The herald., 1897-04-08

- - - . = 5. -.s - :
| pose to rise here and protest against thi:
| autocratic dictation. 1t Is reported u
| the newspapers that the speaker says
the trouble is that If the committees
| were appointed where just one CLAIM
| passed there would be ten unjust ones
| Is not this a reflection on this house?
ask the honorable speaker"
In the Fifty-first congress the power
of the minority to protest had bees
| taken away and the speaker given veto
power Mr.. Simpson continued. 1t wac
| unsafe to give one man such power. foi
where one despot in one hundred NIGH
use the power wisely, the other ninety
nine would prove despots. II demand
that the speaker appoint those com
mittees," he shouted "As 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 well have saved
themselves the expense of electing mem :
bers and given power to the speaker.
This is not a legislative body and in
sist that its power be returned to the
house,
In conclusion he said that the presi-
dent had recommended that congress
enter upon financial legislation, and the
returns from Chicago. Cincinnati and
Detroit indicated that the people wanted
financial legislation. There was pro-
found silence when Speaker Reed be-
gan to explain his policy He said. "Tha
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 the matter should
be stated and the house should consider
it. 50 far as the power of the speaker
is concerned every one who has made
the subject a matter of consideration,
understands that the 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 cer-
tain committees, there has always been
allowed to the chair a reasonable
amount of discretion as to the time when
they should be appointed. Opportunity
is always allowed the chair to find out
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 rare
case that the speaker has not appointed
at once A congress which
was called together under circumstances
like the present the Forty
second. was presided over by very
eminent man, Blaine and he declined
mot declined but did not see fit to ap-
point committees.
The matter was brought up in the
house and he gave his reason therefor,
and those reasons were approved by the
house; at least no action was taken by
he house OH the subject. There are
about $50 new members in the house.
-,nder ordinary circumstances the oc-
,upant of the chair has time from the
th of March until the first Monday in
December to obtain Information in re-
lard to his fellow members; but under
the present circumstances there has
oeen no opportunity. We have been
,alled together in extra session and the
question was, what was the best course
or us to pursue; whether we should fall
n appointing the committees until such
times as we would not make the ap-
more suitable, for whether
he public service was in such a condi-
ion that that ought to be done. Now
he chair has had full consultation with
he various members as he has met
hem, upon the subject and until this
morning he supposed it was the urani-
nous feeling of the house that 1t was
lot necessary to appoint the commit
ees is haste because the public service
lid not require it, The chair is sorry to
see that any gentleman in the house has
ent himself to the suggestions which
are sometimes made outside with re-
gard to power of the chair 1T is a
power that is given him by the house
for its purposes and its purposes alone,
not for any selfish purposes, not for
him to carry out any personal desires
Or designs of his own, but to carry out
the wishes Of the house as he under
stands them after a faithful and con-
examination. If the house
kinks that any occupant of the chair
Is not carrying out its wishes, is not
cting as its representative the remedy
s In the hands of the house a any time
and the chair cheerfully welcomes any
action on the part of the house whose
representative he is" prolonged ap-
olause on the Republican side)
AT 1:20 p m. the house adjourned un-
Ill Saturday.