The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1895-12-14
Speaker Reed in 1890.


or revise, because if be did, it would
diseredit him somewhat as a dialee-
tician. 1t is an elaborate eulogy on
him and defence of his action as
Speaker Of that Congress, which con-
veniently confines itself to general
tiles, overlooks the facts of the case,
and produces for the purposes of the
occasion an absolutely new view both
of Speakers and legislative bodies.
One of Speaker Reeds utterances,
when enforcing his rules in that Con
2ress, was that 'he thanked God that
this was not deliberative body"
History, both ancient and profane,
parliamentary and other, may be
searched in vain. 1t is absolutely
original with Mr.. Reed to say that
any body which decides by a major
ity vote can be assembled on Ameri-
can soil whose chief function is not
deliberation. Deliberatlon is its first
duty; legislation only the second.
Representatives deliberate to say
whether they will legislate, to con
slider whether the Thousand proposals
to legislate which come before every
Legislature have any value. The
Democrats in the Fifty first Congress
fought for deliberation aud delay be-
cause the Mckinley bill was sprung
upon them without any notice, in
press, platform, or speech, and con
tanned unusually obnoxious features,
and because, in their belief, it had
been corruptlv paid for by manufac
turers. There never has come before
the Americans since the war meas.
ure which called for more delibera-
ton. We are not endorsing all the
modes by which the Democrats
fought it, but that the country was
behind them, believed in their views,
and approved their course, and con
demned Mr.. Reeds political philos-
ophy, was shown by the elections
which followed, which made clean
sweep both of the Republican major
ity and of the President who signed
the bill.
Secondly, Mr.. Reed fell into the
grievous error which Mr.. Roosevelt,
with his usual ebullient patriotism,
naturally swallows, of putting the
American Speaker into the position
which Mr.. Gladstone or Mr. Balfour
would occupy if he sat in the chair
of the House, and pushed his own
measures through by all the means
at his disposal. This is really a
reductto dd abSUfdUm 1t is quite
true that the position of the Ameri-
can Speaker differs from that of the
English Speaker in that he appoints
the committees, and is elected by a
party vote at every session. But these
facts no more take away his judicial
quality than they take away that OF
our state judges, whom we also elect
by party vote. They arm him with
no discretion in the use of his pow.
ers which is not given him by the
rules. All his authority is derived
from the rules. He is bound to be
just in his decision and impartial as
between the parties on the floor.
Mr.. Reed assumed in the Fifty
first Congress that he was response
BILE to the country not simply for the
orderly despatch of business, but foi
certain legislation, as Mr., Gladstone
or Mr.. Balfour would be on the fool
of the House of Commons, and that
Congressman were responsible to bin
for their behavior. His error, which
is reproduced in Mr. Roosevelt's ar
ticle with youthful crudeness, lay in
surprising that he was bound to see
that the House legislated about any
particular thing or made particu
lar use Of its time. This was an in
vention of his own His duty was tt
see that whatever the House did
whether it legislated or refused tt
legislate, was done decently and il
order. Congress is responsible fol
the things it does or leaves undont
to the country, not to any particular
man, and the country enforced this
rule almost with ferocity in 1892 by
kicking most of the Republicans GU
of office. The notion that the Speak
er can prescribe legislation and us,
the rules to carry it through was {
monstrous contrivance, and that ;
man of Mr. Reeds experience should
ever have made himself responsible,
for it, shows the kind of drunkenness
which had overtaken the protection
lists through thirty years possession
of power. The Speaker remains
judge, in spite of himself, through
the very nature Of men. In presidin,
over body composed of men of var
ions ways of thinking he has to b,
governed, not by either the Englsl
view or the American view, but b.
the ancient human rule that mo maj
can be judge in his own cause" H
must not vote for things in which h
has personal interest He must no
sit in judgment to bel p his own fam
lily, or his own company, or his ow
party. IT a Speaker is so ntereste
in legislation of any kind that h
feeis that he cannot give fair play t
} t. opponents, he ought to acknowl
edge his in6rnity and leave tb
chair
Mr.. Reed sought 10 make quorum
, by counting as present for bushes
! every body whom he saw in the Hous,
Ii we remember rightly, he tried t
insLifY this by showing that il wa