Omaha daily bee., 1894-03-06
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BLOCKING PUBLIC BUSINESS.
The experience Of the present house Of
representatives In the blocking Of public
business for want Of a quorum. although the
number OF members necessary to make
quorum was nearly always present at the
sessions Of the house, appears to have con-
vlncad considerable proportion OF the
democratic majority that there should be
change in the rules that will prevent re-
currence of this experience. caucus to
consider this matter is to be held tonight
and the best informed opinion is that some
thing will be agreed upon that will effect
the desired result. A great many demo-
Gratis are in favor Of adopting rule to count
all members present for the purpose OF max
ing quorum who may decline to answer
the roll call. There is decided opposition to
following the rule Of the Fifty first congress,
which gave the speaker authority to count
those who refused to respond to the call OF
the clerk chiefly on the ground that to do
SO would be a stultincaton of the position
Of the democrats in that congress- ana II Is
thought that some other plan may be found
that will be equally eflicacious and still be
a distinctively democratic device
On the other hand, it is said that some OF
the democrats, and among them Speaker
Crisp. do not think there is any necessity
for amending the rules in the direction sug-
gosted The speaker is not in sympathy
with any of the plans for counting quorum
He will argue, It is said, that the efficacy
of the rule fixing the order of business has
been shown in the unusually severe case OF
nj. t,iII 4 ,,sin uIp hqt
of the we'll organized opposition to the
measure the fact that that measure had to
be disposed of made even the opposition con-
clude that 1t would be useless to hold out.
The speaker will tell the caucus so 1t is
said, that he has no fear that the house
will get into such condition that he cannot
handle it. If this is Mr.. Crisps position
there is not likely to be an amendment OF
the rules providing for counting a quorum,
and it is to be remarked that this attitude
would be entirely consistent on the part of
the speaker. Few democrats in the Fifty
first congress fought more strenuously than
he the rule authorizing the counting of
quorum and he could not favor such rule
now, nor do less than persstently oppose it,
without subjecting himself to rdicue or
worse His course in the matter will have
much influence, if it does not determine the
action of the caucus.
So far as the republicans are concerned 1t
is stated they will support with unan-
unity any rule providing for counting
quorum. Indeed, they could not well do
otherwise The practice originated with
them, and at the organization of both the
Fifty-second and Fifty-thrd congresses they
urged the democrats to adopt the rule of
tho Fifty-frst congress on this point. The
majority, however, refused to give the least
consideration to the suggestion and restored
the old practice under which a minority of
the house may block the public business by
breaking a quorum through the simple pro-
cess of refusing to vote when their names
are called. The idea that democrats should
refuse to adopt rule for counting a quo
rum because its adoption would vindicate
eX-Speaker Reed is absurd in view of the
fact that results under the present practice
have given the republican plan the strongest
possible vndication. Besides, the counting
of a quorum has been upheld by a decision
of the supreme court. The minority in the
Fifty-frst congress suffered no abridgment
of their proper parliamentary rights and
ceved every fair and reasonable considera-
tlon, but they were not allowed to carry
factious opposition to the extreme of blocking
of public business. and no minority should
be allowed to do this. The vital principle
of our political system is that the majority
shall rule. and the republicans of the Fifty
first congress simply recognized and gave
effect to this principle. There are demo-
Gratis in congress who are willing to follow
this example. but it is hardly probable that
a majority of them can be induced to do so.