The Republican party had the inestimable advantage in the year 1889 of being able to act.It controlled the Senate which had become the seat of legislative authority; it controlled the House; and it had placed its candidate in the presidential chair.
All branches of the Government were now in party accord.The leaders in both Houses were able men, experienced in the diplomacy which, far more than argument or conviction, produces congressional action.Benjamin Harrison himself had been a member of the ruling group of Senators, and as he was fully imbued with their ideas as to the proper place of the President he was careful to avoid interference with legislative procedure.Such was the party harmony that an extensive program of legislation was put through without serious difficulty, after obstruction had been overcome in the House by an amendment of the rules.
In the House of Representatives, the quorum is a majority of the whole membership.This rule enabled the minority to stop business at any time when the majority party was not present in sufficient strength to maintain the quorum by its own vote.On several occasions, the Democrats left the House nominally without a quorum by the subterfuge of refusing to answer to their names on the roll call.Speaker Reed determined to end this practice by counting as present any members actually in the chamber.To the wrath of the minority, he assumed this authority while a revision of the rules was pending.The absurdity of the Democratic position was naively exposed when a member arose with a law book in his hand and said, "I deny your right, Mr.Speaker, to count me as present, and I desire to read from the parliamentary law on the subject." Speaker Reed, with the nasal drawl that was his habit, replied, "The Chair is making a statement of fact that the gentleman from Kentucky is present? Does he deny it?" The rejoinder was so apposite that the House broke into a roar of laughter, and the Speaker carried his point.
Undoubtedly, Speaker Reed was violating all precedents.
Facilities of obstruction had been cherished by both parties, and nothing short of Reed's earnestness and determination could have effected this salutary reform.The fact has since been disclosed that he had made up his mind to resign the Speakership and retire from public life had his party failed to support him.For three days, the House was a bedlam, but the Speaker bore himself throughout with unflinching courage and unruffled composure.
Eventually he had his way.New rules were adopted, and the power to count a quorum was established.* When in later Congresses a Democratic majority returned to the former practice, Reed gave them such a dose of their own medicine that for weeks the House was unable to keep a quorum.Finally, the House was forced to return to the "Reed rules" which have since then been permanently retained.As a result of congressional example, they have been generally adopted by American legislative bodies, with a marked improvement in their capacity to do business.
* The rule that "no dilatory motion shall be entertained by the Speaker" was also adopted at this time.
With the facilities of action which they now possessed, the Republican leaders had no difficulty in getting rid of the surplus in the Treasury.Indeed, in this particular they could count on Democratic aid.The main conduit which they used was an increase of pension expenditures.President Harrison encouraged a spirit of broad liberality toward veterans of the Civil War.
During the campaign he said that it "was no time to be weighing the claims of old soldiers with apothecary's scales," and he put this principle of generous recognition into effect by appointing as commissioner of pensions a robust partisan known as "Corporal"Tanner.The report went abroad that on taking office he had gleefully declared, "God help the surplus," and upon that maxim he acted with unflinching vigor.It seemed, indeed, as if any claim could count upon being allowed so long as it purported to come from an old soldier.But Tanner's ambition was not satisfied with an indulgent consideration of applications pending during his time; he reopened old cases, rerated a large number of pensioners, and increased the amount of their allowance.In some cases, large sums were granted as arrears due on the basis of the new rate.A number of officers of the pension bureau were thus favored, for a man might receive a pension on the score of disability though still able to hold office and draw its salary and emoluments.For example, the sum of $4300 in arrears was declared to be due to a member of the United States Senate, Charles F.Manderson of Nebraska.Finally, "Corporal" Tanner's extravagant management became so intolerable to the Secretary of the Interior that he confronted President Harrison with the choice of accepting his resignation or dismissing Tanner.Tanner therefore had to go, and with him his system of reratings.
