River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-08-01
LEGISLATIVE FORCES.
The Power of the Speaker of the Houi
and of the EiIihnster.

The Power of the Speaker of the House
and of the Filibuster.
In this stage of legislation, when the
bill has passed out of the committee
room and is on the calendar, the
Speaker exercises his power more free
ly than he does in appointing the
standing committees. He very often
gives a member the opportunity to get
his measure before the House; and he
oftener absolutely kills bills by refus-
ing to permit their movers to catch his
eye. When the debate is on he rec
ognizes the speakers agreed upon
This power is enormous, and because
many Speakers have endeavored to ex-
ercise it fairly and for the advance
ment of the public business. it is none
the less dangerous. The order of bust
ness and the character Of the legisla-
ton of the House of Representative
rest largely in the discretion of one
man, who is not held responsible be-
cause he is not charged with the task
which he performs. The first thor
oughly bad Speaker we have will show
the country what an evil thing this is
The Speaker here, as in the compost
ton of the committees, is limited in
the exercise of his power by what may
be called the public opinion OF the
House. He can not safely go against
that, but the House. like each OF its in
dividual members, is interested in COM
paratively few subjects, aud there is
very large and important field in which
the Speaker can direct legislation.
Here he is subject only to the filibus-
ter, who is now nearly omnipotent.
The Speaker may determine the char
acter OF a measure by his composition
of the committee which considers it.
lie may see that the member in charge
of IL secures the floor and presents it
TO the House, but here his functions
cease. He can not force it to vote.
From this time on, the filibuster is
master of the situation. He is strong
er than the Speaker, or the commit
tee. or the House. He can compel the
withdrawal Of the measure. or he can
force the Speaker to trade with him.
Under the most recent theory OF the
rights Of the minority. which may con-
sist of only one member. all business
is subject to his attack, and the man
who can sway legislation and bend it
as he desires must succumb at the last
and most critical step if the filibuster
rises up against him, while, opposed
to this pOtentate, not even the public
opinion of the House can prevail.
Here are the two mightiest powers
in the House of Representatives. the
two which control the aw-making
body. The Speaker is under certain
limitations, which operate the more
effectively the higher the character
and ambition of the man who occupies
the chair. The hlibuster need not feel
the force of any restraining influence.
for it may well be that he has neither
reputation to lose nor future to imperil.
Until these two powers are bound the
majority of the American House Of
Representatives can not control its bus
mess. So far as the Speaker is con-
cerned, it is true that, until the pres
ent system is changed, he must con-
tinue to exercise the right to select
bills for consideration. There must be
some one to perform this task, and it
would be the height of unwisdom if
the House should undertake to go on
without a regular and well-defned
order of business; but that order should
be directed by itself, and the legisla-
ton of Congress should not be left to
the discretion of any man who may
easily become an irresponsible auto
crat. Henry Loomis Nelson, in At
Iantic