The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1896-01-17
The Nations Debt 10 Reed.
\. Y. Advertiser.

n Americans make history rapidly.
When on last Saturday Speaker Reed
counted quorum in the House of
Representatives in order to demon
strate the fact that enough members
were present for the transaction of
public business, his act attracted lit
tie attention or comment. Yet to es-
tablish the precedent which enabled
the Speaker to perform this essential
duty one of the fiercest struggles in
parliamentary records on this side of
the Atlantic was necessary. Only
half dozen years ago Breeds rules"
and the right of the presiding officer
of the House to count quorum when
Representatives actually in their seats
refused to vote, were the theme of
excited discussion from Maine to CAL
ifornia. 1t is well for the busy Amer
lean public at this juncture to recall
what this contest involved and what
the victory of the Speaker in the Fiji
ty-frst Congress meant.
The battles which mold nations
history are not all fought in the field.
Gettysburg was the turning point in
the Titanic struggle which established
forever the unity of the American
Republic. More than quarter of a
century afterward it was necessary to
win another Gettysburg IN the halls
of Congress to vindicate and fortify
the constitutional right of the majori-
ty to rule. When Thomas B. Reed
took the Speaker s chair in the Fifty
first House he found a narrow Re-
publican majority and compact, de-
fant, vindictiye Democratic minority
whose leaders-chiefy Southern Bour-
bons-had deliberately resolved to
nullify the Republican triumph in the
national elections of 1888.
By skillful flibustering, by "speak-
ing against time" on irrelevant SUBJ
jects, by refusing to vote when bill
was before the House and thus rails
ing the point of mo quorum" these
men, repudiated by the country at the
polls, proposed to block the enact
ment of Republican legislation, to re-
duce the House to chaos and anarchy
and to defy absolutely the legally ex-
pressed will of the people. Their
conspiracy differed in method, but
not in spirit, from the earlier armed
attempt of the South TO defeat and
demolish majority rule in the United
States. If it had succeeded it would
have over-ridden the explicit purpose
of the Constitution. 1t would have
made Congress impotent to obey the
popular mandate. 1t would have de-
graded representative government on
this continent into shameful farce.
1t did not succeed because Reed
grappled with the detestable conspir-
acy aud throttled it. Democratic
organs in every portion of the Union
assailed the fearless Speaker with
frantic abuse, described him as a
Gar" "tyrant" and public
enemy. Democratic members OF
Congress threw aside all restraints OF
decency and denounced him in the
House with savage vituperation.
Half-hearted Republicans stood
aghast at the storm and timidly sug-
gested compromise. But the
Speaker knew that compromise was
impossible. He saw that the houl
had come when the inalienable right
of the majority to govern must be de-
cisively enforced or disgracefully sur.
rendered. Realizing the importance
of the crisis, he stood for Americauisn
and justice with the filmness of ada.
mant.
He was not unfair Even thost
who were his bitterest opponents thel
admit that now. He was not arbi
trary except when obedience to hi*
oath OF office plainly required sterr
measures. But he declared in the
name Of the American people and Of
the Constitution of the United State:
that no clique of men representing :
beaten minority should indefnitel,
block the course of legislation. While
allowing ample latitude for Legitimate
debate, he cut short the dishonest de
vice OF endless declalmlng for thu
sole purpose of consuming time. B,
counting quorum when a quorum
was in sight he put an end to the alb
surd fiction that member of Con
gress in his seat is not present unles
he chooses to record his vote. Th
establishment on an impregnable ba
sis of the vital principle of majorit,
rule in the House Of Representative
was the result.
For that result-a triumph of mo
mentous consequence to America
institutions present and future-thi
nation owes hearty debt of gratitud
to Thomas B. Reed. The servic
which be rendered to the cause Q
popular government is one which
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