New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-23
THE FAMOUS FREED RULE"
AN X-CONGRESSMAN'S PICTURE OF THE
SCENE WHEN IT WAS FIRST
ENUNCIATED.
How MR. CRISP FOUGHT AGAINST WHAT HE now
ACCEPTS AND ADMINISTERED
RIDGE OF KENTUCKY" AS THE
FOE OF CORRUPTION.

FOE OF CORRUPTION.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The recent action Of the Democrats in Con-
gress In resolving to adopt in spirit II not alto
gether In FORM the famous Reed Rule OF counting
IA present 70 form quorum all members OF the
House actually present. whether voting or not. has
rev!y-l public interest in tAe famous rule and It's
origin in the House Of Representatives.
The writer was "A member Of the L,h Congress.
and was an eyewitness OF all the turbulent scenes
enacted in the House when Speaker Reed first ruled
that all members present could be counted in de-
,o-rnln ng the presence 90 quorum.
The Republicans had elected a clear majority of
m. House but that ma jority was extremely small.
In so large n body there are always some absenteos
some members inattcntive TO their public duties
| remember who did not occupy his seat more
than . DOZEN times during the whole Of one CON
gross Again there Is hardly day when several
member, are not detained from the House 10y illness
The Chamber despite the thousands spent upon its
ventilation. Is one OF The very worst for pure al.
IN the world Its ventilation was designed by emf
n.nt engineers. and In theory the air OF the han
should b. constantly renewed but in fact the plans
do not work As the months 30 bv, men sicken. and
Frequently the results are serious. rnen again.
anonc SO large a number there are some who have
reached the decline Of lie. AMI natural weakness
intcrverss Others earnest ami ambitious overwork
th.nseives-the constant demands OF constituents.
q llod the attention they pay - public measures
break them down some are. and long have beeiI,
I'm delicate health AMI are unable. when storms are
raging 10 reach the Capitol. Thus II happens tAat
an contingent Tansinc from twenty T. forty
Is {, Ice expected ana sometimes the number mounts
ruch higher
The Deu,ocrats knowing the small majority OF
the Republicans In the Lth Congress proclaimed.
long before the session began their purpose to oa!k
the majority in any legislation distnstcfu TO the mi
norlty Notwithstanding the rule requiring all pres
cnt 10 vo e. there was no penalty for noncompliance
/ and Il had become the custom In previous Con-
er ssos when a member present refused to vote 10
allow him to remain silent. and he. not voting was
not counted in determining the presence OF quo
rum Thus his silence became as effective In Destroy
ing the quorum as his absence could possibly have
been II "A cell OF the House ordered he could
answer TO his name and thus escape being in GUIDED
in ;he warrant OF the Sergeant-at-Arms for arrest
as an absentee and upon the next vote he could re"
main silent and be c)nstructve,y absent In fact
T. actually absent and arrested and brought INTO the
hail he could still refuse vote. and thus the oo
Toe, sought 10 be accomplished by securing his pres
cnce was frustrated. This custom pu; party which
did not have a clear majority constantly present
and voting and composed of It's own members en-
tirey AT the mercy OF minority. which could stop
all business by simply refraininS from voting, al
though present in the hal and participating in the
and in all the incidents OF legislation except
| Ing answering upon the vote. The Democrats
coun. ed upon this custom defeat the purposes OF
the Republicans. and confidently expected success
! But Thomas r. Reed made Speaker, and they
! reckoned without their host gentleman was In
| troduced Mr. Reed in presence a few years
! previous TO this time. After few words. the gen.
! tleman assured Mr. Reed that he would entirely re-
| fraln while n fellow member Of the House with him,
from any illusions to a Reed shaken by the wind.
Yes" interiected a bys:ander: do 50; the pun is
old. and then Tom isn't that kind of Reed"
| Well do | remember when the first tornado struck
| him. The session had along from December
! 2 1882 to January %, 1890. Mr.. Reed had been
| elected Speaker the vote standing: Reed l@;
Carlisle. l5i: Cummings. l. This was II recollect
| Alright about the only occasion for the first four
| or five months in the session when the Republi-
cans had a majority Of the whole House present.
! Eight members had died and their successors.
chosen at subsequent special elections, were pres
ent Three OF these without credentials.
O'Neall Of Indiana WILDER. of New-York; Randall.
| Of Pennsylvania and Wtthorne. OF Tennessee. were
absent on OF illness. Smith, of Arizona. a
delegate with no vote. also absent. OF the alb
sentees WILDER alone Republican OF the
three members present without credentials
| but one was a Republican 1t will be seen that
| the Republican strength was unusually well rep
| resented in the for Mr.. Reed, and yet 1t
| made barely a quorum.
| A Committee on Rules had been promptly APP
pointed but with the exception of partial pro-
vision for emergencies had reported nothing. The
| old rules had not been adopted temporarily
and the House sailing along solely under COM
| mon parliamentary law. From the beginning the
| Democrats had been alert. They held number
| OF seats secured by the rankest fraud and yio-
lence and they felt that II was In their power
| by breaking a quorum. to prevent the seating oil
| the rightful occupants and any consequent In
crease In the Republican strength From time
constant watchfuness At length. January 2s 1880
| the contested election case or Smith jackson
| from West Virginia. was called up Such cases
| always generate bad blood. They are privileged.
and can be called W at any tims' but 1t 70 49,