Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-05-03
REED ON THE RAMPAGE.
The Great Issue Proposed to the Countr.
by the Ex-Czar.

REED ON HE HaMPAGE.
The Great Issue Proposed to the Country
by the Ex-Czar.
Republicans think that Mr.. Reed Il
rendering a great service to the coun-
try in exposing the partisan character
of Speaker Crisp's rulings as well as the
absenteeism of the democrats
The less Mr.. Reed has to say about
partisan rulings the better. No speaker
was ever more deliberately and osten-
tatiously unfair than Mr.. Reed It has
happened that he has been repeatedly
shut off in his attempts at filibustering
by following presidents which he him
self esta blished.
AS to the absenteeism of democrats
members, it is wholly inexcusable, ana
there can be no objection to having at
tention called to it. OF course, absent
eeism is not confined to democrats,
but the latter, BEING responsible for
legislation, have stronger reasons for
being in attendance than the mem bers
of the opposition.
Nevertheless, it Is only just, while
ex-Speaker Reed is calling attention TO
democratic neglect of duty, that the at
]ention of the country should be called
to what MIR. Reed is doing. He is OBJ
structing the business of the house
He is refusing and instructing his fol-
lowers to refuse to attend to the bust
ness for which they were elected to
congress He is violating the rules of
the house. While present at the daily
sessions he is pretending to be absent,
line of conduct which he has re-
peatedly characterized as wholly indie
fensible.
For what purpose is Mr.. Reed doing
this? To prevent the passage of some
revolutionary measure? To protect the
people from some invasion of their
rights by an arrogant and unscrupu-
lous majority? Not at all Such
emergencies have occasionally arisen
in congress, and have been deemed JUS
tihcation for resort to every sort of
obstruction that the rules put in the
power of the minority. 1t is known
that some of the worst measures ever
introduced into congress have been de-
feated in that way, and the sober sec
| ond thought of the country has APP
proved both the means and the end.
But Mr. Reed is not engaged in any
work of this sort
What Mr.. Reed is trying to do is to
force the house to adopt his patent de-
vice for securing quorums whether a
majority of the members vote or not
of counting members present, but re-
fusing to vote, and occasionally count
ing mem bers that are not present The
country got along for hundred years
without any such rule, but Mr.. Reed
wishes to demonstrate that it cannot
now go on for single session without
it. 1t requires no demonstration to
prove that, if a majority of the mem
bers will not do their duty, business
cannot be done under any system of
rules. But Mr.. Reed is DESTROYS of OBJ
tanning from the democrats a vindica-
ton of his autOcratic methods, and he
processes to think this important
enough to justify him in obstructing
public business. While he is focusing
public attention upon democratic alb
| senteeism, he is also giving the country
| the measure of his conception of states
manship.
No change in the rules can vindicate
| the conduct of Mr.. Reed when he occu-
| pied the chair. He and his friends are
| fond of referring to decision of the
supreme court that the house could
make rules authorizing the speaker to
count a quorum. They call this vim
dication. As usual, they suppress the
real point at issue. Mr.. Reed counted
a quorum before any rule was made
authorizing him to do so. He put under
his feet ruthlessly the preceden Is IF a
hundred years before they had been
rendered inapplicable by a change in
the rules 1t is this act that no change
| of rules can ever justify.
1t is understood that Mr.. Reed Is a
| candidate for the presidency. II Is, no
doubt, grateful to his feelings TO have
his action as speaker kept prominently
before the country. 1t is pleasant for
him to have the business of congress- at
a standstill awaiting the vindic alton of
the rule which he created and enforced
before the house adopted it Besides.
he must enjoy the spectacle of seeing
the friends and supporters of his rivals
for the republican nomination chsser-
fully doing his bidding while he sesks
| to make himself the great issue anc to
| demonstrate that business cannot be
done without his consent NevertAe-
less, it remains to be seen whether this
course will impress the country as q
demonstration of the surprising stateE-
manship of Mr.. Reed The great issue
| which he proposes to the country Is
whether it is proper to obstruct puh-
lie business in order to vindicate tae
action of a member whom the coun-
trys bad luck elevated to the speaker
ship four or Ave years ago. This is
the tremendous issue that the nomina-
ton of Mr.. Reed would present to the
country.-Louisville Courier-Journal
NOTES AND COMMENTS.