Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-12

was taking a recess, and that no business
was under consideration, Nevertheless,
III just such ineXtricable tangles of talk
and racket as this the II ouse of Represen-
tatiVes Is engaged in making laws. Each
member keeps track of the condition or
the special bills or measures in which he
Is interested, and when they come up he
IS on the alert to help them along. Then
ne subsidies. Trading among mem bers,
or "l0g-rolling," as IT is called, whereby
they help each other on pet schemes, is
the means Of getting through successfully
great deal OF legislation that ought to
fail.
During what is called the "mOrniug
! hour" which comes Immediately after
The reading of the Journal, resolutions
may be offered or motions to suspend the
rules to take up certain matters may be
made and that hour is prolific season OF
! lively passages. Before making amotion
or Offering resolution it is necessary
that the member should be recognized by
the Speaker and given the floor. That
Trick OF catching The Speakers eye" is
one Of the hardest things a new member
has to learn. 1t is no unusual thing to
see member rise in his place and cry
MI. Speaker" time after time for days III
/ succession without even being noticed.
W men sam Randall was Speaker he would
did not know TO have an opportunity to
drop "bOmbshels" into the camp. He
would persistenily fan to see or hear a
member whom he suspected of as purpose
| to introduce politics or other So bects in
lmic2l to himself or his party. Mr.. Blaine,
as Speaker had the same shrewdpeSs. u
IL customary Tor members who under
| stand their business TO confer with the
/ speaker before the session opens explain
their nTlTnoan mud his 40
ognize them az the proper time; otherwise,
no matter bow well ''i0a0ed' a new nem-
! Der may be sh9 stands poor chance or
| being heard. Nearly every man who mas
occupied tue Speakers eusIr has been
Obliged al times to exercise arbitrary au-
! thority at one time or another, hat proba-
| bly, the most striking instance OF n was
during the electoral count in February,
! 1871. Ninety members OF the House had
/ pledged themselves to defeat what they
! believed to be the unjust decision OF the
/ Electoral Commission by iiiibusterjng un-
der the rules until the session expired on
/ March Z. Their plan was followed FOR
| several days until SPEAKER Randall, see-
/ ing that the end would be 30 leave TIE
! country without q President, swept the
rules aside by an arbitrary decision which
cut oil all tilbustering and invoked The
! power Of his Office to enforce his decision.
/ such an exciting scene as then ensued
was probably never witnessed Ia legts-
! iatiVe body before. Every mem Der OF the
/ House was on his feet; some pounding
/ their desks and rushing down the aisles
and Representative BeeDee, of New YORK
standing on top OF his desk gestlculated
wildly While denOuncing The action OF Inc
/ Speaker as revolutionary.
| One is scarcely ever at loss for amuse-
ment while watching the sessions Of the
} House. and it does not take long to un-
! derstand why only few men, and those
the ablest and strongest, ever attain to
( any degree Of prominence as Representa-
/ tyes. Even TO be heard in the hat re-
/ quires lungs OF iron, and to stand against
/ the personal assaults, the continued strife
! for mastery and the shrewd political ma
npuverlng, member who aspires to take
a prominent part must combine great
courage and physical strength and en-
durance with ready wit, practical knOwl'
! edge OF parliamentary rules and numeT-
Gus other commanding qualities. 1t Is
little wonder that mary men who enter
| upon a Congressional career with the be
lief that they can make "A reputation, are
soon content 70 remain mute, lngloTi
Gus" members, ambitious only for tie
privilege OF printing their undelivereC
speeches in the Record for circulation
among their constituents. To 90 bach
and recount the "reminiscences OF notable
scrimmaQes ID Congress during the ca
reeTs OF such men as Henry Clay, John L
Calhoun, John Quincy Adams, John Ran
dOlph and scores OF others VINO achieved
national regulations would require vol
ume. In later days the passage between
Blaine and COnkiIng. wherein the latter
was accused 0fhi5 turkey Obbisr strut
and the famous ''shoO fiy" passage be.
tween Ben Butler and "SunseP Cox, are
well remembered occasions. In the pres
ent Congress there is an unusually small
proportion Of men well known ia national
| npHtics President Cia}eiand took tha
three most prominent Democrats from the
| Senate Tor hs Cabinet, ana Nj. Cox sent
! as Minister to Turkey is greatly missed
in the House. In both parties there arc
vacancies in leadership which new men
| viii be required TO fill. l.. NJ. b.