The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-01-25
SPEAKER REEDS RULES.

Once Donounced ~ Tyranniral, Now Ac-
cepted by All Parties NJ In the Interrst OF
the Public IIuslness-,rhe Nations Debt
OF Gratitude.
New York Morning Advertiser: Amer
leans make history rapidly. When on
Saturday Speaker Reed counted quo
rum In the house OF representatives In
order to demonstrate the fact that
enough members Were present for the
transaction of public business. his act
attracted little attention or comment.
Yet TO establish the precedent which en-
ablcd the speaker to perform this essen
tial duty one OF the flercest struggles In
parliamentary records on this side OF
the Atlantic was necessary. Only half
u dozen years ago Reeds rules" and
the right OF the presiding officer OF
the house to count q quorum when rep
rcsentativcs actually In their yeats re-
fused to vote, were the theme OF exciting
discussion from Maine to California. 1t
Is well for the busy American public ut
this juncture to recall what the victory
OF the speaker In the Flfty-lr3t Con-
grcss meant.
The battles which mold nations his
tory are not all fought In the field.
Titanic struggle which established for-
over the unity OF the American republic.
More than a quarter OF century after
ward 1t was necessary to win another
Gettysburg IN the hells OF Consrens 10
vindicate and fortlfy the constitutional
right OF the majority to rule. When
Thomas Il. Reed took the speakers
chair In the Fifty-first Congress he
found narrow Republican majority
and compact, defiant, vindictive DEM
ocrnt!c minority whose leaders-chiefly
southern bourbonB-had deliberately re-
solved to nulllfy the Republican tri-
umph in the national election of 1883.
BY skillful fillbustering, by Speak
Ing against time" on irrelevant sub
jects, by refusing to vote when bill
was before the house and thus raising
the point OF mo quorum" these men re-
pudiated by the country at the polls,
proposed to block the enactment OF Re-
publican legislation, to reduce the house
TO chaos and anarchy. and to defy abso-
lutely the legally expressed viii OF the
people. Their conspiracy differed In
method, but not in spirit, from the
earlier armed attempt OF the south to
defeat and demollsh majority rule In the
United States. II II had SUCCEEDS 1t
pose of the constitution. Il would have
made Congress impotent to obey the
popular mandate. It would have de-
graded representative government on
this continent into q shameful farce.
It did not succeed because Reed Crap
pied with the detestable conspiracy and
throttled II. Democratic organs in
every portion OF the Union assailed the
fearless speaker with frantic abuse, de-
scribed him Us a Car" "tyrRnt' and
a public enemy. Democratic members
of Congress threw aside all restraints OF
decency and denounced him in the house
with savage vituperation. Half-heart-
ed Republicans stood aRhast Mt the storm
and tImIdly suggested compromise.
But the speaker knew that compromise
was impossible. He saw that the hour
had come when the inallenable right OF
the majority to govern must be decis-
lively enforced or disgracefully surren-
dered. Realizing the Importance OF the
crisis, he stood for Americanism ana
Justice with the frmness OF adamant.
He was not unfair. Even those who
were his bitterest opponents then ad-
nit that now. He was not arbitrary eS-
cept when obedience TO his oath OF Office
plainly required stern measures. But
people and OF the constitution OF the
United States that no clique OF men
representing n beaten minority should
indefinitely block the course OF leglsla-
ton. While allowing ample latitude for
legitimate debate he cut short the dis
honest device Of endless declaiming FOR
the purpose OF consuming time. BY
counting quorum when n quorum was
in sight he put an end to the absurd flc
tIon that a member OF Congress in his
seat is not present unless he chooses to
record his vote. The establishment on
an impregnable basis OF the vital prln-
elple OF majority rule In, the houseotrep-
resentatIves was the result 't
For that result-a triumph of mo-
mentous consequence to American in
stItutlons present and future-this ma
tlon owes hearty debt OF gratitude to
Thomas B. Reed. The service which he
rendered 10 the cause OF popular gov
eminent is one which It would be hard
to overestimste. AI0 his public record
since that time bears witness that the
speaker of the Fitty-fourth house Is
broader and more thoroughly equipped
statesman than even the speaker OF the
Fifty-first.