The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-10-18
Wanted-..An Hour of Tom Reed.

" The test of endurance " instituted
in the United States 9nate for the dis
posal of the silver repeal bill signally
failed to accomplish its purpose. After
session continuing from Wednesday
at eleven O'Clock A. NJ until nearly
two o'clock on Friday morning, Mr..
voorhees,, finding himself unable to
command the presence of quorum,
was compelled to move an adjourn
ment. The time was consumed by the
opponents of repeal in the making of
dilatory motions and in interminable
and senseless speechmaking. Senator
Allen Of Washington spoke thirteen
hours without interruption. Other sem
ators of the opposition consumed many
hours in speech-making. Frequent
calls of the senate were made TO estab-
lish the fact of the presence of gu =
rum. In the closing hours of the
"lest" this expedient was resorted o
every few minutes. No sooner had
the yeas and nays been called, aud the
the question was again raised and again
call OF the senate required. In these
dlatory proceedings the weary hours of
tie long session were pass 3D. There
was no aspect or purpose of delibera-
ton. 1t was the boast and threat of
the leaders of the minority that they
would employ all means to prevent the
senate from voting on the pending
question. 1t was indeed rebellion, open,
defiant rebellion, against the right of
the majority to transact business. This
rebellion had not occurred as protest
against an act of tyranny, or an attempt
to deprive the minority of any of its
rights. For some six weeks the pend
ing measure had been under discussion,
and the bulk of this time had been oc-
cuped by its opponents. Every posi-
BILE phase of the question had been dis
cussed and every possible objection to
the measure stated.
A generation ago, under democratic
president, a rebellion against the right
of the majority TO rule was instituted.
A democratic president enunciated the
doctrine that in the constitution there
existed no power to coerce a sovereign
stale. So the chief executive sat SUI
pinely down and calmly surveyed the
preparations for the destruction of this
government. In the United States
senate, under another democratic ad-
ministration, another rebellion against
the ght of the majority to rule is in
stituted. The doctrine maintained is that
there is no power to compel the senate
to act upon an important question after
deliberation has been exhausted, and
again democratic authority i, powerless
to enforce the plain mandates of law
and reason. In great emergency,
during the progress of the civil war,
Thaddeus Stevens found in the war
powers of the constitution the uholi y
to issue the greenback and thus provide
the financial means for maintaining the
Union. In the existing emergency in
the senate, republican statesmen who
were equal to every test of statesman
ship during the long period of the civil
war aud the troubuus times that fol
lowed, ind in the right of the majority
to rule-the basic principle of this gov
ernm, ample authority for ending
the rebellion in The senate. A mat
having the patriotism aud the capacity
for great undertsk king, such as were
once exhibited by John Quincy Adams
NJ d such as were recently displayed by
Thomas b. Reed when he subdued |
similar rebe lion in the house of repre-
sentatives, in The chair of the senate
would speedily rtstore in hat body thu
sup emacy OF fundamental law. In tn,
closing halt Of The nlneteenh century
democracy and anarchy appear to hav
become synonymous terms. What I'M
sen ate needs Is an hour Of Tom Rec
under republican supremacy.