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A Good One

A Good One image
Parent Issue
Day
19
Month
February
Year
1890
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

I The followihíí is tbe eB&Ch delivèrëd in üonjrress by Hon. E. P. Alien, representative in Congress from thls district, upon the ndoption of tbe new rules: Mu. Speaker: The Fifty-lirst Congress met iu orderly manuur, under the constitution and the laws, .on thc first iMonday In Decomber lnst, with no rules adopted by this body. l'roceedings vvere conducted under what is known as parliamentury law, a system of rules which prevails in all popular assemblies antll supplemented by others. The business of the House proceeded regularly and wlth no interruption until a question aróse of the highest moment to the House, ranking in iniportance any other tlmt can be considered by this body, towit. the right of a member to his seat liere. To prevent considerntion of that question tactics known as "dilatory" were at oncu adopted by the democratie members. These dilatory tactics were adopted, not to furtber public business, not to prevent raids upon the treasury, sucb as gentlemen on the other sido havo been glibly talking about, not for the purpose of tliwartin? the coiiEummation of some great wrong, but solely to prevent the conslderation even of the question wbether Mr. Jackson has a rlglit to a seat upon this lloor. Those dilatory motions were also, in thelr nature, tionary; because If, by sucli laclics, one man can bc kept in a seat whicli is challenged, then a dozen or a hundred men can be kept in thelr seats in the same way, and it would be impossible ever to investíate, upon its merits, any question of this nature. How did the miiiority proceed? Tbey had aiisworod roll-calls regularly and promptly; they had been in thelr seats partlcipaÜug tu tbe business of tue House, but whcu the question was ralsed of considering the contested-election case of Sinith iigaiust Jickson dilatory practices at once began, aud they were promptly overruled" by tlie Speaker, the inouihpiece of this House, the organ of tbe House, the man who stands for us and in otir stead to iniike deliverances here. [Applause.] These motions were overruled expressly opon the gronod tbat they were dilatory and notbing else. The next step was what? Why, when quêstions were raised in their regular order the gentlemen upon the other eide remained in their seats and kept silent. It was like the silence in heaven after the seventh seal was broken, as recorded by John of Patmof, and continued for about the same leiigth of time, half an hour. [Laugtiter and applause.] Then It w:is broken, and broken in a way that no man present will ever forret. Wliy, sir, when those gentlemen who inslsted tbat they were not present because they did not answer to their ñames aróse en masse (when the Speaker anuounced that they were in thelr seats), and with one voice, wlth a hundred rojees, with tlie voices of mighty winds, as it were, rushed simultaneously upon the Speaker, no man, I say, wbo heard thera wlll ever forget. [Renewed laughter.] ïliev were here then. When opportunity offered to put a rail through the spokes of the wagonwheel to stop it every man of them look hold of the rail. When opportunity offered to stop tbe business of this House they were all here, they were all here together, rushing down the aisles as if about to take the Speaker bodily trom the chair where this House had placed hlin. Who can ever forget uiy friend from Indiana [Mr. Byinim] as, with clenched tlsts and "fortn like oid Goliath tal!," he moved down the aisle with arms aktmbo like a Dutch windmill, threateuing dire disaster to the gentleman who ocenpied the chair? [Laughter.] Who did not stand with bated breath as the silvertongucd gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Breckinridge], with solemn mien ;md measured words, announced to the country and the world that this side of the House and the Speaker were "corrupt?1' Who will ever forget my friend from Arkansas [Mr. Iiogers] as he s'ood trausfixed with ainazement aud speechless as his cyes beheld the sun of liberty go downforever? [Laughter.] Uut Mr. Speaker, "the wiuds blew, the tlmuls i-unie." in va'in ; ftixd whfiii the uiry storm passed by this House the country saw in that chair a Reed that was not phaken by wind. [Laaghtei and applause on the repoollcan side.] Why, glr, that yell lias not been duplicated irlthin twenty-five yoars. [Henewed applause.] Instautly caine to my mind the words which Walter Scott puts Into the mouth of the Last JdlnstreJ upon a noted occasion, when At once thero rose so wild a yell Wiiiiin that low and narrow dt-ll, llseerned as if the fieuds tlmt feil Jlnd pealed tlio battle-cry of heil ! [Laughter and applause] ' Well, Mr. Speaker, that passed by. The Speaker of this House found that these gentlemen were here, and he told them so and told the country so. But, sir, we are told that this is a dan gerous precedent; we are told that we are overriding precedents. Do not gentlemen know that precedents sometimes become so cruel that they must be cut down and destroyed ? l'atrick Henry destroyed precedents when, in the Virginia house of burgesses, he dared to use language that