Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-03-10
Judge De Almonds Speech.
Judge De Almond said:

Mr.. Speaker, this proceeding this morn
ing furnishes us the lone example in all
the history of your rule in this house, as
I recOllect it. of actual progress made in
the proceedings Of the committee on
rules. The committee, after great deal
of travail and a great deal of hesitation
and reluctance, has reported a rule which
will tend to facilitate legislation upon
this most important subject. A good
many have been waiting quite a little
while for the presentation of a rule of
an entirely different character. How it
came about that that rule was not pre-
scented, and how it happened that this
rule modification of that in important
particulars, is substituted, we do not
know. Contrary to that very sacred
thing known as precedent in this
house, the committee upon rules has
really concluded to submit to the house
a rule that is tolerable. It is true that
there is to be no amendment and no op-
portunity for it. Strange it is, too, that,
with abundance of time for things that
are not important there is not enough
time to permit the members of this
house, every one of them a sovereign
representative in his own right, to offer
and consider amendments and to vote
and to act upon his own views on prop
OSitiOns submitted upon a question OF
very great and far reaching Importance.
But for the little that we have, where
Out very IlCtIS is gwen anu LnaL BruOE~
ingIy, let us be thankful. There is at
last opportunity given to the house and
to the congress and to the country to
get some legislation that will accomplish
something that is desirable. The word
knowingly" put in knowingly, no doubt,
to render this measure, if 1t should pass,
absolutely worthless and useless, is
knowingly, with great reluctance and
much elaboration, withdrawn. The word
consecutive" put in with full under
standing and for the direct purpose OF
making this legislation useless, has been
withdrawn, Withdrawn most reluctantly,
withdrawn after much comparison of
notes and much consideration of possible
consequences, but it is withdrawn, and
the house now has the opportunity, un-
der the form of rule most drastic in it's
terms, expression and purpose, to send
to conference something upon which
there may be rested a hope for good leg
iSlation.
Thanks to the timidity of the commit
tee on rules, thanks to the powers and
influences, whatever they may be. that
have coerced that body Of coercion into
doing something contrary to it's general
course, something which may result in
who coerced the committee on rules,
may those influences that have prevailed
over it in this one instance for the right,
be exerted again and again! May this be
the OaWnlnS or the day Wnen the COM
mittee on rules will cease to be auto
cratic when it will share with the house
of representatives itself, with the 1888
members, leaving out of the count the
powerful three who constitute the ma
jority of the committee on rules, the
power of the house! May the 1888 hence
forth have a chance to do something!
Let US welcome this as a harbinger of
better times. Let US hail this as a sign
that, at least once after many years,
upon one measure at least, for reasons
satisfactory to it, this mighty committee
on rules has hardened to the voice of the
public and has given the house Of repre-
sentatives a little opportunity to do
something justly important.
I do not wish, however, to grow too
hopeful nor too optimistic. There is too
much in the past, there are too many
examples to the contrary, tcQ much of
evil in the spirit which governs the COM
mittee on rules, to warrant the hope that
this example will become contagious, but
let us hope it will have some repetitions.
If any reader of this deems that too
long a quotation for these letters,
beg him to remember that the Demo-
Gratis are outnumbered by the Repub-
licans in the house almost two to one
and that such a victory achieved by
us is worth all the space of many let
ters.