The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-08-12
FAILURES RECORD.


compare it from business standpoint
with the fifty-flrst congress, than is
ex-Speaker, Thos. B. Reed, and the
review which he has written of the
first session Of the t1fty-secOnd con-
gress presents it's weaknesses and its
failures, and whatever little goodness
it may have contained to the public
in most graphic light.
The first mistake which the present
congress made was in the adoption OF
it's rules, in that it did not follow the
footsteps of its predecessor and adopt
code whereby it could do business.
But as Mr.. Reed says Democracy had
burdened the air with so many out
cries against these rules that they
could not go to the extent of endors-
ing them at that time. Yet, if bust
ness was to be transacted they must
make some change, so they specially
arranged with the committee on rules
that the power which they had so Bit
terly complained of, and which in the
previous congress had been exercised
impartially on all bills, should be used
on special occasions. OF course this
allowed the speaker chance to exer-
else his power as tyranically as his
party associates declared his predeces-
sOr had done. And at times he did.
Yet, in spite of this the Democratic
rules were failure and much of the
time was wasted on roll calls and
trivial debate, and all measures Of
Importance were passed under suS-
pension of the rules and by sheer force
of members.
Probably no action of the fifty first
congress was more criticised by the
Democrats than its persistence to
transact business. After reasonable
length of time debate was cut off. and
bills put upon their passage. This was
characterized as Czarism by the Demo
Gratis. Yet in all the history of the
tifty-frst congress there was no such
INSCRIPTIONS suppressions of debate
and shameless 'railroading" of bills
as was witnessed in the House just
adjourned. The manner in which
this was done is best given in Mr..
Reeds own words:
ION the 9th day of June, after a
session of six months, Mr.. Holman
was forced to rush through the House
the Legislative, Executive and Judi
cial Appropriation bill carrying S22,-
100000, occupying fifteen Record col
umns of the finest type, covering
thousands of items and containing
$780, 900 words, under suspension OF
the rules, with fifteen minutes debate
on either sidei One minute to every
ten thousand words and forty seconds
to every million dollars. On the same
day was passed, under similar sus-
pension Of the rules, bill to admit
Arizona as a state, a proposition hith-
erto never seriously discussed. Fifteen
minutes were allowed each side. On
the same day, also, New Mexico had a
bill passed to admit her as state,
with like limitations as to debate.
Just think of it, fifteen whole minutes
to discuss such a question as that!
Surely, there never was such farce.
The question of the admission of New
Mexico is not at all political ques-
tion, or, if it is, the politics sink into
insigniticance compared with the
complex question arising out of the
nature of the population and its rela-
tion to the rest of the Union. On
this question the wiSeSt men OF both
parties even in New Mexico hesitate,
and this Democratic House illustrates
the freedom of debate and the wisdom
of deliberatlon by deciding the whole
matter in thirty minutes. This is
wisdom shod with the shoes of swift
ness. On that same day also under a
similar suspension of the rules and
with fifteen minutes OF debate on
either side the Anticipation bill was
passed. Fifteen minutes Of debate
on the Anticipation bill in House of
332 members! Why, one Senator,
and he new man, took five hours to
state his views, and during the time
L listened to him he did not seem to
be wasting words. Here was bill
which may disarrange the commerce
of the world-a bill. on which hangs
more hopes and fears than any bill of
the last ten years, and this bill has
passed the House on the theory that
the House has only fifteen minutes of
wisdom to be bestowed on either side
of the question Against these bills
there had been no factious opposition,
and not even hint of proposed delay.
They had never been debated before
and attention had never in any way
been called to either Of them. No
public discussion of them had taken
place outside. and the excuse that the
subjects were familiar could not be
urged. 1t was simply wanton incom-
petence. The time of the House had
been so wasted by lack of system and
want of leadership that debate was
impossible and deliberation unattain-
able"
In the matter of economy the fifty
second congress did not redeem the
promises that the party which con-
trolled the House made to the people.
The Republican congress pre-
ceding it was condemned for it's ex-
travagance in appropriating S463, O00,-
900 at it's first session. But the pres
ent House was elected upon the cry of
economy passed that limit by 0,0O0,-
OO0 If this vast sum is perfectly