The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-29
TOM REEDS GREAT VICTORY.
FINALLY FORcRD To <DOPr
mrs RULES.

~ Ace the People Moedvvinkedt - Ths
rurr--e Ce-rt Never Decided the, str.
ssssa was Rish: In Cou,t,ss . auorur
U,der General rsrrsmsstsrT Law t
Left Tba, Aetior with sits Conscience
a v-ry Interesting Se..e In the uou-..
wAsutSaroS. April 2S.-The greatest arpar.
snt triumph achieved by any man In the Fifty
third Congress thus far Is that Of Thomas b.
Reed. His figure hereafter must loom In the
foreground Of Congressional Legislative pro-
cedure. In the Finy-nrst Congress- he assumed
the right 20 count a quorum under general
psrllam entsry law. lie did moro than this.
In the absence Of any rules for the government
OF the House. he refused to entertain motions
to adjourn and appeals from decisions OF the
Chair. on the ground that they were dilatnry
motions Thus he arrogAted to himself the
right Of questioning tho motives OF members
In making motions. under what no was pleased
to term general narliam entarJ law. OF course
he sould quote no pfccs1ents for such action.
lie quoted precedents mado by legislative
hcdles In the States, however. for counting a
quorum He did not quote his own deciara-
tion In the FortJ.slxth Congress that tho con-
stitutionsl Idea OF q quorum IL not the pres
ence OF majority" At that time he said: 1T
is not the physical presence Of members. but
their judgments and their votes. that the Con-
stitution rsquirea"
Every body remembers the terrific fight OF
three days that followed his assumption OF
the right to count q quorum under general
parliamentary law There were scenes OF ex-
0itement rarely paralloled In the House. IL
WAS Charles +. Crisp's magnificent fight
tGainst Mr.. Reeds action that afterward made
Tho Georgian tho successor OF the gentleman
from Maine Singular II 10 that no Demo crat
called to mind Mr.. Reeds uttsranres on the
f'oor OF the House ten years before. although
many were present who had heard them.
Ihey were made during the consideration OF
proposition by j. Randolph tucker to count
'hoss present and not voting to make quo
rum. Mr. Heed then held that the House had
no right to make such rule because the Con-
rtitution required the Judgments and votes OF
members. and not their physical presence
alone. Yet afterward he assumed the right
himself TO count quorum under general par
hamentary law.
The practice OF the House for hundred
years was thus changed By the arbitrary ao-
tion OF the Speaker. How arbitrary that nc
ton was appears in the following despatch
from James q. Blaine. former Republican
speaker oil the House:
WASHINGTON. April 13, 1881
& e@,s. .,;s'.; 10. hp s.,,ar Se',.sa.ht r.,
counted Ia any way wbsteyer. rhsy mny Se
censured BY the speaker for failing to perform
t4eir duty put the speaker cannot take cog
sponJ TO che roll call Jswps q Br.ise
ri. 80,
v,,S,,s s.r wv ~, Vn iut'y rom
49, -. =. IN .'o As Lote's
80 W '0A"' "HN"iNA 'oi pe'V
ws
'kso' "', .on
-. 80 'oioeu W en's,'"in an appeai nom
,s .ee'son' nsae' .. m1 Unsp, MAJOR Mc.
q .. ..e. "o spea ', 'o'o.
-, 's MS o"h ueois'on' eno
.t ~. ,o'e' VI Quorum on tue
~ e T n No coun'eu '"ehu-
~ . - . "o.'s,eu duo-
-. ..I.s '"as "'e "'o''ion
w." 80. nv s We. spVn 'ni' wy. ihoro-
~ $50. ~, .s o, o",.s "is
T. S..-..S 80. ,., 70
ar. u 80 'ouou 'n"'
800 A"' " nAAe aufouni-
=, ,,.
~: 49,, Wv ' "sa rv'eu ~"en
49,, th... -. 49, W .Ao,o n,.
: $3.50. o. ~ p" A'S oeon sun. e"auom u
A. - 49, 800 ~ s.; 'sp""su esse'tlou
80 - s"o oo'''' "au sus,Hino, MS ASTON. Du.
ar, Nv oea 1890 a ms IAN. III VIC" VI .no 'ae'
."a. 10 ooun'et auoium W sustain MS own
~ ,ha -. =, 40 H Io' auu von'iS
~ 80 80 '. ~, ~ i'o"sV s"n"o. oe 'eoh'
-,,,h 80 o m"Io'Iv resting easp
,lsctiop case but thsy were carsful not 10 nm.
,ent the Democrn, wltbout having +. voting
II would have given him A case on
Vii. n hs might have anns.lad m the sup,ama
court. and undsr ia daeIsion have had NJ,
Reeds ruling condemned. Tho Ronubiican.
the situation. They we're cAreful
10 unssnt no moro Democrat, until thew had
'orm uIatsd rules giving Mr.. Reed tha M war 10
rount a quorum.
Ifany man ON tina Dsmocr.tie aida NJ thu
Uous@ when Judge J.ckson wa. unsaotad
had predicted that within four year. a Dame.
,rntIc House with n maioritv n, ~ and a Min
,aIity of "a members. vould follow Mr. Raaa'a
ootstsps BY adoptins n r.salution nrovlding
oy the counting Of a quorum present and mot
IDtlng. he would have been Ian chad IN soorn
Yet this Is precisely what has bsen done. Th.ra
IA this difference ThaIDamo.r,tIo snaakar
an mot count A ouornm 10 raasont the Rad