The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-09-02
CRISP ON REED.
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The Committee on Rules in the House of
Representatives. Tuesday reported rules for
the guidance of the body x-Speaker Reed,
the Gar of the Fifty first Congress, criticised
the report, and then Speaker Crisp, calling
Mr.. Richardson, of Tennessee, TO the Chair,
replied to Mr.. Reed. He said there were
provisions in this code which we're taken sub.
siantialy from the rales of the Fifty first
Congress. Neither himself nor any member
Of the committee on rules would refrain from
reporting rules simply because they were part
of the rules ofthe Fifty-first Congress. Very
much of those rules was to be commended;
very much of those rules had been by the
country absolutely condemned. [Applause.
The gentleman from Maine Mr.. Reed
when he stood up before the country and
spoke of the rules of the Fifty first Congress
failed to speak of the practices adopted be
fore the rules were adopted, which were so
odious to the country. Applause. The
first action in the Fifty-frst Congress which
was odious to the country was not an action
under any rule, but it was the arbitrary, high
handed action on the part Of the Speaker
without authority Of rules, without authority
of anyone. [Applause.] When the charges
were made against the Fifty FIRST Congress.
let no one forget that the first charge was
that without the authority Of the House,
without the authority of the committee on
rules, the Speaker had exercised power
that had never been granted to him. APP
plause.
He had assumed upon himself the power
to count a quorum. The question had gone
to the Supreme Court of the United States,
and the gentleman from Maine Mr.. Rsed)
had never been justified. He had heard the
gentleman from Maine several times say that
the Supreme Court had justified his course.
The Supreme Court had not touched the
question. The Supreme Court had said that
the House had u right to make its rules for
its own government and make It's own proyi
sions for the ascertainment of the presence of
quorum, but it had never said that the
Speaker should make these rules. Ap
plause. The gentleman had referred TO the
power lodged in the committee of rules. Nc
Crisp called the gentleman's attention to the
distinction that existed between the policy OF
the gentleman from Maine and the policy OF
the present committee on rules The gen
tleman from Maine beloved that the power
should be lodged in the Speaker absolutely
TO aecide what was diiatory notion I'm
der the system proposed by the committee on
rules it was left to the House TO decide whether
the motion was diiatory or not.
The system adopted by the Fifty-second
Congress, as now readopted by the commit
vidual judgment of the chair, but the Judg
ment of the majority OF the House The
Speaker was not granted the authority TO con
troll legisiaton; the committee on rules 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 the power To
reach that result by Il report from the com
mittee on rules. The power lodged in that
committee was simply to report il proposition.
The commit tee could not adopt cloture- Ii
could not fix the order of business without
the consent Of the House.
In the Fifty second Congress there had
been opposition 10 the operation of the rules
that had prevailed in the Fifty first Congress.
Instead of following the old method, when
filibnstering could not have been stayed, in
stead of following the rules of the FIFTY first
Congress the Fifty second Congress had taken
a middle course To him it was source of
pleasure and delight that the people had in
dorsed that course and had returned large
Democratic majority to the House.
Mr.. Keifer had been Speaker one term and
then he aud his party had been repudated.
The gentleman from Maine Mr.. Reed had
been Speaker for one term aud then he and
his party had been repudiated. Applause,
He (Mr. Crisp preferred the approval of the
people that he represented to the approval OF
u man who believed that he had the right to
exercise all power and claimed, forsooth, that
in doing so he had permitted the majority to
rule GApplause. The gentleman from
Maine Mr. Reed had stated by arrogant as
sertion that the Fifty-irst Congress should be
regarded as an example that should be
followed by all Congresses. Against that
proposition be (Mr. Crisp desired to enter
his protest He felt as the people of the
country felt-that the Fifty first Congress was
an usurpation that ought to he repudiated,
and with the people he repudiated it, here
and now. Applause.