Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-08
The American Congress
XVI-Evolution of House Rules
Bv Frederic u HaSkin

question nor the right to grant prefer
entail recognition is tolerated. Mr..
| Blaine was the first speaker to make
use of his office to organize a political
machine of which he was the bene-
fciary. His attempts to control the
party for his own use resulted in the
enmity of Grant and Conl<ling and in
the defeat of his ambition to be pres
| ident.
In 1874 the Democrats gained control
of the house and Michael C. Kerr was
elected speaker Had he lived the
whole subsequent history of political
parties in the United States would have
been different. But he died during his
term of office and was succeeded by
| Samuel j. Randall of Pennsylvania, a
Democrat and a party man, although
not subscriber to the views of his
party on the tariff question While he
was speaker the Hayes-Tilden con-
tested presidential election case was
decided. He felt himself bound by the
| provisions of the electoral commission
act. The "irreconcilables" in the
Democratic party resorted to dilatory
| tactics to prevent the completion of
the count of the electoral votes Ran
dali stood firmly against his partisan
interests, and forced the completion of
the count, thereby making Hayes pres
ident. In this fight Randall refused
absolutely to entertain dilatory mo-
| tions, and took positive action to af-
| firm the right of the speaker, asserted
by Blaine, to recognize whom he will.
! This refusal of the speaker to enter
| tain a dilatory motion was confirmed
| by the house and made a part of the
! rules in 1890.
Both Blaine and Randall added great
| ly to the prestige of the speakershp,
| but neither undertook TO deprive the
minority of the right" of hlibuster.
! Indeed, Mr.. Blaine in the chair once
| became "insurgent" and acted with the
minority. Ben Butler was attempting
to pass the Force bill of 1873, and the
Democrats, especially the southerners,
were in despair Not because Blaine
| loved the South. but because he sought
| to undermine the power of the admins
| tration to advance his own fortunes,
he resolved to kill Buffers bill. He
| asked l.. @. c. Lamar II the gentleman
from Mississippi knew that the jour
nal of the previous day had not been
/ read and approved. That gave thu
Misslssppian his cue. and the debate
on the approval of the journal was be-
| gun. Butler knew there was no way
to meet the flibuster. he abandoned his
bill, but he got his revenge by opening
up the Arkansas railroad deal and be-
smirehing Blaine's reputation.
| j. Warren Keifer was the next
! speaker. He is now n member of the
house. His intense partisanship pre-
vented his achieving fame as speaker.
but he came near to being great. He
ruled that the house could not tolerate
! dilatory tactics and was prepared To
take the step of counting quorum.
| But Reed of Maine and Kasson of Iowa
| and other Republican leaders told him
/ that they would not support such a
/ revolutionary procedure, and Keifer de-
| sisted. 1t was reserved for Reed, ten
year later, to count a quorum, reVolu
tionize the rules of the house and stop
the right" of filibuster
Then came John @. Carlisle, a Demo
crat, who held to the theory that the
speaker was the leader of congress,
that he should have a definite legisla-
| tive policy and that he should so COM
pose committees and so grant recog-
milton as to secure the success of his
| policy. This was a long step forward
in centering the power of the house in
the speaker. Mr.. Carlisle was the first
strong exponent of the personal power
| of the speaker.
When the Republicans were restored
to power Thomas b. Reed was chosen
/ speaker. He destroyed the most ef-
/ fective weapon of the fiilibuster by
counting a quorum and by abollshing
| the fiction OF actual presence ana con-
structiVe absence. Under his leader
ship the house adopted the "Reed
rules" substantially as they govern the
house today. He was succeeded by
Charles f. Crisp. n Democrat who de-
veloped the power of the committee on
rules, but who abated no essential fea-
ture of the Reed rules.
Speaker Henderson and the present
speaker have added nothing of great
Importance TO the power of the speaker
or to the rules of the house. But now
Mr.. Cannon is facing a fight for the
revision of the rules and a return To
a more liberal system of procedure in
the house. The present congress prob
ably will decide the issue, either by its
own action or by placing the issue be-
fore the voters next November.
| TomorrOw-The American Congress:
/ NEII-The Power of Committee on Rules.