The record-union., 1897-04-08

unjust ones. Is not this reflection on
this house. 1 ask the honorable
Speaker?
I'm the F'ifty-first Congress the power
of the minority to protest had been
taken away, and the Speaker given veto
power" Simpson continued. 1t was
unsafe to give one man such power, for
where one Speaker of one hundred might
use his power wisely the other ninety
nine would prove despots.
Il demand that the Speaker appoint
those committees" he shouted. las
long as am a member of this house no
business shall be done by unanimous
consent, and only in the regular form,
after opportunity for consideration by
the committees. The members of this
house have given the Speaker the veto
power by the adoption of the rules OF
the last Congress. The people might as
we'll have saved themselves the expense
of electing members, and given the
power to the Speaker. This is not
legislative body, and l insist that its
power be returned to the house."
In conclusion, he said that the Presi-
dent had recommended that Congress
enter on financial legislation, and the
returns from Chicago, Cincinnati and
Detroit indicated that the people
wanted financial legisiatino.
There was a profound silence when
Speaker Reed began to explain his poll
| cy. He said
THE House will perceive that the
gentleman from Kansas has made no
| proposition upon the subject He has
| simply stated his own views, and the
Chair has thought perhaps it was best
| that the matter should be stated, and
the House should consider it. So far
as the power of the Speaker is concern
| ed, everyone of whom has made the
subject a matter of consideration un-
| derstands that his power is solely the
! power of the House, and the House can
at any moment change the action which
it sees fit to indulge in. The House has
| the power at all times, and While the
rules Of the House require certain COM
mittees, there has always been allowed
| to the Chair a reasonable amount of
| dischetipn as to the time when they
should be appointed. Opportunity is al
ways allowed the Chair to find out
| something about members, SO that he
may do the duties which are imposed
upon him in the most intelligent way
of which he is capable.
1T is not a rare case that the Speaker
has not appointed committees at once.
A Congress which was called together
under circumstances, something like
the present, the Forty-second, was pre-
sided over by very eminent man, Mr.
Blaine, and he declined-not declined
but did not see fit-to appoint commit
tees. The matter was brought up in
| the House, and he gave his reason
! therefor, and those reasons were ap
proved by the House; at least no action
was taken by the House on the subject
| There are about $50 new members
in the House. Under ordinary circum-
stances the occupant of the chair has
time from the fourth of March until
the first Monday in December to obtain
! information in regard to his fellow
| members; but under the present cir
cumstances there has been no oppor-
tunity. We have been called together
in extra session, and the question was,
what was the best course for us to pur-
sue; whether we should fail in APP
appointed the COMMITTEES until such
times as we would make appointments
service was in such condition that
that ought to be done. Now the Chair
has had full consultation with the va
rious members as he has met them
upon the subject, and until this morn
ing he supposed it was the unanimous
feeling of the House that it was not