Daily Texarkana Democrat., 1893-08-30
CRISP SCORES REED.
Republican Methods, as Enunciated
by Reed, Exposed.


called Mr.. Richardson, of Tennessee
to the chair, and replied to the crlti-
cisms of the gentleman from Maine
in splendid speech. He said there
were provisions in this code which
were taken substantially from the
rules of the Fifty-frst Congress-
Neither himself nor any member OF
the committee ON rules would refrain
from reporting rules simply because
they were part of the rules of the Fif-
ty-tirst Congress. Very much OF
those rules was to be commended,
much of those rules had been by the
country absolutely condemned, The
gentleman from Maine (Mr. Reed,
when he stood up before the country
and spoke Of tho rules of the Fifty
first Congress, failed to speak of the
practices adopted before these rules
were adopted, which were so odious
to the country [Applause.l
The first action in the Fifty-frst
Congress which was so odious to the
country was not an action on the part
of the Speaker without authority of
rules, but without authority of any
one. [Applause.l When the charges
were made against the Fifty-frst
Congress, let no one forget that the
first charge was that, without author
ity of the House, without the author
ity Of the committee on rules, the
Speaker had exercised a power that
had never been granted to him. Zap
plause.l He had assumed upon him
self the power to count quorum.
The question had gone to the Supreme
Court of the United States, and the
gentlemen from Maine, (Mr. Reed),
lad never been justified. lie had
heard the gentleman from Maine say
that the Supreme Court had justified
his course. The Supreme Court had
not touched the question, The Su-
preme Court had said that the House
had a right to make its own rules for
its own government and make its
own provisions for the ascertainment
of a presence of quorum, but it had
never said that the Speaker should
make the rules. [Applause.l
The gentleman had referred to
power lodged in the committee on
rules. Let him Crisp call the gen
tlemaA's attention to the distinction
that existed between the policy of the
gentleman from Maine and the policy
of the present committee Of rules The
gentleman from Maine believed the
power should be lodged in the Speak
er absolutely TO decide what was a di-
latory motion. Under the system pro-
posed by the committee on rules,it was
left to the House to decide whether
the motion was dilatory or not. The
system adopted by the Fifty-second
Congress, and now readopted by the
committee Of rules, was to maintain,
not the individual judgement of the
chair, but the judgement Of the ma
jority of the House. The Speaker was
not granted the authority to control,
the committee was not granted such
authority, the authority rested in the
majority of the House. Under the
rules proposed ,dilatory motions would
be avoided, for the House had due
power to reach thai result
by a report from the COM
mittee on rules. The power lodged
In that committee was simply to re-
port a proposition. The committee
could not adopt cloture. 1t could not
fix the order of business without the
consent of the House. In the Fifty
second Congress there had been oppo-
sition TO the operation of the rules
that had prevailed in the Fifty-first
Congress. Instead of following the
old method, when filibustering could
not have been stayed, instead Of fol
i lowing the rules of the Fifty-frst
Congress, The Nfty-second Congress
had taken o middle course. To him II
was q source of pleasure and delight
that the people had endorsed that
course and had returned large Dem
ocratic majority to the House, The
people had decided that they did moi
believe that any man who was sent
here as their representative should be-
come their master. TApplause.
No man could indicate to them
[Applause.l
Whenever, in recent years, Republi
cans had como into power in .thi'
House their lease Of power had beer
one term. Mr.. Keifer had beer
Speaker one torn ard then he and hi
party had beer repudiated. ZAP
plause.l He Crisp preferred the ap
proval Of the Ysople that he repre-