The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1894-05-17
REro,s rc.hAnrHlr.

L
by the lf-tfar.
/ Republicans think that Mr. Reed is
/ rendering great service go the couu-
try in exposing the PARTISAN character
Of Speaker Crisps rulings as well as Tie
abscntecism OF the democrats.
The less Mr. Reed has TO say about
/ partisan rulings the better. 30 speaker
was ever more deliberately and ostcn-
| tatiously unfair than Mr. Reed II has
/ happened that he has been repeatedly
/ shut Off in his attempts at filibustcring
( by following prcccdcnts which he him-
self established.
/ As 20 the abscntecism OF democratic
members, il Is wholly incxcusablc, and
| there can be no objection 90 having at
/ tention called to it. Oi course, absent
/ eeism is not confined 10 democrats,
| but the latter, being responsible for
| legis alton, have stronger reasons for
/ being in attendance than the mem bers
/ OF the opposition.
/ Nevertheless, it Is only just, while
/ cx-Speaher Reed is calling attention To
| democratic neglect OF duty, that the at
/ tcntion Of the country should be called
| TO what Mr.. Reed is doing. lie is OBJ
/ structing the business Of the house.
/ lie Is refusing and instructng his fol-
/ lowers TO refuse to attend to the busi-
/ ness for which they were elected to
congress- lie is violating the rules Of
/ the house. While present at the daily
sessions he is pretending 10 be absent,
Il line OF conduct which hc has re-
peatedly characterized as wholly inde-
fcnsible.
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 majority2 Not at all Such
emergencies have occasionally arisen
in congress, and have been deemed JUS
tihcation for "A 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 MIR. Reed is trying TO do is to
force the house to adopt his patent de-
vice for securing quorums whether a
ma ajority of the members vote or not
Of counting members present, but re-
fusing to vote, and occasionally count
ing members that are not present The
country got atong for hundred years
without any such rule, but Mr.. Reed
wishes TO demonstrate that it cannot
now go on for n single session without
IA IA a. IL.
prove that, il a majority of the mem
bers will not do their duty, business
cannot be done under any system of
rules. But Mr. Reed is dcsirous of OBJ
tanning from the democrats vindica-
tion 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 ab.
scnteeism 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 lie and his friends are
fond of referring TO a decision OF tho
supreme court that the house could
make rules authorizing the speaker to
count Il quorum. They call this a vim
dication. As usual, they suppress the
rvaI pornJ at issue. Mr.. Reed counted
II quorum before any rule was made
authorizing him to do so, lie put under
his feet ruthlessly the preceden Is OF Il
hundred years before they had been
rendered inapplicablc by . change in
the rules II is this act that no change
of rules can ever Justify.
1t is understood that Mr. Reed Is a
candidate for the presidency. 1t 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 1t
a standstill awaiting the vindit alton OF
the rule which he created and enforced
before the house adopted I. Besides,
he must enjoy the spectacle of seeing
the friends and supporters ot his rivals
for the republican nomination cheer
fully doing his bidding while he seeks
to make himself the great issue and to
demonstrate that business cannot be
done without his consent Neverthe-
less ii remains to be seen whether this
course will impress the country rs a
demonstration of the surprising states
manship of Mr.. Reed. The great issue
which he proposes to the country is
whether it is proper to obstruct pub
lie business in order TO vndicate the
action OF "A member whom the coun.
try's bad luck elevated to the speaker.
ship four or five years ago. This is
the tremendous issue that the nomina-
tion of Mr. Reed would present TO the
country. Louisville Courier-Journal