Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-03-24
CHAMP CLARk'SLETTER
Reed Makes a New Rec
ord as an Autocrat.
A REVOLUTIONARY ACTION.
Refuses to Entertain an Appeal
From the Chair.
HANDY COMES TO THE FRONT
The Young Delawarexn Makes . Hit In
the House-Sereno Payne an Able Ex-
ltams One Minute Masterpiece-A De-
fsnss OF the Scholar In Politics.

tnc house-Soreno fHyno An ADfe EEK
ponent Of Gag LAw-John Sharp wn-
liams One Minute Masterpiece-A De-
senss Of the Scholar In Politics.
Especial Washington Letter.l
At precisely 10 minutes past 8 o'clock
| p. m, Monday, March 2, In the year of
our Lord and Master 1898, Speaker
Thomas Rraokett Reed raised" him.
self at his own game and made a new
record as squelcher of the house of rep
resentatives-out-R Reeding Reed, to coin
q new phrase. The exact date should
be carefully noted, as it marks an epoch
in parliamentary affairs in America.
Mr.. Bailey made the point Of "no
quorum. thereby asserting q oonstitu
tional right. whereupon the speaker,
quick as fash Of lightning and with
out going through the performance of
counting the members present, replied
right off the reel, ''There being evident
ly q quorum present, the chair is obliged
to overruie the point" The irate Texan
shouted, 81 appeal from the decision of
the chair" The speaker said, "The
chair does not entertain the appeal, -
and it was not entertained. Thus was
taken another long step in converting
the house Of representatives from e de-
Lucrative assembly into what he is
pleased to denominate "a business
body"
This performance is becoming thing
intolerable, and while I am neither a
prophet nor the son of prophet pre-
dict that in few years it will end In a
parliamentary revolution-that Is to
say, the house will. as it has perfect
right to do, deprive the speaker of the
elect them itself, as the senate now
does, for, after all is said about the
rules that can be said, it is the power
Of appointing committees which gives a
resolute and able speaker his masterful
grasp on legislation. So long as he can
do that he practically holds the power
Of political life and death over members.
At the extra session Mr.. Reed stated
| very truly and luoidly that the speaker
was the creature Of the house-that he
possessed no power not conferred upon
him by the house-and that when the
house grew weary Of the exercise of
those powers it could ourtail them to its
own satisfaction. He stated the situa-
tion with great exactness. But at that
| very time he was holding committee as
signments in terrorem over the heads of
Republican members to force them to
do his will, and they did it right up to
th5 handle, sUme OF tlaru, hoeVovar. an-
companying their action by curses not
loud but deep, while others smacked
their lips as though they liked the dose.
He could not control Democrats, Pop
| ulists and Silver Republicans that way,
for according to precedent they had to
60 to the foot Of the committees.
| ! have no personal grievance what
| ever against Mr.. Reed. He gave me as
good committee assignments as could
hope for and has always treated me
kindly. It's the system of eliminating
or effacing the members that object
to.
Simple minded people who entertain
the delusion that this is q country Of
free speech will be loath to believe the
foregoing statement of the manner in
which it is being suppressed, but I
speak by the record-Ths Congressional
Record of March z, 1898.
| Let no man think that this is triv-
ial matter, magnified and exploited
merely for partisan advantage It is of
vital Importance as affecting the dig
nifty of the house, the integrity Of legis-
lation, perhaps the perpetuity Of the re-
public. Bailey was oontending for con-
stitutional right, and defending consti-
tutional principle, for the constitution
l kkn ~ rir
qua non to legislation. Raising "the
point of no quorum" Is one OF the most
effective ways Of defeating the passage
of bad bills. So this was a performance
of the most serious import to the whole
American people, for if the question as
to whether quorum is present can be
unceremoniously shunted out of the
way on one occasion it can be done ON
all occasions, and the provision of the
constitution as to the necessity for q
quorum is only SO much waste paper.
| Handy's Triumph.
| Another astounding thing happened
recently which demonstrates how repre-
sentatives of the people are being de-
prived Of their rights under the Repub-
lican regime. The house was in COM
mittee of the whole considering bill
making small appropriation to pay
private claim, Hon. Serene Payne of
New York, who wears the largest sized
hat of all congressman, being in the
chair.
1t was the 4th of March-the first
anniversary of President McKiniey's
Inauguration. Hon. Levin Irving Handy
of Delaware addressed the committee
and was proceeding to fight the bill ON
the ground of economy and the depleted
condition Of the treasury produced pri-
marily by the Mckinley bill and second
arily by the Dingley monstrosity. To
strengthen his position he began to
quote from MoKinley's inaugural ad-
dress, when, mirabile dictu, some Re-
publican member made the point that
Il was not in order for Handy to quote
Mckinley. Still more wonderful to re-
late. Chairman Payne, with q smile
that was childlike and bland" 1" prompt
ly sustained the point That's nice
Jas. N. Beasley, of Fulton, was in
Mexico Friday.
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