The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-10
CAR REEDS RULES
That Of Quorum Counting Was Not
Original With Him, as Is Gen
orally Supposed.
It Was Broached as Democratic
Idea Fifty Years Before Reed
Made It Effective.
Kansa s City Star.

TT. Crittenden, former governor of
Missouri, said yesterday when in a remin-
iscent mood. that when Solomon said there
was nothing new under TIE sun he must
have known what he said was true.
Solomon was the wisest man on /; the
earth in his time, Z continued the COVER
nor. - II the remark were applicable to
that day, it is also to this. Nothing is
done now, but at some anterior day it has
had recedent in science. religion, politics
or philosophy. When Speaker. Reed re-
sorted! to what was considered by the
democrats arbitrary, tyrannical and out
rageous, In counting the members Of con-
gress present In their seats, whether they
had voted or not, s1le.4 was: acensured by
many all over the country I'M unmeasured
words. 1t was said by almost everybody
such a thing had never been done before
in any well-regulated Legislative body of
the, world; in fact by no legislative body,
whether moot or real. * In the presence of
such. criticism and amidst the storm in
congress Reed sat as innloyable: as q
sphinx, smiling at the words and acts of
the leading democrats and making sport
in his own peculiar way OF the little fell:
lows who had never been recognized by
the speaker only OH some ponderous mo-
| tiOn to adjourn, It may be the speaker
knew at the time he had democratic pre-
cedent which, if necessary, he would pre-
sent to confound his opponents. He then
thinks, congress is assembled for such
work in the interest of the whole coun
try and not for obstructionists, to defeat
by all kinds of motions and dilatory. pleas
the purposes for which that congress had
assembled. %
I'm Ben Perley Poore's "reminiscences
history is given of a debate in the
house on the bill authorizing the issue
of treasury notes in aIl-night sessions.
The two great parties then were the
democratic and the whig. The democrats
had determined to sit on the BILL and
whenever a, whig moved to adjourn his
motion was at once voted down by the
| majority. The house being in committee
| Of the whole, whenever no quorum was
found voting, at once by parliamentary
usage. was obliged to- rise and. report
that fact to the house. When that was
done and the house was again in session
as house, at once a quorum appeared.
In fact, it had been present all the time,
the members occupying their chairs in
a quiescent state, and then by the same
law the house was obliged to return into
a committee Of the whole again. This
custom, which: at first may appear fool
ish to the unthinlxing, is uniform and
! unbroken All bills are discussed in a.
I committee Of the whole, and when the
| discussion is ended and the bill is ready
i to be voted on. the regular speaker takes
the chair and the house is in regular
session again. A quorum being present
and voting at one moment. and absent
the next. is at times provoking to those
desiring honest work and not understoo
| by the country Martin Van Buren, was
then president and he desired the pass
age Of ti,. bill authorizing the issue OF
| those notes The whigs were in the
minority and used all means within their
power to defeat the measure. A demo-
| cratic member becanle irrftated and de-
manded that the. speaker should count
the members in their seats, whether vot-
ing or not, and insisted that the mem.
bers be compelled to=vote. Before Reed
| was speaker the minority In congress
adopted the course pursued as one. of
| their protective rights. -.
I i"I once heard General Ben Butler de
mand of Speaker Blaine, when the civil
! rights bill was before congress, that the
democrats then occupying their respective
seats be. compelled to vote, they failing
to do so in order to break the quorum.
| General Butler remarked at the same time
that there was a, way to compel the gen.
tlemen on the other side to 70. and If
| he had his way he would them to
| do so. even If severe mea ere used
Speaker Blaine, with the quichness for
which he was noted, replied that he had
no means, civil or military under his
command by which to force the gentlemen
to vote if they declined so doing; that a
hundred men might lead a horse to water
and if the horse declined to drink the
combined force could not compel him to
do so. This remark at once put General
Butler on the defensive, as the democrats
understood that he desired to use the
bayonet ON them. We laughed at his folly
and that again put the old general on his
metal. The speaker Of the house under
| Van Buren's administra ton did not pur-
| sue the course suggested by one of his
followers, altho a motion to that effect
was made and voted down. ,.. .t
'These instances show that Sneaker
Reeds idea was not original, even if made
effective by him fifty years after. the first
instance presented. Its paternity was
democratic and its fulfllment republican.
which, in the language of the race track.
Is a good cross for the country This
action Of the speaker fully proves what
| Solomon said.'' 80, = -