The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-03-08
THE AMERICAN AUToCRAT.

members, a Republican majority of
three. Upon organization it will
elect Republican speaker.
The speaker is a good deal more
than the presiding officer of the house
of representatives. The constitution
did not specify that he should be IN
vested with any more power than he
would possess as the presiding officer
OF that body. Neither did that instru-
ment, framed by the fathers, limit the
prerogatives of the speaker. 1t SIM
ply said that the house of representa-.
tives should choose its speaker andleft
his power to be defined by the repre-
sentatives themselves. The constitu-
ton is quite as indefinite as to the
power of the vice president, who is
the presiding officer of the senate. 1t
simply states that he shall be presi-
dent of the senate, but shall shave no
vote unless they be equally divided"
1t does not confine his prerogatives to
this simple duty, neither does 1t say
that he shall possess more. In case
of both the speaker and president of
the senate the constitution is brief
and indefinite and seems to leave both
officers to time and fate.
There is a striking difference be-
tween the prerogatiyes which both
these officers possess now. The
speaker has grown in power steadily
since the first congress met until to-
day he seems to be second in author
ity to the president himself The
president of the senate, on the other
hand, has not added anything to the
authority with which he was meagerly
invested by the constitution at the
beginning. He has not, it is true,
lost any power, because he could
hardly do that and be of any conse-
quence at all. The radical difference
in the way in which the two officers
are elected is a sufficient explanation
of the expanding and increasing pow
er of the one and the undeveloped
prerogative Of the other. The speak
er is chosen by the members in the
majority in the house. He is a favor
ite Of the party in power in that body.
He is to an extent their idol He is
in sympathy with the policy of the
majority there, and it is natural that
his admiring followers should seek
always to invest him with as much
power as possible to carry out their
party policy. The more power he
possesses the simpler it is for the
party to express its purpose in legis-
lation. The president of the senate,
however, is not chosen by the mem
bers of that body. He is placed there
by another power entirely. He may
not be of the party in the majority in
the senate. He may desire to antag-
onize what the ruling party there
seeks to accomplish. He may be op-
posed to everything that is favored by
the controlling party there. 1t will
thus be seen that the speaker is al
ways the friend and champion of the
majority and is always chosen by the
ruling party in the house because of
his ability and popularity; while the
presiding officer of the senate is thrust
into body which may be opposed to
him politically and unfriendly to him
personally.
The constitution set these two Off
GERS side by side in power and influ-
enee at the beginning. The speaker,
however, Immediately forged ahead.
The house passed a rule that the
speaker should appoint the commit
tees of that body. The senators con-
ceded no such authority to the presid-
ing officer, but retained to themselves
the appointment of their committees.
This made the position of these two
officers very different. The speaker
at once became the molder and fash
ioner of legislation. The president of
the senate remained simply presid-
ing officer, with no participation in
shaping the form of measures except
when the senators were equally di-
vided. This difference is well illus
trated in the extraordinary power
which Carlisle welded at the last
congress. He was elected for his
third term; presidential election was
approaching; the south had climbed
into the saddle for the first time since
the war and had the reins of govern
ment in its hands. Carlisle desired
certain measures vigorously pressed,
and other measures effectually sup
pressed. 1t was a singular fact that
the measure which he desired most to
urge was one to which really ma
Jority OF the house was opposed, while
the measure which he desired to de-
feat was one which large majority
favored. Carlisle wantad "a 60