was treasonable; but when he used it he broke the spell that bound the people about hlm, and from that time nnward liberty recelved a new Ímpetus. [Applause] John Quincy Adams broke precedeots when, in this House, with the Olerk, a creature of the House, relusinji to do certain thing?, he aiose in his seut and said, "Gentlemen, I will put the question myself ;'' and he did it, bringing order out of confusión and wiinng out a "precedent" forever. Sir, tne peopie ot mis country nave grown impatient under the operation of rules ilmr have been builded up in tliis House of Representatives. For years they liave been complaining tliat thls Ilouso, instend of attending to its dutie?, has aimply been obstructing the business of the country, and dolng it under forms of law. The peopie became uneasy, and not only uneasy but impatient, uud they determlnod that there should be achauge. It is not true, sir, that this is a new questlon. Ie waa foresbadowed years ago that the time would come wheu these rules must be changed w that the House could do its business properly. Tbat question was discussed throughout the whole North in the last campaign, and the House of Hepre?entatives was denouneed because of its obstrnctiveaess and because of its determlnation, hedged about by rules, to thwart the will of the American peopie. [Applause on the publican side.] The country understands to-day tliat when the rules are changed and the chains are broken it meatis tliat the majority of the Representativos In tliis House elccted by the American peopie sliall take the responsibillty of lcgislatLou and be held accountable for that lefrislation. Aud when they return to their CODStltuents if they have done unwisely others will be substituted in their places. Kut wliat the peopie desire and propose to have is work done. [Applause.] Why, sir, all who were here in tbe last Conrres saw the most Important bill 8trangled - not by a commlUee, not by this House, hut by the gentleman who occupied the chair at that time. When we remember these things, to accuse the present occupant of the chair of "tyranny'" is mockery. Had it not been for the 'tyranny'1 of one man, had it not been for the power that the rules gave htm here, the State of Michigan to-day would imve half a mllllon dollars in her treasury that belonj;s to her - money that alie took freely from her peopie in order to put down rebellion - money whicli she gave by virtue of a law which expressly proVided that other States should contribute their share. Bat, instead of so doinjr, the States that neglccted to pay their tax, claiming that the money now in the Treasury belongs to all the peopie, refuse either togive U3 back wliat wc contribnted, or to pay their own proper proportlon. [Applause.] Jlr. Speaker, if gentlemen can sit iti their seats silent and refuse to vote or take any part in the proceedings they miht as well be entirely out of the House. But, sir, "the world moves." Thirty years ago gentlemen on that side, instead of sitting silently in their seats, would have walked out of the Hall. The reason they do not now is because public sentiment would smite them for it. They were afraid to undertnke to repeat tliat experiment; and thcreforc {hey staid in tlieir seats and drew thcir salarie?, at the same time dalmlng that they were absent - preseDt in the body, hut absent in the spirit. And I want toeay furlher to gentlemen on the othcr side that as public opinión preven ted .you from Icavinjj the Hall, so wlthln live years from thie date public opinión will so Utterly condemu the man who undertakes to obstruct the public business here tliat the pernicious "precedent" will have ia?sed away forever. We are sent liere for business. We are sent here to do somethlng or not to do soinething under the forma of law, But no one ever conceived that any man had a right to sit licre and draw his puy, occupy the place of ;i member, and yet do nothiug, but prevent anyliiing being done. Why, gentlemen, suppose you sliould suceeed In tb Is. The country has alreay decided that the Speaker, backed by the majorit3r of this House, is ïight in his dccisions. Uut suppose you could succeed, and instead of having sixteen or eeventeen contestant seats liere suppose wc had one bnndred and sixty-tivc; that is about the number wc; ought to have had during the last five Congresses if Justice had been done. Bat with your theory that nothlng can be done if you sit silent how could we ever make lip a contestedelection cae and oarry it to a conclusión? The men who are charged with unlawfully oecupying seats on cliis Hoor would have it in their power to say tliat their cases should never bc uvestigate-.l. And it is the truth that in thestruggleihrougb wliich we have just passcd and now passing men on thls floor whose riht to tht'ir seats is ohallenged on unquestlona ble evidencc have voted to retain tbetnselves here without ever allo win g tliis House to discuss the merite or demerita of their caes. Gentlemen may y that thta rofosal to lake part in the business of the House is parliamentary; tlu-y may say tlüit they are slmply exereisiujj tht'ir rights when they sit silent ly here and refute to act. But history will say that it is silent secession ; tliat you are not dolngyour