Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-06-08

| the ewes OF the country. Mr.. Reed
adds: thine and experience, how
ever, have shown the value q the
! changes which were made in those
troublous times, and I may perhaps
| venture to say that many gentlemen
who had been opposed in the fifty-first
Congress were not hostile in the fifty
fourth Congress to the most efficient
measures to give the majority control
of the House. Among other things we
adopted, with hardly word of dispute
the rule proposed 16 years ago by Mr.
Randolph Tucker, which will probably
be found effective to secure quorum
at all times
! After referring to the disposition OF
"aI the necessities of the government
he considers the ways for treating the
private bills and the bills for public
buildings and of like local nature
rather than national. The custom
grew up of securing unanimous consent
| for bringing up one of these measures.
| OF this he says: without experience
one would suppose that such system
was amply safeguarded and ifa bill was
SO satisfactory that no one could object
to it, there could be no danger in let
ting it be presented for passage. But
alas, the weakness of poor human ma
ture, though of course not often prevail
ent, does certainly Turk in even celestial
and congressional minds. If member
objects he may be the subject of re-
prisals and his own bill may go to the
tomb of the Capulets."
He then speaks of the method. 1t
was found impracticable for the speak
err to follow the order of application.
Various expedients were tried. One
House adopted a rule devoting an
hour of 60 minutes of each day to such
bills. one for each committee in order"
This plan did not work well and now
the House is working under system
according to which the speaker has to
make the selection, and to quote Mr..
Reed:
IAN exceedingly troublesome task it
| is, requiring much labor and exciting
not little feeling. However. it is only
lust TO the members to say that the
| trouble arises not so much from them,
for they are in position to understand
the speakers difficulties, as from the
constituents who cannot understand
them. Inc speaker is also member OF
the House. When he refuses to submit
for unanimous consent, he is only eX-
ercising his right to object, right
which belongs to him in common with
all the other members of the assembly.
He has to make frequent objection be-
cause he has to know what the bills
proposed or to be proposed are about
and what their provisions mean. He
has opportunities to examine them, and
| indeed must examine them to do his
duty"
Relative to the other method for
breaking the regular order, suspension
of the rules, Notwithstanding the re-
strictions that have been thrown
| around it, it is seen that upon the
speaker is thrown the responsibility of
making selections and in the words of
Mr.. Reed "he can satisfy not five per
cent of his applicants" -
| In conclusion he says: "It might as
Iwell be admitted at once that the faults
| of legislative bodies are not the faults
| of legislators alone, but in some degree
| of the people themselves. So long as
we rate oratory too high and wisdom
| too low and gauge our representatives
by the number of times they get into
| newspapers and not by what we our
| selves know of their characters and
abilities, so long we shall continue the
desire for opportunities for display and
fail to create the desire for oppor-
tunities to do service"
| 1t is certain that under no previous
speaker has the national House in the
midst of so many difficulties been
afforded so many opportunities to do
service" as under Speaker Reed, and
however much the speaker may sug-
gest in the way of method and in what
| ever way Ile may Interpret IllS dulIloI :
ity he must have the sanction of the
House majority and of the majority of
his party. The insight which is af-
forded in Mr.. Reeds article, will we
think impress the mind with the idea
that the methods of one generation in
the national House are likely not
serve to dispose of the greatly in
creased work another generation may
demand of that body. But however
much Mr.. Reeds methods, or those
under which he is supported by his
party in conducting the affairs of the
House, may have to be modified in the
future it is certain that it will be an
exceptionally strong and able speaker
who will improve on the courage, good
lsense and decision that have character
lied the work of the Hon. Thomas 3.
Reed.
And now Uncle Sam beats the world
at building swift torpedo boats. Some
time he will beat the world with his
merchant marine.