Congressional action in the first session of the 48th Congress, 1883, 1884 CONGRESSIONAL ACTION the First Session of the 48th Congress, 1883, 1884. Early in the first session of the Forty-eighth Congress, Mr. Lapham of New York in the Senate, and Mr. White of Kentucky in the House introduced a resolution for the submission of a proposition for a Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The Senate appointed a Select Committee on Woman Suffrage without the slightest opposition. The Committee on Rules in the House refusing to report a committee, instructed Mr. Keifer of Ohio to ask leave of the House as to whether one should be granted. The Congressional Record gives the following report: In the House, Dec. 19, 1883.— Mr. Keifer —I am directed by the Committee on Rules to report the resolution which I send to the clerk's desk; but it is my duty to state that while this resolution was ordered to be reported, it was simply for the purpose of getting the opinion of the House upon the question of the establishment of the committee named. The report does not express the judgment of the committee as to the merits of the proposition: but the committee instructed me to submit the resolution for consideration. Mr. Mills —I hope this motion will be withheld until the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Morrison] can call up and have concurred in the amendments of the Senate to our resolution for a holiday recess. Mr. Keifer —The motion which I submit can go over if necessary.—The clerk read as follows: Resolved, That a Select Committee of seven members be appointed to whom shall be referred all petitions, bills, and resolves asking for the extension of Suffrage to women of the removal of their legal disabilities. Mr. Springer —Has this subject been referred to the Committee on Rules? The Speaker—It was not referred by any action of the House. Mr. Springer —Then I make the point of order that it is not properly reported from the committee. Mr. Keifer —This is not a proposition to amend the standing rules. I ought to state further that I am personally in favor of the adoption of the resolution. Mr. Reagan —I move that it be laid on the table. Congressional action in the first session of the 48th Congress, 1883, 1884 http://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8338 The Speaker—The gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Keifer] has the floor. Mr. Springer —I insist on my point of order. Let that be settled. If it is over-ruled I have another point to make, which is that it has not been reported heretofore, and therefore must lie over one day. I insist on the other point first. Mr. Keifer —If there is any doubt upon the question—I think there is none—I have no objection to letting the matter go over, especially in view of the lateness of the hour. I do not concede that the point or order is well taken; but, if there be no objection on the part of members of the Committee on Rules or other gentlemen, I am 2 willing that the resolution shall go over with the understanding that it shall come up to-morrow. The Speaker—The resolution will lie over if there be no objection. Mr. Springer —Subject to the point of order. The Speaker—The point of order is pending. In the House, Dec. 20, 1883.— Mr. Keifer —Yesterday I offered, as instructed by the Committee on Rules, a resolution for the appointment of a new committee. I should like to have the clerk report the proposed resolution.—The clerk read the resolution. Mr. Springer —Will the gentleman from Ohio allow me a moment? Mr. Keifer —I do not desire, myself, to discuss the subject, unless some other gentleman wishes to be heard. If so, I shall yield such time as may be desired, as I do not propose to consume any time myself except in reply to what may be said by others upon the subject. If the gentleman from Illinois desires five minutes, I will yield to him. Mr. Springer —No; I desire to withdraw the objection I made to the consideration of this resolution on yesterday evening; and also the other objection, so that it may come up on its merits. Mr. Keifer —Does The gentleman desire to be heard upon the subject? Mr. Springer —Not at present; I may wish to be heard after a time. Mr. Keifer —If there is no disposition to debate the resolution, I am sure I have no wish to discuss it. Mr. Reagan —I hope the gentleman from Ohio will consent to yield to me for a few minutes. Mr. Keifer —I will yield to the gentleman from Texas not exceeding ten minutes. Congressional action in the first session of the 48th Congress, 1883, 1884 http://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8338 Mr. Reagan —Mr. Speaker, if the framers of the Constitution of the United States, the men who organized the government of the United States, those who conducted its administration and its law- making department for the first fifty years of its existence, could happen to be here now and see and hear the proposition submitted by the Committee on Rules or by the gentleman from Ohio, as the case may be. to create a committee to consider the subject of Woman Suffrage, or if they could have been here on yesterday and heard the House discussing the subject of the creation of the committee on the alcoholic liquor traffic, the probability is that the first inquiry raised in their minds would be, have the people of the United States lost the Constitution that we made for them? Now, sir, suppose we adopt that rule and create that committee, is there one gentleman in this House who will say that the House can pass a bill upon the subject that any court can enforce, or that every court in the land would not consider unconstitutional? Then, sir, we propose to take up a subject to amuse ourselves with because there is a clamor of a certain portion, and perhaps a very respectable portion, of the people for it. I hope that it will not be considered ungracious in me that I oppose the wish of any lady. But when she so far misunderstands her duty as to want to go to working on the roads and making rails and serving in the militia and going into the army, I want to protect her against it. I do not think that sort of employment suits her sex or her physical strength. I think also, when we attempt to overturn the social status of the world as it has existed for six thousand years we ought to begin somewhere where we have a constitutional basis to stand upon. We had better go to the States which have a right to regulate the interests of society their borders and see what they wish to do about this. In relation to the question of Suffrage, all who have read the Constitution or the comments upon it, know that the framers of it provided nowhere that the power to regulate Suffrage rested in the Congress of the United States, but in providing for 3 the election of members of this body, the election of the members of the popular branch of Congress, they provided that they should be elected by electors of the several States as authorized to vote by the several States. If Congress can not authorize men to vote, will we extend courtesy so far as to repeal the Constitution and say we can authorize women to vote? I only rose, sir, for the purpose of making very briefly a protest against kicking about the poor old Constitution that has been so long forgotten. If it is no longer a binding instrument here, let it rest in peace and cease to kick it around in their dirt. And I would have said this with reference to the rule we provided yesterday if I had felt it necessary to say anything. But I suppose whoever clamors for action here finds a warrant for it in the clamor outside, and it is not necessary to look to the Constitution for it; it is not necessary to regard the interests of civilization and the experience of ages in determining our social as well as our political policy; but we will arrange it so that there shall be no one to nurse the babies, no one to superintend the household, but all shall go into the political Congressional action in the first session of the 48th Congress, 1883, 1884 http://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8338 scramble and we shall go back as rapidly as we can march into barbarism. That is the effect of such doings as this, disregarding the social interests of society for a clamor that ought never to have been made. Mr. Speaker, I had no intention to speak on this subject to-day, and am not prepared to discuss it as it ought to be discussed. As I have said, I only rose to make my protest against this disregard of the Constitution. Mr. Wolford —Do I understand the gentleman from Texas to say that a law regulating the importation and selling of liquor is unconstitutional? Mr. Reagan —I have not said that. That is a revenue measure. That is not the matter I was talking about. Mr. Keifer —I yield five minutes to the gentleman from Colorado [Mr. Belford]. Mr. Belford —I have no doubt that this House will be gratified with the profound respect which the gentleman from Texas [Mr.