which Mr.. PendletOn made dur
ing the debate on the rules in the House
was in opposition to Representative
Burrows amendment authorizing the
Speaker TO count q quorum. Mr.. Pen
dleton said:
''Mr. Speaker, naturally 1 am not
very fond Of this business Of counting
QuOrums, as I believe that once had TO
travel out OF the House rather uncere-
moniOusly, by virtue of the Speakers
exercise Of that power; so that 1t may
be easily SurmiSed that / am not In IA
vOr OF any rule that will enable the
Speaker 20 count one. Those who have
been here but 4 short time, myself in
cluded, can observe the mistakes that
are made almost every day by the
Speakers count, when there is a call
for a division and q vote is taken. Then
you have the yeas and nays, and there
never has been q time in my recollec-
tiOn when the yeas and nays did not re-
veal a different vote from the count
made by the Speaker on the division.
That alone, 1 should think, would
prove To the House that il was highly
important that no such power as this
should be intrusted TO the Speaker.
And If the majority had not intrusted
power OF that character to the Speaker
I'm the last House, Democratic members
can we'll recount the evils that would
have been avoided. When our Repub-
lican friends assembled here they found
that they had a majority Of only eight;
and with that majority they could not
have placed upon our statute books
single measure Of Republican legiSla-
tiOn. Upon the force bill there were
Republicans IN revolt, and that bill was
passed because Democratic members,
under this system OfcOUntlng aquorum,
had been turned out Of this House by
wholesale, and a larger Republican ma
jority created, so that that bill might
pass through the House.
III Speaker Reed had not had the
power Of counting a quorum, the cOun-
try would not be labOring under the In
fictionS and rascalities Of the Mckinley
biil.tO-day. IL the power OF counting
quorum had not been granted, Sl,O4S,-
600, 900 would not have represented the
expenditures Of the Fifty-hrsJ Congress.
And furthermore, gentlemen, II the
power 10 count a quorum had not been
granted by that House, half of the mem
berS upon the Republican side would
not have lost their seats, and the former
Speaker would probably be presiding
to-day. So, while 10 did a great deal OF
good 10 this latter respect, 10 inflicted a
vast amount Of evil In other respects,
,rrhfnb MN a n NOT s9ra In rapaar
''But II We look at this from another
standpoint, If the smallest bill that we
pass may have the yeas and nays de-
manded upon il, why should IL not be
that upon the important question or as
pertaining whether there is a majority
OF this House present 10 do business
upon that question, above and beyond
an, the yeas aud nays should be the
highest test and the sole test, count
made by the members OF the House
themselves, a count which can be cor
leeteG- easily enough the mex day, il any
mistakes be made, by the Record Itself?
Now, do not approve Of Governor HIPS
method, wherein he initiates the Repub-
lican party, but I apprehend-
Mr.. BOatner--"Eou make a mistake.
The Republican party undertook % fol-
low Governor HIPS example.
Mr.. PendletOu-" Well, they followed
a bad policy and bad example in this
regard, out l was about to say that l
apprehend the constitution Of the State
OF New York Is different document
and different instrument from the. con-
sitution OF the United States. / desire
TO submit 10 my friend from New York
TMr. RaineSl that II Governor Hill
stands upon that platform, and IL he
stands upon other that may be incOr-
rect, still he stands upon one thing that
my friend failed 10 mention, and that IS,
be stands upon the corpse OF the Re-
publican party in the State Of New
York" This concluding sally was
greeted with laughter and applause on
the Democratic side Of the House.