The sun., 1894-01-21
ClOTURE IN THE HOUSE.
LITTLE IMPORTANT BUSINEsS can BE
DONE WffuOTI NJ.

Necessity compels il. without c,Oture vety
little i'm portant business could be done. unless
two-thirds Of the members favored Il. Then
the House m ight 10 It's work on suspension day
hutat no other time. The Tariff bill cannot 20
through the House without rioture resolution
from the COMMITTEES 90 Rules. The Federal
Election bill passed. under clOture resolution.
The Wilson bill repenlinE the purchasing
clause Of the sherman act went through under
eloture IL IL now the engine h'ch the Com.
mittee on Rules uses uudertie . authority o'the
House whenever the ma.ority wants 10 do
business.
For some years after the close OF the war
there was no necessity for clo;ure. The Re-
publicans had q two-thrds majority in each
branch OF Congress. ami could pass whatever
measure they pleased on suspension days
On such days under tho rules there can be
no nlibustsrIng. but il requires two.thi-ds
vote to pass a measure. The admission Of the
reconstructed States. however. deprived the
Republicans Of their two-thirds ma orlty. and
led to nlibusteriaR at critical moments
The FIRST and most successful nlibuster
since the wnr was Samuel !. Randall lie de-
veloped while James q. Blaine was Speaker.
He lead a parliamentary fight against a Force
bill. very odious to Democrats. The Speaker.
hy arbitrary action. might have deprived him
OF his parliamentary rights Mr.. Blaine. how
ever. lTlIe0 nltnsoll uiOu us Tia lWTdEtlhllNg
while in the Speakers chair Randall knew
his man. lie felt cor lent that while he con
fined him self to a strict parliamentary line Of
action he would receive recognition and fair
play. He led the Gght with signal ability, and
won lasting reputation. Nor did no stand
higher in the affections OF the people than the
speaker. who. notwithstanding party exiGen-
cies. accorded him every privilege.
EandaIrs success omboidened flibusters in
after years. When the direct-taN reiunding
till came before tho Ffticth Congress. Gen.
William G. Oates OF Alabama followed Fan
dslrs example. II was during the flrst session
OF that Congrr Tho most u the taxes to he
refunded would GO TO the Northern and West
ern states. The ian carried about SlTOg1 OOO
and the South would receive only an lnintes-
NAL portion OF this amount
Gen. Oatess frst effort was to attach an
amendment reiuniing the cotton tax levied
during the war When this amendment failed
he resorted 20 every parliamentary means to
defeat the bill. Mr. Carlisle was Speaker
Blaine hiuls self could not have acted with more
impar'iElitT. The House was In session re-
prat-dly forty hours on stretch. yet the bill
mnde no !pro2ress Oates had a little army
barely stron. enough tn secure the yeas and
hays. but 1t was vgilant and slsepless. 1t
stood by him to the last II included very
few Northern Democrats. who believed that as
the taxes could not be refunded to the parties
who paid them. they ought nos to be returned
to the States that collected them.
After n week OF Clibustcring. Gen. Oates So
cured = com promise. The House agreed to
let the matter 90 over until the second ses-
sion. when. at given time. it was to 5e finally
settled. 1t was shrswd compTomise. That
fall President Cleveland was defeated by Con.
Harrison. The Direct-tax RsiuadinE bill camc
up after the election. II passed the House ry
large majority, and went through the Senate
without a hitch. But President Cleveland
vetoed II. II was I'm possible to pass the bill
over the veto. aud Oates came out OF tho lght
at last as trium phant as Randall in his fight.
Oates's example. however was contagious
Gen. James b. Weaver Clifton X Breckinridge
the Rev. John Anderson OF kansas and others
became permeated with the hlibus,ering mi
erobe. and it became almost impossible TO do
any business in the House. Mr.. Carlisle was
so absolutely impartial as a presiding officer
under the rules that two or three Individual
hlibusters could shut of business at any
time. The House was parnlyzed at times for
days. and even weeks The attention OF the
whole country was concentrated upon It, and
the disgust became national Tho feeling OF
the country found expression IN tho fall eler-
lions. whru The !.epu"!icans carried til" House
% .; I'VE mh."Iily. lhLs majority increased to
C"ngrcsSmen IRON the new states.
lhomhs h. Reed was elected speaker He
took the chair with the evident determination
Of surprrrslng individual h!ibusrrfs His
reign marked - new ara IN the leg station OF
tue dunse. lie went To extreme lengths. Not
only did he suppress tn. indIyidual nit VS.
ter. under his Interpretation of parliamsn-
tarT Law. but lac took the six nIibusters by The
throat. HS counted those Present but not
voting. 40 rs 10 make sIuOriiin.
Days o. furious fighting followed When an
apn.s' from his rulings was secured. the ls-
publican majority OF the H"use sustained
HIDUtlOn OF rules. giving llfu lOr-
r. which lie had claimed under general pa
nus the silent aIlbustar was sauslchsi.
The more noI.J and ,Ictiyr fellow received dit
frrent treatment THE COMMITTEES on Rules
ti"n a. any ts:pe. and und'r the rules a prompt
yto wa taken Il was thus that Tho irkin.
a similar action eight Democrats were un-
trstsh a"d the l:sPublican majority in
irsiness, AS Maior MeKinley frequently
trmarEei unnI the lio1r OF the Hous" The
longrr hrarl and the business capacity OF tile
Hou.e ia the illty-i!r-t Congress was signAliy
tLe fa.l el-ction drnon-trntei. The People
Resented the Rrhitary action OF the mHIprity
IHF Fis-eatel Inc ins'.Ie iiIiGGs.~,irs Oily u
tue lli,lrlh. They sent nearly 100 pcinocEate
Charles h. Crisp Eurce,"ied M-. Iced as
fprakei. In a caucls to consider the proposed
Pew rules, = disnosliPn TO RESUME the old
followed. 1t lasted tor hours. The more con-
stTyattve 81 the DelorTats did not like the |
IieA OF tT-Ediug ia Tom Reeds f1otsteps.
1n-y also seemed 10 fear tnat II they adopted |
rules Under whicl, individual Llinustsrs !
could loo suppressed. all other hliLustsring
might 20 under. The newly elected speaker /,
frslIy took the floor and made n nasIerIy |
speech IN favor OF giving the COMMITTEES on |
l,ulss the mower OF clOrure HIS aTRumen was I
90 telling that the eau us aiuD;sd the el1tur0 |
rule. IL Nas done, however. with the under
Standing that the power should not be eNsT-
stssd Gnless the majority Of the Democrats Of |
the House demanded II.
How well the business OF the Fifty second \
congress was conducted tho ErcOTf shows |
While suppressing individual hlibusleTs |
with the lever OF the Committee on Rules the |
Democrats made no effort 20 suppress the /
silent hlibusteT-tho man who sits in his !
seat and smiles. but does not vote. The Demo-
cratic majority however, was 20 great that |
the silent nlihusteT had very few oppor- I
tuRities to make himself felt, There was no .
n-eessity to count those present bat not vot- 1
Ing TO secure a quorum The topmiltes on 4
lules were also very conservative ia using L
elOiuIe. II was never brought IN unless abso-
lulely necessary. Al ens time, a majority u |
the mel mbers OF the House signed "A petition |
for eloture tD secure action on a bridge bill /