Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1892-03-19
xor CASE.

days for the consideration Of BANDS
free coinage silver bill. has been com
mented on by the opposition press as be.
ing more autocrstic than the worst OF
Speaker Reeds most t~yrsnnical rulings
in the last Congress. II is singular how
. very simple and sensible thing can be
magnifed into something very outrage
Gus by q bitter partisan press hav'
ing little regard for the truth. The new
Democratic rules provide that ia Com
mittee on Rules, consisting Of FIVE mem
bers, three Democrats and two Repuo-
licans, shall have power to report resolu-
tions from time to time to the House
making certain subjects Of importan
general legislation special orders for con-
sideration. Neither private, nor individ-
ual, nor local bills can be given prefer
ence under this power, which includes
only subjects Of general legislation affect
iugthe whole country. Whatsubieet could
be more general or vital to the people
than the rehabilitation Of silveri II is
worthy Of note in this connection that
while the three Democratic members OF
the Committee on Rules stood by the
people TO make the silver bill Q special
order for consideration, Messrs. Reed
and Burrows, the two Republican mem.
bers, voted against ID. But as to the
common sense Of the rule itself there
can be no question. II simply contem-
plates majority rule and majority respon'
sibility in q most decent and orderly
way. 1t has frequently been found i'm
possible to get questions Of great import
auce before the House for consideration.
Under the new rule The dominant party
can, through the Committee on Rules,
bring before the House such matters as
nay seem to deserve legislative stten-
ton. And that is all there is OF it.
When the resolution for IN assignment
Of any particular question as . special
order is once submitted to the House, the
adoption or rejection Of the resolution
itself is open to sll Of the old p%srliamen-
tary tactics of 6libustering, breaking
quorums and all the other arts Of the
minority. But in the present case the
enemies Of silver were not strong enough
to hinder or thwart the will OF the ma
jority. 1t must not be forgotten that
the Democratic rules do not confer on
Speaker Crisp the power to count a
quorum when none has voted, as in the
last Congress. Tom Reed counted and
recorded as voting in his Congress 9
member whom it afterwards trsnspired
was not only not in the Capitol at all, but
was . thousand miles away in Chicago.
He passed bills and turned Democrats
out Of contested seats with the presence
Of but l57 members actually in sight in
the House, when it required one hun.
dred and sixty-fve to constitute a
quorum or majority to do business. No
would object seriously If he had con-
fined his operations to q majority in
sight in the House whether voting or
not. But if he could pass laws with less
than a majority present. Why have any
one except himself present! The Supreme
Court has held that the House can make
rules to govern its own proceedings, and
that among these rules there may be one
for counting q quorum when members
shall refuse to vote, but the other idea
Of enacting laws with less than the ma
lority required by the constitution pres
emit was not considered. 1t is better for
the future Of this government that there
shall always be a majority oil the peo-
pies chosen representatives present when
anything important is done. We are
fast enough toward centraliza-
tion and one-man power in this country,
and will get there soon enough. But for
papers to pretend to assume
that tine new Democratic rule for getting
questions before the House through the
on Rules. is more arbitrary
than the course followed by Speaker Tom
Reed in the last Congress, Is almost too
preposterous to be talked about. The
Of such stupid or dishonest
will not mislead any person who
as much brains as . tomtit.