Show REEDS RE Os QUORUM IS UPHELD 1191 I 1 decision ision of the supreme court on this point 1 IF A QUORUM IS FOUND PRESENT the majority Is Sum sufficient elent to enact laws r j construction construction lon of odthe the Bount yand and reciprocity questions hashii aton feb 1 29 the no quorum case s in which the legality of the dingley worsted wonted act wag was attacked by the lm importers teg was today to day decided by the tile un united t states tates supreme court chedi the dingley ng act was passed pa sed through the action of speaker heed in counting conn ting a quorum w bile a quorum of members was present but not voting the importers maintained that tha t speaker keeda action wai wag in violation tion r of the constitution ond tind the act passed in this manner was oil void the court in an opinion bv tv justice brewer holds the no quorum rule is valid and that the house of representatives had bad a right to make such a rule 1 the constitution provides says the tile 0 pr opinion anlon that a majority of each hou house houe e I 1 continue a quorum quor uirt to do business bilbin ces in other words when a majority is present pre ent the house in is in position to do business its capacity to transact business is la then I 1 e created by the presence of a majority and docs does not depend upon the di position or assent or action of any single member or fraction of majority present all that the constitution requires rewires re aires is jhb presence of a majority and w when en a majority is is present the power of the house arises the tile constitution lias has prescribed no method of ofa ascertaining the pre presence ence of a majority and it Is athin the competency of the house to prescribe pree a any il y method that may be reasonably certain fa 11 to ascertain the fact there was a borum quorum present when this bill passed and the tie p fuestion pu u es estion ton is whether a quorum being present the bill received receive I a sufficient number of votes and here the general rule of all parliamentary part la ni e I 1 tag bodies is that when a quorum i ia p present e t the act of the lie majority of the A quorum rum is alie act of the body in the united states constitution there Is no such lin limitation as is found in certain state collat constitutions I 1 that a majority of all members elected shall be present necessary to the passage of a bill and therefore the general law of such bodies obtains |