Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-12-14
Continued from Isl Page. ]

LSSAb&a8SA S4S%@4 eNs S-GSsI
Reed rules permanently for this con
gress Hon. Joseph W. Bailey of Texas
stated the Democratic objections thus:
''Mr. Speaker, agree with my distin
guished friend from Tennessee (Mr
richardson that an effort to prevent
the adoption of substantially the code
of rules that existed in the Fifty-tifth
and Fifty-fourth congresses would be
futile. but | do believe that if this
house were offered a fair opportunity
to debate and 10 amend that code of
rules very great improvements could
be made
81 feel certain that either the power
of the committee on rules could be cur
tailed or the membership of that COM
mittee could be enlarged. | remember
that the first time | ever had the honor
to address this house it was in opposi-
ton to the powers of the committee on
rules in the Fifty-second congress, and
l predicted that the three members
who constitute majority of that COM
mittee would in time become a legisla-
tive triumvirate. Under these rules
the committee on rules not only de-
cides what business the house must
transact, but also what business the
house shall not transact.
'It is enough to clothe the speaker
with the power of recognition and to
supplement that by adding the power
to appoint the committees of the house,
but to add to those powers, great al
most to the point of being dangerous,
the absolute control of the house
through its committee on rules is Civ
ing greater power to the speaker of
this house than any other man in this
free republic ought to possess. To say
that the power still remains with the
house is a subterfuge, because the
house can never pass upon a question
until the committee on rules sees tit to
report. To say that the committee can
be controlled by the majority is not
candid, because that committee is con-
sidered the speakers official family,
and no gentleman of the speakers par
ty would serve upon it unless he could
support the speakers policy. If a
Democrat were the speaker of this
house and | could not cordially and
Loyalty support his policy in that COM
mittee, l would resign my member
ship upon it.
81 respect the gentleman from Penn
sylyania (Mr. DalzelD. and no man
on this side of the chamber respects
the gentleman from Iowa (Afr. Hender-
SOM, now the honorable speaker of this
house, more than | do, and yet ! di-
vulge no secrets of the committee room
when | say that with these gentlemen
on it the speaker of the Fifty-tifth con-
gress, with their help, absolutely con-
trolled the committee on rules. / know
that the speaker of the Eifty-third and
the Fifty-second congresses. great
and splendid Democrat, whom we
mourn even until this day. completely
dominated the committee on rules
when the house was Democratic.
know that the honorable speaker of
this house, under these rules. if they
are adopted, win be practically the
committee on rules, and the committee
on rules is practically the house of rep
resentatives. In view of that, it does
seem to me that if you will not curtail
the power of that committee certainly
its membership ought to be enlarged.
"But leaving aside this question.
which may be considered partisan in
its nature, there is another amendment
that l believe gentlemen on both sides
of this house would unite in adopting.
For years / have been striving to de-
wise a way whereby gentlemen with
unobjectionable bills could secure the
passage of them without having to run
the gantlet of unanimous consent, and
/ believe | have found an easy way.
Under our rules as they stand now
there is morning hour devoted to the
consideration of bills upon the house
calendar. A bill that appropriates a
single dollar cannot be considered in
that hour, but one which involves a
vital principle may be.
'@That, in my judgment, is serious
mistake. That rule ought to be amend
ed so as to provide that the morning
hour should be devoted to the eonsid-
Grafton of bills that come with unani-
nous reports from committees of the
house, and then. with the morning
hour used as it would be used in a
majority of the days. every member
with an unobjectionable bill would be
certain to secure its passage. Surely
we could agree upon an amendment
like that. Surely gentlemen will con-
cede that bill to pay a debt which is
Just and fair-so just and so fair that
no member Of the committee would re-
sist it's payment after an investigation
lis a safer subject for consideration
in this morning hour than a bill involv-
ing great question. like the incorpora-
ton of the international bank.
Il have seen some of the most i'm
portant measures which have been pre-
scented for consideration to this house
called up as matter of right in this
morning hour, while bills to repair
some admitted injustice. or to pay
some long standing obligation of the
government, or to permit the construc-
ton Of bridge must beg for unani-
nous consent. ! have seen members
obtain recognition from the chair, and
then some gentleman, under resent
ment of an objection against his own
will, would object and thus defeat the
passage of a measure In which the peo-
pie of a district might be deeply inter.
ested and which was absolutely free
from all objection.
'HThat is one amendment which | in
tended to propose to the code of rules,
and | venture TO assert that If we could
obtain fair vote upon it that amend
ment, or something in the nature of it.
would command a three-fourths vote
Of the body. am not moved by any
mere partisan opposition to the rules
to resist the resolution offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
DalzelD. They are your method Of
transacting the public business. You
adopt them, and you take the RESPONSE
bility. But there are questions entire
IL outside of partisan questions in re-
spect TO which believe the rules could
be amended. and believe the house