Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-12-01

The longest ilmt 4 hlclnDcf may speak
in the house. except by unanimous consent,
j. one hour. Until lsl2 there was no limit
Of any kind On speeches in the house.
JOIN Randolph was ono ~ the most
brilliant but one of the most illogical of all
our famous public men. lie was a learned
man and one Of the most sarcastic Of NOR
tails. utterly mercile-- in flashing his adj
verSarics. lie was fond OF delivering
rambling, scholarly, seintillatng speeches
three hours long. John &. Cnlhoun pos
~eS~cd perhaps the most logical mind Of
al the son of man since 81. Paul.
II happened one day, when Henry Clay
was speaker, hut when in his temporary
absence Mr.. Bibb of Georgia was in the
chair, Randolph started III on one Of hi
brilliant orations. After 4 while Calhoun
made the point of order that before any
member could address the house there
must be pending some bill. amendment,
resolution or motion, which point 81 order
was overrulcd BY Mr. Bibb. who said Ran
dolph had begun by stating he was going
to offer n motion. The chances are that
Bibb dreaded Randolph'~ bitter tongue, a.
most men did. However that NAV he.
Randolph proceeded with his speech.
How long he would have continued no
man can tell had not Clay, who feared
neither man nor devil. resumed the chair.
when Calhoun promptly made hi point 81
order again and Clay n promptly su>-
tanned ii. Thus was taken the first step
IN limiting debate. Ii was a great bcne-
fetal and epoch making even, III con
Igressional history. In a newspaper state
mcnt, Speaker Clay said: Two principles
are settled. by these decisions: the first
L. that the house has a right to know
through IL organ the specific motion
which a member intends making before he
intends To argue IT at large; and, in the
second place. that 1t reserves to itself the
~cNcricc of the power Of determining whcth-
er il will consider II IL the particular time
when offered prior TO his thus proceeding
to argue it.
1T would seem altogether reasonable
that when \ member intends addressing Il
copiou, argument to a public body for the
purpose OF enforcing a motion, he should
disclose the motion intended to be support
ed. IL l. the practice Of the British par
lament, and IT several, ii not III Ut the
state assemblies, 10 require il not only
that this should be done. bun mat II should
be- seconded, thus affording a protection
against the obtru~ion upon the body III M,
whimsical or eccentric propositions ~ !
di>ordered or irregular mind by the coinci.
dencc in opinion of at least two individuals.
AT what particular period the PROPOSE
tion ought ~ W. submitted j., perhaps. not
exactly defined or dcfinablc. Certainly IL
the courtesy of all bodies will be found
q sufficient safeguard against the exclu-
sion Of matter properly introductivc, eN-
planatory or PREDATORY "a the motion
The line separating matter of this kind
from arguments in chief i not susceptible
OF accurate description. Ii does not
however, present more practical difficulty
than to discriminate between observation
which are relevant or otherwise. decorou-
or reprchcnsible."
Things proceeded in thai way until 1871.
when Henry Clay. then Il senator. became
engaged IN a feud with President TYLER
which fcud rent the Wing party in twain
and led 10 the Democratic victory in 1914.
u - supcrtluou~ 10 state that Henry Clay
dominated the Wing party. lie was not
a bo>s-hc was a ear. lie would secure
The passage OF a Wing measure through
The senate and send 1t over To the house,
where Henry a. Wise vi Virginia. who had
the most extensive vocabulary Of an Amer
lean orators, talked j. To death with the
assistance of a small coterie of "Tvler-
ties"
Clay, angry through and through be-
cause ~ the slaughter of hi pet measure
ny Wise and his partners in o~ratory. went
over 10 the house and secured the passage
~ the hour rule" ~ put a curb on the
tongue ~ Henry A. Wise. Then the Great
kcntuckian" returned To the senate where
he belonged. and endcavorcd To induce that
body 10 adopt the .'hour rule which ii
fatty refused 10 ~. and refuses ~ a. NJ
tins day. Not only that. but II refuses ~
place any limit whatsoever upon debate
the only limit being human endurance, the
endurance a the senator speaking.
- II cHmr ~ pass that on one occasion.
senator William Vincent Allen of Nebraska
spoke fourteen and a half hours at one