New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-01
yHE DrUOCRITS IND THE RULES.


II IS amusing to witness the tailI'ngS and
,wi,t.ng> Of the Democrats III me e"oi' thcy
ale making to persuade themselves ana the
country that the rucs they are auoP'lns 10
cavern the Transaction 81 business Ill IN"
Lid Congress are something else man poor
;m,t,t;,u of tho rules they were 50 NIcIonsy
aud violently dclonncing fonr years ago. They
admir- AZ they can scarcely help dong. that
the end they seek 20 secure = pIecl>e' '"e Gnu
held in view bv Mr.. Reed and the fepublicans
~ the LIST ConCrps, i j. now intended As
i was then. t. prevent unfair performances ~
, s,ubhnrn and inconSderatc minority The
means adoptod by the Republican Congress
,,o., f,,r,, and direct. They enabled the
House 70 come - final vo'e on III! SUBJECT
whenever il was pleased 10 do So ana tAeH
forbade dissenting members 10 exercise more
Lower. in deciding Il question, by sheIhlhg OUT
of the hall or by refusing u answes To thcir
names. than they could have exercised by
voting In every delbcrative assembly mem-
her'. vote is rightiulIy the highest ana com
pIete.t EXPRESSION of his authority, and 1t was
not tolerated by the last Republican congress
that any man by avoiding his duty should
prevent an action which he was unable To
ureycnt bv the fullest exercise Of his leglti-
mate power.
Speaker Crisp and the Democrats OF the
Lid Congress have made clumsy copy OF
these rules. They realize, OF course. the ridIcu-
lo,ls position they are IN. and III order 10 make
out at least Il yapuli>h shadow OF consistency
they are explaining that 1t was not :" mhch
the right of the House 10 contio! ana conduct
It's business against which they contended fonr
wears AGO as the self-as>umed power oil the
Speaker. They say they did not object 10
rules against fibustering. but to rules that
gave the Speaker the right t. decide what was
iilibnsteIing and at what time ard III what
manner il should be put down. or course, aN
a matter Of fact, there never were any such
rules The Republican Speaker was not the
master bit the servant Of the House. In every
,espect in which the rules authorized him 10
exercise judgment upon the propriely OF mo-
tons and proceedings IN appeal lay from his
decision 10 the decision OF the House. Inc
Democrats are making distinction without a
difference. and nobody knows that better than
themselves Their campaign against the rules
of the List Congress was plainly ana aNoNcdlN
a campaign in favor of the rght 10 hIlbu''cr'
They claimed that il was noco>sa! ana time
hOnorcd weapon Of the minority and they
iustlticd il rs the best and often the only pos
sblc method of arou>ing and holding public
attention. They talked about the tyranny oil
maiortieS and about the natural indifference
of the public 10 the acts OF their servants. and
they claimed that the right t. block 4 measure
bv parliamentary artiiicc was nccc>Sar! to lib
eIt} Their present attempt 10 put another
face upon the position they held four years
ago is the lodging of men tp9 ambitious 10 he
consistent and too cOwardly tU be candid.
The virtues of candor and consistency how
ever. have meyer been demanded Of the Dem
ocrit C party. They have resisted every gre at
and useful reform of the last thirty years only
70 indor>c it in the end. and often with rIdlcu-
lous impudcncc 10 claim II n OF their own m
vention In the course Of another term or
two. without doubt, they will adopt, the Hieed
rules verbatim, if, by chance. II is theirs to
saw what the rules shall be. The advance al
ready made toward the Republican position Is
both considerable and commendablc. Too
great a movement should not be expected OF
a party in a direction every inch OF which j.
confession and self cond cmnation.