Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-03-13

be forgotten that, over the protests of
the Democrats, the Republicans forced
the house to take recess from 7:3O p.
m. Saturday, Feb. 2S to IL a. m. Sun
day, March /, when all necessary bust
ness could have been transacted from
1880 p. m. to midnight.
Again, it must be remembered that
the Republicans forced three weeks
adjournment of the house at Christ
mas and wasted the time. If they had
remained in session then, they would
have had plenty of time at the close
without outraging the moral sentiment
Of America by Haunting their impiety
in the face Of the public by holding
session on Sunday, and yet the Repub-
leans claim monopoly on purity,
sweetness, light, virtue, intelligence,
patriotism and righteousness! Really
they are whited sepulchers and care
no more for morality and the cognate
virtues than did the pirate crews Of
Captain Kidd.
The supreme court of the United
States has solemnly declared this to be
a Christian nation, and yet here are
these Republican leaders openly and
defiantly trampling on one of the fun
damental principles of that religion!
Let it not be forgotten that Demo-
Gratis unanimously opposed this I'M
called for insult to the religious senti-
ment Of the country. When Hon. Sc
and means committee and ex officio
leader Of the Republicans, moved on
Saturday night that "the house take
recess to IL o'clock noon on Sunday"
Hon. James d. Richardson of Tennes-
see, Democratic floor leader, moved
that monday be substituted for Sun
day." On roll call the Democrats voted
for the Richardson proposition for Mon
day, while the Republicans lined up
! solidly for Payne's proposition for Sun
day Dissertation. OF course the Repub-
licans prevailed by brute force, for aft
er stealing seat for Undertaken Wag-
! oner of st. Louis they had clear ma
jority Of forty-six over all. They could
do as they pleased, and as q matter of
history they deliberately chose to vio-
late the Sabbath day and to outrage
the Christian sentiment Of America.
Grand Larceny.
The ousting of James ]. Butler of St.
Louis from his seat and the seating Of
the contemplate Wagner was grand
larceny. Indeed it was much worse
than that, for it struck at the very
roots of constitutional government.
The constitution provides that quo
SsI1,, ~ an1, To IN
transact business and a quorum con-
sists, under the constitution, of ma
jority. Yet, while it required 129 mem.
bers on Feb. 26 to make quorum
Butler was bounced with only q
hundred and sixty odd present, and
that, too, when Democrats were shout
ing mo quorum" and demanding the
yeas and nays-a constitutional right
That Hon. John Dalzell Of Pennsylva.
MIA should have lent himself as speaker
pro TEN. to such stupendous and un-
precedented outrage, like the peace OF
God, passeth all understanding, for Mr..
Dalzell is not an obscure political thug.
He is one of the accredited leaders OF
great party, one of its ablest mem
bers. Speaker Henderson, whether by
accident or design, was out of the chair
when the disgraceful job was done,
and, unfortunately for Mr.. Dalzell's
reputation, he did it. He would ele-
vate himself UNNECESSARILY If upon re-
Election he should proclaim that he was
wrong and should request all who shall
hereafter occupy the chair not to fol-
low his ruling as precedent. That
would be something like the Dalzell of
whom people like to think. He owes
1t to his own fame to do that very
thing, and he likewise owes 1t to the
cause of good government. He may
have made the ruling inadvertently,
he may have been ratified; but, what
ever the reason Of ruling both out
rageous and unconstitutional, he can
not afford to let it stand. Mr. Reed
has been much abused for his high
handed proceedings, but Mr.. Reed
never dreamed Of doing anything like
that. 1t was d case Of out-Reeding
Reed, of out-Heroding Herod.
Let 1t not be concluded that only
Democrats condemn this revolutionary
proceeding. The Washington Post is
not a Democratic paper. 1t is inde-
pendent and leans heavily toward the
Republicans. 1t defends the admins
tration and all things Republican
where it can do SO without making an
ass of itself. Concerning the stealing
Of Buffers seat it says editorially:
We think that nearly every honest and
unbiased person will svlnpathiza with tho
Indignation OF the house Democrats over
the despotic. not to say, brutal, manner
IN which the Republican, majority has
disregarded decency and justice in the
case case of the Butler Whgoner contest.
These contests have always been more or
less sorrowful and scarSdalous, and the
fost has invariably protested against
them. no matter what form they took:
but In this instance every evil possibility
has been brought into an unlovely promi-
nence.
Mr.. Butler was elected to the Fifty
seventh. congress from the Twelfth dis
trict Of Missouri. He came to Washing
ton with all the legal and proper creden-
!ia!s. and that should have been enough.
II ms adversary had, or thought he had,
legitimate grounds Tor. q challenge he
should have submitted his case to the
ieoaa <ssvcts. -Nhars Alt4A iha- kaatA were
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