duty as your oath of olüce commands you to do; that tliere is do posible wiy by which a Representativo of the American people, sworn to do his duty as a Representative, can by obstructive mo vemen té defeat the will of the people as represen ted by a majorlty of this House. Tliere is no question omlng before this House but must finnlly be decided by the Speaker as mouthpiece of the House. We have our rights here, but the Speaker linally announces the decisión; we are obliged to take his word for it ultirnatcly. He has nlways had that power. He had it in tlie lust Uongress ander the rules ol this House. He had it, in the Fortyseventh Congress; and I desire to culi the attention of the Bouse to Rule XVII of the Forty-sevi'iith Ooiigreee, whlch was also tlie rule of the Fit'tletb Congress. I read clause 2 of that rule: A cali of the house sliall uot be in order aflerihe prevlous question Is ordered uuless tt shall appear upoti au actual couut by i In Speuker tliat a quorum is nut present. This rule empowera the Speuker by "an actual count" to settle tbc question as to whether tliere is a quorum or not. True, liis decisión may be appealed fro'ii; but ultimately he anuounces from that chair tlie result of the appeal, and it is left with hl m. The comment in the DiL'est upon this cl ui se of Rule XVII isas follows: The practlceof countlng the House by the speaker of late years has frequently been reBorted to to ascertalu the presenee of a quorum, and Is a more expeilitiou.s metnod Mum culling tlie roll. This is dono because it is "more expeditious." You have clothed the Speaker with th.it rljfht under your rules, and having thu right under the rules, much more does the speaker of au aserably like this have the right under comulon parliamentary law to decide whether motions ure dilato ry or not, and to deelde whetlier a pergon is present in hls seat or nor. We are told that the object of this cbange In the rules Is to make a riiid upon the Treanury. VV'e are polnted to as Ooths and Vandal?, whose sole object in llfe is to take the substance of the people from them. Yet wiien you so arralgn us, gentlemen, you arralfrn men that represent that part ol the Union where nlne-tenths of the wealth, the culture, the eduoation of the country exist. Wtien you so nrralgn us you irraitru the great communities ot !he Union thiit have done their ghare, and more, to make it tvluit it s. You arraigo the communities that, when the naüon was upon tlie vere of lU-ifnrfint-, .-., -.-cl it from ihe nery abyss that you had prepared tbr it. It is not true that the Represent.itives of these great congtituenlces on this side of the House are men given over to "lootinf." They are men wlio represeDt coustituencies that are conservative, tbat have an idea of the valne of ctübility, the value of law and order. I huil back to the other side the charge that we are either revoliitioniiy or ever have been. [Applause on tlu; república n side] Our fatbers, to be sur-, were revolutionists when they hroke away from Great Brltain, bat when we fonnded n nation of our own we have never nndep taken to destroy it. The revolutlonlste, ifthere are any in the House, can not be found on this side of the Hall. [Re newed applause.] The ouly quesiioD is, sliall this House have rules luider which it can conduct its business in an orderly and honest wuy, so tliat every matter anl thing has a ri;lit to a hearing on this Boor may have lts dny In court; whether the rielas and interests of the country that are placrd for the time being in our hands for safe keeping shall have conaideratlon or not? Heretofore tlie rules have been so constructed that one, two, or til ree men conld control the actlon of this House. That time has gone by forever. [Applause.] The American people will no lonjrer submit to one-man power. It is not Bubinltting to one-man power to-day. What the Speaker has doue li ,3 been In strict acoordance with pirliarnentary law, h:is been In strict aecord mee with the demand of a majority of tlie Itepresentatives of the American people. It is useless to throw epitheta at blm. It were more manly to throw thetn at us, because, as you have learned from the past ezperlence, epitheta do not seare blm. [Laughter.] He is prepared to take the responsibility of his high place and jco forward in the discharge of bis duty. And the ralnbow la this whole horizon that I see is this: That when you take "the sober srcond thought" you will come and lay tributes of pralse at the feet of the man whoni you have mili-rned, bucause of the faot that be has known his duty, and, knowlng ir, bas dared to do it. [Applause on the republican side J To the mojority helónos the legislation of congress. It is thought that the next census wlll show a population of over G(i,r00,000. Even tlie democratie party, so bitter In deuunciaton of Speaker Reed now, will rise up and do blm honor in the courae of time. The ice famine extendfl over nearly three-fourtlis of the United States, from Maine to Miimeapol.is. Just wait until next April or May. If the demócrata carry out tbelr sb:uncless gerrymandinx scheme In Oliio, lir. McKinley will be in a di.-trict having about 9,000 democratie majorlty.

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier