The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-02-28

obedience to the rules OF the house and
d fance of its authority. These pro-
ceedings he holly denounced, amid
Kisses and cries of "shame," as an
archy and revolution, and vehemently
declared:
"If we resolve ourselves into body of
anarchists and if some one in that gallery
should pour down dynamite bomb and eX-
plode it among us, he wonld be no less and
no more of an anarchist than members!
And If gentlemen believe that in the condi-
ton of this country at this time, If they be-
lieve, when the business interests of this
country are not prospecting; when millions
of people are out of employment; when men
are begging for bread; when they are in the
throes of hunger and starvation; when they
are looking to this house and this congress
for relief; when they expect we will do
something in the nature of relief, we may
turn ourselves into a body of filibusterers
and obstructiodsts and of anarchists, de-
spite our own rules, and set at defiance the
laws of our Country,-Can we expect that
these millions will not also become anar-
Chists, and set at defiance the laws of this
country? They have had an example from
us. | say, Mr.. Speaker, the times are not
propitious for the proceedings of this house.
We were sent here to do our duty. We are
here and we are supposed to be doing our
duty, when large masses of people are beg
ging for bread The people of this country
do not go to their beds in comfort, in peace
in safety, and we are teaching to the anar-
ChiSt mobs in this country that mObbism is
the prevailing rule in this house."
a democratic member broke in on
this angry arraignment of his party as
sociaes by one of their own number,
with an inquiry as TO when the gem
tlemau from Missouri was constituted
lee ur,r of The democratic party" Mr..
Bland pertiueutly retortod that Z" it was
the duty OF tbs house TO remain in their
seats and make quorum, and, if that is
lecturiug, it is lecture that the people
of this country will read TO the gentle
man and to every other gentleman on
this fl)0r.' Continuing, the infatuated
member said:
Now, sir what spectacle it is to see
the grand democratic party, with its major
ity of eighty in this house, unable to muster
quorum of its own people, and when they
do come in here they rise in their congress
sional dignity and defy the authority of the
house. Mr.. Speaker, we must proceed with
the business of this house or else acknowl-
edge our incompetency If we cannot as
party proceed to do our duty here and
transact the public business, then the peo-
pie of this country will read the riot act to
us in November,next."
And Mr.. Bland was entirely right.
When the Missouri volcano had burned
out, Mr.. Reed took the floor, and the
revenge he had must have been sweet
indeed Cool, deliberate and cutting,
he repeated his argument for counting
quorum. The occasion was oppor-
tune, and he seized it. AS to whether
member who was present should vote,
that was a question between him and
his constituents; but it was the duty of
that member to help furnish quorum
of the house. The whole difficulty lay
in the fact that the party in power was
denying members their constitutional
right of constituting a quorum by their
presence. In sustaining the correct
ness of his position, Mr.. Reed argued
with all his peculiar force and direct
ness. He said, in conclusions:
"Day in and day out the call of the house
has disclosed the presence OF quorum of
225 MEMBERS or thereabouts-a present
| quorum; and this body was legally constr
tuted; this body was working body, under
the constitution; this body had right to 60
on; and every member had a right to de-
mand that it should go on. Instead of that,
this body has been treated as if it were not
| the house of representatives, when it was:
1t has been treated as not constitutional
body, when 1t was; and a new requirement
unknown to the constitution, the require
ment OF voting quorum. has been substi-
tuted for present quorum. / fully sympa-
thize with what the gentleman from Mis-
souri,, Mr.. Bland, said in regard to fl
clustering and NOISY conduct in the
house, and will say to him that I sympa-
thized four years ago with the feeling which
he has now [laughter] and while it has
taken long time to bring him to sound
doctrine, and to the true faith, we are none
the less rejoiced that he has at last got there
and we hope that when the next congress
comes in, II it should turn out as he pre-
dicts-and he seemed this morning to have
the spirit OF prophecy upon him laughter
| III 1t should turn out as he predicts, that
righteousness is to prevail, / am quite sure,
after what he has said to-day, that it will
not have to prevail over a portion of the
noise that it had to prevail over the last
| time. Now, Mr. Speaker, | sincerely hone
that the house will take warning from what
has happened, and will proceed in the right
way, proceed in accordance with the con-
stitution, proceed in accordance with what
their common sense has already told them.
OF course, the conclusion is more or less I'M
pleasant for individuals who have been
very vocferous at times upon this subject.
OF course it would be unpleasant for them
to take the other view and do differently
from what they have done. But they
ought to be patriotic enough to sacrifice
their private feelings for the public good.
You have undertaken to proceed in man
ners that were not aightforward, because
you wanted to avoid any little personal re-
proach that might happen to you, and the
result has been that you have been getting
into difficulty after difficulty, until you
now find yourselves where you are. Is it
not time to retrace your steps, take the true
basis, and live happily ever afterward"'