Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-13

cision was laid on the table by a majority,
not of the house. but Of the quorum. Next
morning he again COUNTED a quorum to Sc
cure the approval OF the journal, and this
time refused to entertain an appeal from
his ruling, holding that the house had al
ready settled the question.
The democrats were wild with fury and
the turbulent scenes Of the ante-bellum
congresses were ~reenacted. The speaker
was denounced as a tyrant, a despot and a
traitor to the country. He was given the
title of Gear" which he accepted with
his rare good humor, and until his death
he was quite as often Gear" Reed as he
was Tom Reed. The opposition continued
to oppose what they termed the SPEAKERS
arbitrary, corrupt and revolutionary ac-
ton" and began to attempt to break the
quorum by actual absence. 1t was in one
Of these wild rushes to escape for the
chamber that Buck Kilgore of Texas
kicked down a door. But 1t was a useless
and a hopeless warfare. TIL principle
weapon Of the fllibusterers, the power to
prevent a quorum, was gone forever.
When the republican majority was in
creased until It was safe, the committee
on rules brought in its new code. The
house had not adopted the rules of the
former house and the speaker had been
proceeding under general parliamentary
law for nearly three months. Now that
victory was certain the revolutionary
rules were submitted to the house. Among
the innovations proposed were rules pro-
viding hat members present, but not
voting, may be counted as a part of the
quorum, that 100 members shall constl-
tute a quorum in the committee of the
whole. and that no dilatory motion shall
be entertained by the speaker.
Before that time any member who Sc
cured recognition might make any motion
he desired. In this way endless SUGGESTIONS
Of roll calls might be procured and the
business of the house obstructed !ndef-
initely. General James B. Weaver, in one
session of congress, practically forced the
house to do nothing but answer roll calls
for a whole session. Now the speaker may
refuse to entertain a motion If he thinks
it is d~ilatory, and thus another weapon is
denied the fillbusterer.
Reed was the leader, the master, the soul
of the house He was an intense partisan,
who believed that only by the triumph of
the republican party could the republic
hope TO survive. He was a party leader,
the product of an era of bitter party war
fare, and he believed in using the power
of the majority utterly to crush his OPP
ponents. For the greater part of his con-
gressional career he was in the minority,
and 1t must be said that Thomas B. Reed
was the most accomplished and skillful fill.
busterer who ever attempted to throw bar
riers in the path of the majority. Wher
he came to power he had no mercy for his
opponents, nor did he tolerate the slight.
est disposition of his own partisans tc
wander away from the course mapped out
by the organization leaders,
Upon one occasion the majority of the
house was certain to vote for a resolu.
ton recognizing the belligerency of the
Cuban revolu.ionists If given the oppor.
tunity. The house was half asleep wheI
the democratic leader. arose and addressed
the chair. -Reeo knew that he had tn,
Cuban resolution in his hand. Ignorinl
the democrat, the speaker gazed into spac,
and said: 1.-THE gentlemen from Maint
moves hat the house do now adjourn. d.
l hear a second? The motion is seconded
All in favor will say aye Those op
posed no. The ayes have it. The hous
stands adjourned" And 1t was adjourned
although Mr., Dingley, the gentlemen from
Maine did not know 1t until after it wa
over. No one made a motion to adjourn
no one had seconded such a motion. Tn
house was adjourned by the deliberate and
Of course, the unauthorized act Of a mai
who was determined that it should no
have any opportunity to vote on a ques
ton upon which he knew the majority op
posed his own views. Yet Mr.. Reed be
lieved that he was doing his duty as
patriot to prevent war with Spain and h
always believed hat by that very actiot
he did postpone the war.
The democrats came back to power i
the next house by an enormous majorit
and the first thin they did was to repea
/, the Reed rules, In the next congress tn
den ocratic majority was somewhat re
duced, and the tactics of Mr.. Reed, a
=, leader of the minority, forced the demo
. Gratis into what was -tantamount to tn
adoption of the rules they had so bitterl
denounced. With the Flfty-fourth congress
the republicans and Reed returned I
power. Since that time, until now, tn
Reed rules nave ruled supreme.
3 FREDERIC j. HASKIN.
> Tomorrow THE AMERICAN cor
= dREss-Speaker Cannon's Career.