Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-02-01

my friend from Georgia (Mr. Crisp.) but
word of congratulation TO all sides OF
the House, that after the preiudic5s of a
political and constitutional character ol
six years have passed away wc have
finally come to the orderly reign 81 com.
mon sense In the management 81 this
House. Uaughter.)
II uybody had predicted six years age
that, by general consent, In 1896 the
despised and rejected principles embodied
in the rules Of the fifty first Congress
would be offered for Endorsement here en-
the motion 81 the gentleman from
Gcorgis, he would have been discrciited
as the author Of a most improbable fiction.
(Laughter and applause And yet today
not only by what has been done, but by
what has been said, that very thing came
20 pass before our eyes; and in my Judg-
ment IL presents a situation Of more than
t-ansitory interest, for it shows that even
the Democratic party can recognize a
good thing when 1t sees 1t for sufficient
length of time. daughter and applause
While the virtues that grow out of
necessity are not very high in the scale Of
moral beauty. they are nevertheless
virtues, and are entitled to be recognized
a. such, and TO command respect TO that
extent The present attitude of my friend
from Georgia aud his colleagues on this
floor make their conduct in the fifty first
Congress appear like the noise Of hcdlam
and the noise Of bedlam it vertically was.
daughter )For bedlam itself was outdone
in that notorious madhouse of 1890, when
the whole Democratic party were railing
against our benign and amiable Gear,
now everywhere accepted rs the rctormer
Of old, absurd, and worthless paria
mentary usages, (Applause) We on
this side have never expected the Demo
cratic party to make any apology, either
to us or to the American people, for their
behavior IN the early winter of 1890 In
fact, no apology was adequate for the
o'fenses that We're committed against the
offices and dignitics of this House. The
only possible apology has been made
And while it comes to us whmDuriDg and
complaining. under the lash of necessity,
nevertheless we ought to accept it at its
true value.
The reform has come up slowly.
through great trials and ordinations IT.
progress has stem the invention Of more
morbid species Of parliamentary law
than were ever before witnessed outside oil
village debating society. In the last
Congress We saw the exaltation of this
committee on rules, to which my friend
from Georgia (Mr. Crisp adverted the
other day, an exaltation that actually beat
the clerk out of his right TO read the
journal of this House, that refused to en-
tcrtain an appeal from the Judgment of
the chair that declined to hear point OF
order, that sileDced question of privilege
involving the dignity and the rights of
the House itself, and, in my Judgment. il
The political exigency had arisen, would
havekdriven the chaplain of this House
from his sacred office and substituted q
report of that committee for the daily in
vocation of the Divine mercy. never ga
much needed in this country as during
that Congress. daughter and applause
on the Republican Side)
Nevertheless, all that was said and all
that was done was not enough to save the
fifty third Congress from the derision ul
mankind. think / interpret the feelings
OF both sides of this House, taking into
consideration what has been said here.
and what the Democratic managers are
about to vote for now, when | say that
these proceedings will be recalled in the
future by the student and the anti
quarlan only rs interesting "reminiscences
OF the memorable session of 1890, when
this and all kindred questions were
settled by new presidents for all time to
come. by the historic leadership of
Thomas B. Reed. prolonged applause
on the Republican side)