Thaddeus Stevens Chronicles No. 55

 Thaddeus Stevens: parliamentary genius

July 2025

By Ross Hetrick

Much of Thaddeus Stevens's political power came from his unparalleled mastery of parliamentary procedure. Many times he was able to push through matters that wouldn't have gotten through but for his skillful use of the rules of the House of Representatives.

This was particularly true at the beginning of the Civil War when the Union needed a lot of money fast. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Stevens was in charge of getting appropriations through Congress. But standing in his way were northern Democrats, who sought to delay appropriations to assist their Confederate brethren. 

To prevent these congressmen from delaying much needed appropriations, Stevens came up with a novel solution. He would move to suspend the rules so that the House could go into the "committee of the whole," which would send a bill straight to the House floor, bypassing committee meetings. Stevens would also include a provision limiting debate to one hour or less.  This was attacked by southern sympathizers, but the Republican majority approved it and measures were quickly approved.

This technique worked so well that Stevens used it repeatedly, often cutting the time limit to five minutes, then to two and then to one. On one occasion the debate time was only half a minute.

While Stevens enjoyed the support of the Republican majority for this tactic, it sometimes rankled even fellow abolitionists. On one occasion Rep. Owen Lovejoy of  Illinois objected to the debate limitation. "Do you expect to drive this thing through with a tandem team [of horses]," Lovejoy asked Stevens one time, to which he snapped back that he didn't think he could because there are "too many mules in the way."

Stevens parliamentary skill as well as his wit were on full display on December 4, 1865 when he successfully prevented ex-Confederates from taking over Congress. On instructions from Stevens, House clerk Edward McPherson omitted the names of the southerners from the list of new congressmen, preventing them from taking seats in the House. This was done on the basis that the southern states had given up their rights as states by leaving the union.

Rep. James Brooks of New York, tried desperately to get the ex-Confederates in but Stevens successfully blunted his efforts. In a final plea, Brooks asked when the matter of allowing the southerners into Congress would be taken up, Stevens calmly replied: "At the appropriate time." It was greeted with peals of  laughter.

Ross Hetrick is president of the Thaddeus Stevens Society, which operates the Thaddeus Stevens Museum at 46 Chambersburg St. in Gettysburg, PA. The Society also participates in the Adams County Giving Spree, which will be held on November 6. More information about the Great Commoner can be found at the society's website: https://www.thaddeusstevenssociety.com/