The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1905-03-23

"a The Pittsburg Dispatch pitches
! ~ into Governor-Senator Robert
| NJ. La Toilette of Wisconsin
savagely because he proposes to re-
main in Wisconsin and continue gov
ernor long enough to accomplish GER
tain legislation which he deems for the
| public good. This will preclude his at
tendance on the extraordinary session
of the senate. The Dispatch could find n
text nearer home. The Junior Pennsyl-
Vania senator, Hon. Philander C. Knox,
Is Willing the time away playing golf
at Palm Beach. The esteemed Dis
patch has probably heard of the an
clent saying that what Is sauce for
the goose Is sauce for the gander; also
| of the one which declares that those
| who live in glass houses should not
| throw stones.
If the Dispatch had made its assault
on senatorial absenteeism general 1t
would have been doing a public serv-
Ice. Indeed, 1t might have extended
Its criticism with advantage to both
houses of congress, though the senate
Is the worse sinner In that regard
There have been some notable in
stances. After Representative Brooks
of South Dakota caned Senator Sumner
Of Massachusetts the latter spent two
years In Europe, holding his commits
sion as senator meanwhile. Senator
Sharon of Nevada was the most noted
absentee In his time, spending more
than half his senatorial years away
from Washington. David Bennett Hill
when elected to the senate was govern
or Of New York, and because he was at
loggerhcads with the lieutenant gov
ernor-"Jones. he pays the freight
held on to the gubernatorial office for
nearly year after his senatorial term
began, but as 1t was the long vacation
he did not actually lose much time
from the senate. John Sherman raised
some objection to his being sworn in
as senator, or threatened to do SO, but
the senators thought the objection un-
tenable, and it was dropped. Don
Cameron and Matthew Stanley Quay
both took long and frequent vacations
while the senate was in session. In
the article referred to the Dispatch
notes the fact that Senator Aldrich of
Rhode Island-the czar Of the senate
Is now travelling in Europe, though it
does not critlclse him for it, devoting
It's criticism wholly to poor La Fol-
lette, with whose opinions 1t evidently
Is not enamored.
AT least one representative In con-
gress never set foot in Washington at
the late short session, but he was not
a marker to representative from New
York a decade ago who served precise
ly two days in two years. 1t is said
that on the first day of that congress,
when he was sworn In, he was smooth
shaven and that before he put in his
appearance again he had grown full
beard Of such proportions that the door
keeper did not recognize him and
would not let him into the house until
he was identified by colleague. Such
cases are of course rare, but there Is
much absenteeism, greatly to the detri-
ment Of the public service. Time and
time again business has been brought
to complete standstill by reason
thereof, the point of no quorum be-
Ing raised. In the Fifty-third con-
gress the Democrats passed a resolu-
tion to dock the members of their
wages for absence except in cases Of
sickness, etc. The scheme did not work
well. Hon. Thomas Bracket Reed
sneered at II as "a police regulation"
1t has been adopted by no succeeding
congress and probably will be heard Of
no more. When Democratic leader Of
the house, Senator Joseph Weldon Bal
ley of Texas insisted that the country
was better off when Republican con-
gress spent its time without legislating
II this theory Is true, then absentee
ism in Republican congress to the ex-
tent of breaking n quorum Is good
thing, but unfortunately much leglsla-
tion is accomplished by less than a
quorum, for from the roll call ON the
first day OF session, which Is had to
ascertain II quorum is present, 1t is
always presumed to be present except
when roll call for some other purpose
develops absence Of quorum or when
some member raises the point of no
w hSh u IOll blOWb RICK
of quorum or when, the point being
raised, 1t Is ascertained that no quo
rum Is present, all legislation ceases
until quorum is shown to be present
or until the point Of no quorum Is
withdrawn, for the constitution re-
quires the presence Of quorum, ma
jority OF all members, to transact the
h,tu
sumption that quorum is present al
ways except as above stated Is VIC
lent one, known to be untrue, for fire.
quently mere handful Of members,
sometimes less than dozen, pass bills,
but the lmpossibility of keeping quo
rum present has been accepted as a
justification fc.y such a course.