Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-19
Tho New Rules.

The House Of Representatives. adopted
on Tuesday a rule which 1t is hoped may
hav, the effect OF cXpediting legislation
jn that body. IL Is too soon. OF course
~ uuI,rtakc - say with any great d'-
rroc Of confidence that H." new rue
VIII operate as its cxpoundefs expected
and expect # t. operate. We have had
fre1ucut occasion in our lifetime to cal
attention 90 acts Of legislation which had
orrratll precisely as their advocates had
not intended nor desired them to act -
il may prove to De IN the case before US
On TUESDAY. soon after the new rule had
gone I'M. operation MI Livingston raised
rho r1iut Of order that under it, operation
the ron could DO called but once The
$, ak,r promptly overrulcd the point "i
order. A4ain: The press reports tell us
that ,lc most noticeable thing about the
first roll-can under the now rule was that
in order for the tcllers Tor rather clerks
+, keep tally correctly they had to oc-
cnpv three quarters Of an hour in its
completion.
Aa4in. II does not VT appear how the
members ar, 10 be- kept in the body Of
d.. House OF Representatives there u De
counted under the now rule I'm making
up quorum. 1t has heretofore been
construed a most annoying ihins lor
IN. members 10 fail 10 answer to their
nam S.: and an old copy Of the Congress
sioul Record showing members az
seree from Ioll~cal time after time has
lc.n one Of the most formidable weapons
frf ma ffs
l.e. against mmLcr. Hut II Is entirely
...hlc that hereafter ana very soon IL
may become as common ana allowable
u.ne. for members To step out OF 'he
House as it has heretofore been ior theW
t. sit I'm their seats and refuse 10 answer
10 their names when called. In some way
succ. ysful nlihustQinr may yet be done
I'm fine House Of Representatives. How
ever tn House will be taught by eXpe-
ricnce. and win rise to the requirements
of tie situation \ heavy fine may nave
10 b. imposed upon the members a.
means of enforcing tie new rule or some
other device will be brought into the ser
vice Of tn House Of Representatives. IN
,nc effort to make that body perform the
work which the trainers Of the Constitu-
,ino intended il 10 perform. This Work
is IL raison d'otre. II it cannot leSisiate
il is au cxcrescence on the body-pohhc'
and our form of government Is failure
J4.~e Let us say that W. advised the
Democrats of the Fifty-,econd congress
- resort to such rules as they might
lind II necessary 10 adopt In oider TO
max. their control of that body to be
.,cb q control as would result In afirma-
ti,. action We took the ground theh'
and have ever since malntainel H. uA"I
g. would be unwise and failure 10 aN"h
,hsn-alyes Of their constitutional rights
for the Democrats 10 refrain from the
odoption OF such rules as the kepuolCdnS
had employed in order to carry out ther
eche,n,s. II would, We contended, De 10
,l,v the game Of Heads l lose, tails you
win " with the Republicans for the Demo-
cra;s 70 decline to use expecting rules
and The Republicans be allowed 10 use
them whenever they needed them or H''s"'
think they needed them
We must not overlook the fact that inc
Senate has no such rules as the heeu
r,,,ss or the new rules adopted on wed
nesday by the House Of Representatives.
Tho Senate it was that kept up "high ue-
bate, so long on the bill TO repeal the
purchasing clause Of the Sherman act
THAT body disdains To make It's rules
such as the House Of Representatives mas
found 1t necessary 10 make 1or It's own
government. SO that although under the
C,,su rules the lower branch of Congress
may hurry up business, yet under the
Senate rules, as these stand, the hi'ous-
terins may be transferred from the House
of Representatives to the Senate. But as
administering is considered undignihed ana
unsenatorial, It is possible that the mem
bers of the Senate OF both parties may
agree to change their rules 30 as 10 pro-
vide for expediting legislation rather than
10 resort to filibusterlng
1.-The times change, and we change with
Them" This has always been true OF
mankind. and will forever continue to be
true. Let no congressman be ashamed TO
make his record what the exigencies Oh
the times demand 1t should be.