The Irish standard., 1904-04-23

claim the right to change the revenue
laws governing ourselves. not by any
consent of this body, but by the con.
sent of foreign governments and for
eign potentates.
Are we, who declared that govern
ment without the consent of the gov
erned is tyranny, are we now to de,
clare we are to be governed and this
country is to be governed in the i'm
portant particular of the purse, not by
it's own consent, but by the consent of
foreign kings and foreign rulers and
foreign bodies?
Let us declare to all the world that
if any attempt be made to change til,
limits of the United States without the
full consent of congress, including this
sufficient reason for refusing an appr,
priation to carry it out. Make that the
rule and your right will be established.
for no foreign power will negotiate Il
treaty without first making sure that
this house would consent to what the
treaty proposed to accomplish.
by our rules no member can chal-
lenge the Judgment of the house on
anything. He cannot even address Il
petition or offer resolution from his
place on the floor He must go around
to IL basket, out of the notice of the
house and drop his application, his reso-
luton or petition, silently and secretly,
into the receptacle, as though he We're
engaged in an act of doubtful pro-
priety, to be performed surreptitiously.
Il am aware. of course. that all these
rules are justified on the ground that
is necessary to guard the house
against abuse. but. sir, if we cannot
be trusted. we ought to be abolished.
1T must be apparent to everybody
who is at all familiar with parliament
tary history that the greatest power en-
ercised by the representative body is its
power of scrutiny over every depart
ment. That should be exercised, not
with any reflection on any particular
officers, but should be discharged as
an inherent part of its functions never
to he relaxed and still less to be abd-
Gated. If that function We're exercised
surely each body would find itself re-
llevcd from any danger of explaining
the presence of r;lscals or apOlogiZin.
for them in their ranks. because there
would not be any rscals to explain
or to apologize for.
he house has but to exercise the
power which the constitution enjoins
upon it to keep every department clean;
for Inscality and publicity are abso-
lutely Incompatible.
SHALL we realize the fact that this
house is decaying because we ourselves
distrllst it? Shall we resolve to adopt
Il system of rules by which a member
can at least obtain the floor to make
Il motion, to challenge the house upon
any question that he chooses to bring
before it? Shall we declare that the
dignity Of the members carries with it
the right to address the chair ana SUI
nit Il proposal for the consideration of
all of it's members?
This particular action of which |
complain the secretary Of the interior
fn Inc. hu ,oen 70,
precedents which he claims to find dur
ing the administration of Mr.. Cleve-
land.
We'll, sir, if that be SO, then, in
Gods name, let us condemn these acts
of Mr.. Cleveland as vehenlently as we
would the act Of any Republican presi-
dent.
Il realize that direct action on this
resolution now, with a presidential
election pending. is difficult to obtain
and might be misconstrucd. 1t
might be made the basis of claim
by one side that the other had in some
way been lacking in fidelity to it's
duty.
Il am willing to admit that if Mr..
Cleveland began this system of allow
ing money to be taken from the treas
ury by executive order, his act in MAX
ing the first assault upon the citadel of
our privileges is more reprehensiblc
than the act of Mr.. Hitchcock III wIde1-
ing that breach, even to the extent of
so vast sum.
Sow, when that concession is made
have we not reached plane where
neither side can take any advantage
from the impartial discussion and dis
position of this resolution?
MIR. Speaker, propose to this house
that no action be taken now, that this
whole matter be allowed to go over
until the first Monday In December,
and that committee representing both
sides equally be appointed to draw up
a series of resolutions-a new declara-
ton of rights for this house-on which
both parties would stand, and which
both parties can most assuredly main
tain"
In Fifty Years.