The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-05-27

TERRITORY,
into tie committee rooms, Ehraries
and document chAEhers. got lost fims
and again in the labyrinth of corrider.
Of the great buil1ine. SAT In the eai1ef
ies for hours and listened 70 ths
speeches until nos ! begin 70 Zee
somewhat nafuraiized-
The one thing thzs strikes me mos
forcihly il the great difference Ia the
Ways and habits of the tuo houses and
the difference in the methods Of hosi-
ness-. Go TO the house and all Is hustle
and nproar with an easy 50 easy styie,
everybody doing about - he pieases-
In the senate the very asmosphcre Is
se<iate. not 70 say solemn II Is pre-
else, orderly. or more properly speak
fnR. digni6ed- Yoa may not properly
send IN your card 20 . senator until at
/ ter 90 clock and only 1t one certain door
while 10 . member of the house you may
send it in any time and at any door.
With the srnstor. the usher wiil come
cut with the word . VII the gentleman
means the senator xili see YOU The
marble room il magnificent reception
room where senators receive visitors.
With the house the members come out
into the public corridors or hall and
naonious style.
A curious difference exists as to the
manners Of the members. In the
house . member may. or at least some
do, smoke during the session. read the
papers. stand up between the person
speaking and "Nr- Speaker walk
about and talk. cr lie on the lounge hes
hind the hars and do doeen things
that would not be tolerated in amor
dinary country debating school In
the senate none Of this Is to be seen,
and thenntmosf decorum Is observesi.
IL is observed by Washington resi-
dsnts that senator IS about as bsg
man as the president" and judging by
the actions Of some. one would think
that some OF them think 80 them
selves. In the hoase there is none OF
that They mix freely with the com
mon herd" and are more easily ap-
preached
THE BIG DEBATE.
A curious feature OF the debate on
( the tariff is that the Democrats SEEM
To want TO listen TO the Democratic
speeches in favor OF the bill, but do
l not care to listen To the Republican
presentation To some extent this is
noticeable on the Republican side as
well; each side seemingly being most
| interested in the speeches favoring
their own ideas. The fact is, though.
there is often a very thin house in at
tendance and 4 much thinner house
giving attention. Sometimes, though,
q passage at arms, so TO speak, will
occur that not only brings the house
down. but also brings il in from the
adjoining Hobbies. A curious episode
Of this kind occurred the other day.
when some sharp words. bordering on
I the unpariiamentary, passed between
two members when some one broke IN
with, Remember you are not IN the
senate chamber" referring to the
harsh language used there the previous
day. The happy hit broke the wrath
/ of the two contending members and
brough. roar of laughter from all
quarters of the house. Nevertheless,
! II the senate did forget itself" the
other day, We NAV excuse them with
| the remark that the best of men act
| foolishly at some time in their lives.
! There is a great deal of "how not to
/ do IL y here in both houses. The fact
seems to be conceded that the speaker
and chairmen of committees hold al
most despotic power. The house is
simply unwieldy--too big; too many
members. with many yexatious de-
laws. Just at this time they are en-
gagged in the tariff debate. Nobody
/ pretends that the debate has anything
| TO do with reference 10 a single men,
ber's vote. That is all settled before
hand in the minds of each, as shown
by the willingness to listen only to
| their side OF the debate The real
work lies in the effect this debate Is ex-
pected to have upon the minds of the
people in the coming presidential cam
| paign. The American people Is the
real audience, through the published
speeches. Notwithstanding this "en-
tire ABSORPTION OF the time Of the
house many bills are going through by
unanimous consent, usually at the
| tail end" Of session and when there
are but few present. OF course no i'm.
portant measures can be pushed
through in this way, but some relief Is
| obtained.
never before 50 fully understood
the term turn coat" as now. Inquir-
| ing for member the other day OF the
keeper Of one coat rooms l was in
formed, "he doesn't leave his coat in
this room; he's a Democrat So il
would seem all one would need TO do
to cross the party line would be to de
post his coat in the "other room" Al
least the Democrats deposit their coats
and hats in one room and the Republi-
cans in another. The Democrats sit
| in body on one side OF the house Ito
the right Of the speakerl, while the
Republicans occupy the other side. to
the left. Each side has leader, that
is, one who looks after the parliamen-
tartan tactics (whatever that may be-
to either take or prevent an undue ad-
vantage.
THE THIRD HOUSE.
The third house is as much part
of congress as either OF the two de
scribed not quite so noisy 10 be sure.
vet visible. plainly visible, every
where. This house Is not necessarily
corrupt. not necessarily seeking what
is wrong nor employing wrong means
10 accomplish its purpose, but u l.
there in force. and much OF il would
not hear the scrutiny OF publicity
Much of this third house" business
is made necessary by the action. or
rather, non-action, of members. A
hill goes to a committee, and would
STAY there often until doomsday II
somebody did not follow it UP. May
he it will have to 60 to the depart
ment for report-clerks there over
worked, tables piled up with papers
and il "sticksf there. And so on
through the list OF the circumlocution
offices, taking weeks and months,
often. even with the closest kind OF
watching.
Then there is another branch Of the
third house that does not scrupie al
wrong means. Sometimes IL Is wo-
| man. sometimes a well-trnine4 man oi
good address, sometimes both. some.
times the members of the third
hoo<e become obstructionists, fiibus-
terers as YOU might saw, until they are
"seen.o after which the way is clear
and all runs smoothly. The third
house IL grave, dignified, sly. but more
active than either OF the regular
houses
Congress would not he complets
without the galleries II Is study to
watch the gallery. May be here is a
person watching for some member &c
come in upon whom he may have de
signs, or possibly watching for a pei
measure TO come mp. Again Others
/ arr there >i,nriy sightseeing but such