Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-11


EY AENI new code of rules known as
N NEsAl. 1.-THE Reed rules" and with
ia N1N few material changes 1t now
lza00dsal. governs the house. The code
took its name from Thomas r. Reed OF
Maine, speaker of the house. The other
Republican members of the commit
tee which reported the famous rules
were William Mckinley and Joseph
G. Cannon. The adoption of this code
was the triumphant completion OF
parliamentary revolution begun on De-
cember 2, 1889. when the Ftfty-tlrst
congress met for its first session. the
opposition had exhausted every pos
slble effort in the vain attempt to de-
feat the new system, but in the two
succeeding congresses the Democrats,
having a majority gave the stamp OF
their approval to the very code which
| they had so iereely denounced as ty-
rannical and reasonable. With the
return of the Republicans to power III
1895 the Reed rules were continued as
matter of course, and while they
have been the target of much bitter
oratory, they have not been seriously
threatened until the beginning of the
present, the SiXty-frst congress.
When the special session sat last
March Speaker Cannon was reelected
without trouble but the house refused
to adopt the rules of the former house
and some slight amendments were IN
corporated none of which in any
sense impairs the effectiveness OF the
house machine. But party lines were
broken, and the regular majority was
NsaVed from utter defeat by majority
Nof only 1--WE. and that with the votes
Iof twenty three Democratic represen-
tatiyes Thus for the first time since
the Reed rules were adopted does a
speaker and his organization depend
for the grant of power upon section
of the opposing party As the rules
were devised and designed to promote
party discipline and to secure party
rule, the situation is a most remarka-
BILE one.
When the Fifty-irst congress met,
the Republicans for the first time in
fourteen years found themselves in
control of the presidency. the senate
and the house of representatives. But
their margin I'm the house was so small
only eight votes that the leaders rear
lied that heroic methods must be en-
ployed to assure consistent and certain
party success Consequently Thomas
l.. Reed took the gavel with the de-
termination to make the majority ef-
fective. To accomplish this purpose
two things were to be done, the one
uniustifiable and arbitrary the otner
quite as arbitrary but wholly Justlna-
ble The first was to eject as many
Democratic members as possible and
seat Republicans in their places. rms
resulted in an increase of the Repub-
lican majority from the dangerous
number Of eight to the safe and COM
Portable margin of twcnty-four with
out the expense or inconvenience OF
elections. Eight of the nine Democrats
elected were candidates for reelection
II
reelected and in another OF the nlhe
districts a Democrat was returned. But
the wholesale election of Democrats
had made the Republican majority
certain, and that was the thing most
to be desired.
The second thing to be done was to
put an end to the right OF fliDuster'
so that a majority of the mouse InlEht
he free to register its will and that a
minority might no longer have the
rover absolutely to block business and
obstruct legislation. The verdict OF the
people. Of succeeding congresses ana
Of the supreme court of the united
states has upheld Mr. Reed's course
in counting for a quorum those mem
bers actually present, despite thelr re-
fusal TO answer to their names on q
roll call. He destroyed the fiction OF
constructive absence and ended the
tyranny Of the minority.
The committee on rules purposely
DELAYED its report until suftlcleht
number OF Democrats had been eject
ed to assure its adoption. On January
%. the great parliamentary battle the
greatest in the history of the house,
was fought One of the contested elec-
tion cases came in from the commit
tee for consideration by the house, ana
the majority was determined TO ou5t
the Democrat and seat the Republican
The yeas and nays we're demanded on
the question of constipation ana the
roll call showed 161 ayes, two noes ana
165 no. voting. The Democrats, the
very members who had demanded the
yeas and nays, sat silent, conhdent OF
yictonv in the possession of a cen
turv's accumulation of precedents. Ihe
point of no quorum was made, the ron
can disclosing that fact.
Whereupon the speaker directed the
clerk 10 record the names or those
nresent who declined to vote. rms
vas the revolution. A Democrat, one
Of those who had refused TO vote and
was constructiyely absent, appealed
from the ruling of the chair The
house was thrown into confusion, men
,ctroIlv stormed the speakers stand,