The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-12-15
The New Member.

The meeting of every Legislature and
every Congress. introduces to the public the
new member OF course the new mem
Der is not different from any other mem
Der of legislative body in the cut of his
clothes his personal mannerisms. and his
mental pecularities. Occasona ly some slight
ecceniricities may be observed, but gener-
ally speak ing the new member is modest.
retiring. observing and moderately inquis-
tive. This continues until familiarity with
legislative ways iustifies him in cutting
loose from apron st rings and goirg it on his
own hook. But there are exceptions to this.
There are those. by accident. or the eXigen-
cies of politics who obtain seats in the leg
islat i've halls of the State and of Congress.
who conclude from the fact OF success that
they are fully equipped for the legislative
arena, and what they don't know is not
worth knowing. This was illustrated in
the first hours of the present Congress by
the new member from Tennessee, in rath-
er dramatic way. Directing to another
member from an other state being sworn
in. OF course the new member, by the
rather novel method of his rem arks, at
tractel attention, and made the first mark
towards notorety. whether snch as will
pass his name to the pages of history as
one of the political lghtsof his day of-not.
time will develop.
The new member came to the front in
tha Nirn;ni omic tIra itI,o otlar ,Ia,, .,,,I
of course it was as to question of ethics
or etiquette. affecting the proprieties at
taching to the Virginia gentlemen" The
Senator from Botetouft seems to have been
Mortified at the existence of a custom which
has prevailed in al legislative bodies from
time immemorial that of voting for COM
mittees. after they have been formed, either
by the appointment of the presiding officer,
or the acti on of caucus In voting for the
committees so formed. every member who
is placed on a comm ittee votes for himself,
in the sense that be votes for the contirma-
ton of the action Of the presiding officer or
the caucus. The reso Int ion which the new
member offered asle mbodying his views. is
as follows
Resolved. That the tiftieth section, rules
of the Senate. he amended by adding the
words. Nor shall he vote for himself for
any position whatever' so that the same
will read Every Senator present when any
question is put or vote taken shall vote. or
be counted as voting on one side or the 9TH
er. but no Senator shall vote on a question
in the event OF which he is immedi lately or
personally interested. nor shall he vote for
himself for any position whatever"
This resolution would preclude every
Senator from vo.ing for any committee
on which he had been placed as a me mber.
and depart from a custom that the first
families of Virginia and the first states
men of the country have observed since the
formation of the government. Reverence
for the past and the history and traditions
of the country, should have suggested at
least prudent hesitancy before such fla
grant innovation was introduced. but the
new member" is sometimes of that cast of
mind that he scouts the abiurations of '.by
cones. and regards it as essential to the
commands Of higher civilization that
something fresh and lively should be pre-
sented to show that he is abreast of the
times-that he belongs to the school of
young America, and that the concentrated
wisdom of the ages must be impr owed
upon or his mission becomes ailure. The
Botetourt Senator. nclaseic illustration, de-
Tended his position, and not until the trench
ant lance of the Senator from Shenandoah
had exposed the weak points of his PROPOSE
ton, did it fla n uponlhim that the new men,
Der might learn something by waiting and
watching. The resolution was Withdrawn,
and the new member sat down to ruminate
over the collapse of well intended, but
very foolish suggestion to make himself
conspicuous.