The morning call., 1894-04-19
"CZAR REED"

1t looks as though the sobriQuet which
Speaker Reed won in the Fifty-first Con-
gress was going TO prove title of honor
For after three years of rebellion against
the doctrine of the member from Maine
the Democrats have now, OF their own &C.
cord, resOrted to his method as the only
plan of securing useful legislation.
1t really seems strange that there should
have been any difference of opinion on the
question. Mem beers of Congress are elected
not to throw obstacles in the way of legis-
lation, but to legislate for the interests of
their constituents and the country at large.
Ii a candidate should 60 before the people
and announce that in the event of his cleo
ton he would feel himself free to obstruct
the conduct Of the public business in the
nope of embarrassing his party antago-
nsts, the odds are that his own partisans
would vote to keep him at home. Ii is the
right aud the duty of Congressman to ex-
haust his endeavors TO carry the measures
which his party deem best for the public
welfare: having done this, and failed for
want Of votes, 1t behooves him to acqul-
esce in the legislation upon which ma
]ority of the representatives of the people
do agree. 1t is no part of his business to
obstruct or filibuster. he may record his
vote in opposition to the action of the m a
jority in order to place himself right upon
the record, and to estsb a basis for
reversal of the policy of the majority, if
the people change their minds. But he is
bound, when he accents the mandate of his
constituents, TO fulfill that mandate by
taking his part in legislation il only as a
member of a dissentient minority. If he
acts otherwise he is derelict in his duty.
The fashion lately pursued by Congress
men Of sitting In their seats and refusing
to answer TO their names in order to break
a quorum was simply revolutionary. 1t
operated to defeat the purpose of the
Speaker in ordering call of the House
and requiring the sergeant-at-arms TO bring
in absent members. If the memb ers. after
being brought in by the sergeant-at-arms,
can sit in their rlaces and refuse to an
swer to their names what is the object of
the call? The whole business reduced
the action Of Congress to an absurdity.
If the minority party can defeat legisla-
tion by breaking a quorum at pleasure;
the majority party can only carry its meas
ures by bargain with its opponents. and
thus the real control of the House passes
from the hands of the majority into the
hands of the minority, which is absurd.
Both parties have now agreed on max
ing Congressman perform the duties for
which they were elected. and the era of
filibusterism has come TO an end. The
people are to be congratulated on the re-
suit. It was high time. Even with the
elaborate system of committees. which re-
lieves the House of the consideration of
details and spares ii the infliction Of windy
speeches, il strains the capacity of the $50
members to transact the business which
comes before them. The country is grow
ing so fast, its interests are so varied. so
many new laws are required and so many
old laws need to be repealed. that however
late the long session sits number OF
measures W hich are wanted are always left
over and the catalogue of unfinished bust
ness increases yearly. tits becoming vital
that the House should not lose a day
through parliamentary trickery or partisan
devices. Even with the new rule the party
which happens to be in power will always
be accused Of negligence for its failure to
pass bills which it really had not time to
digest.
LII il perhaps expecting 100 mucn Oh pub
lie virtue to look for an early adoption of
the previous question in the Senate. That
body appears now to exist mainly to illus
trate the art of how-not-to-do-it; as such it
sometimes fulfills useful negative pur-
pose In preventing bad legislation. but
though the lightweight Senators of the
United States comprise among them a
larger proportion of worth and intelligence
than any other body of men which can be
named, their dilatory proceedings and
their tedious debates have engendered In
the public mind feeling which is akin to
contempt. Some dav public Indignation
will assume formidable shape; and then
perhaps the Senate will awake to the fact
that it cannot afford to permit time which
belongs to the people to be consumed to no