The age-herald., 1898-03-13
BILLY MASON CALLS REED TT. " The Illinois Senator Applies a New
 Name TO THE HOUSES SPEAKER Amos Cummings Graphic Description Of @ 'ItS" Power. sIT'' IS THE BOSS, PURE AND SIMPLE Absolute and Monarchial in Directing What Leg slation Shall Pass and What Proposed
 Measures Must Be Defeated
 or Pigeon-HoIed.
slT'' IS THE BOSS, PURE AND SIMPLE
Special to The Age-Herald.

throned in the south wing of the capitol. Its sphere of influence had not been per- ceptibly lessened up to the 1st of March. The Illinois senator flew to the classic pur- lieu of Boston to illumine it's intellectually, but "It'' remained in Washington placid and tranquil. With the front of love, ma jestic and debonaire, 'It' continued to wield the gavel of the house, at times non chalantly, anon furiously, but at all times effectively. Jerry Simpson and James Hamilton Lewis were no longer restive under the all-powerful sway. Aside from a furtive spasm now and then, they seemed tohave recognized the logic of the situation, and to have become complaisant and un- demonStrative. Jerry's cumulative nature exploited the wrongs of farmers and me- chanics, and expended itself on trusts and monopolies, while Lewis added to the tertainment of the house by exquisite ex- periments on the refined cutcle of Lemuel Ell Quigg. Even the sagacious DeArmand became quiet, and the erudite Fleming of Georgia subslded. All the time 'It' sat in the chair of state, in complete control of the situation, as suave, serene and sedate a city clergyman in country pulpit. Hour after hour the flow of legis- lation was watched and guided, to the ap- parent joy and satisfaction of the majority of the house. Plowman of Alabama was turned out of his seat, and other southrons stood in line awaiting a similar fate, yet no one protested, although 1t was done un- der the rules of the last house.
 By the irony of fate William P. Hepburn frequently presided In committee of the whole; he 1t was who ruled out of order on the first day of the first session when offering an amendment limiting the opera ton of these rules to thirty days. The sum- i dry civil bill wriggled It's tortuous way Go the senate chamber, dragging with 1t ap- propriations for internal improvements that caused bitter comments from those repre- senting the great arteries of American com merce. It was evident that the committee on appropriations was encroaching on the jurisdiction of the committee on rivers and harbors, yet the fact that the encroach- ment was made under the rules of the last house escaped attention. As the bill car ried large for the Mississippi levees. <ff indicates intention on the part of s the leaders of the house to prevent for this session the consideration of any river and harbor bill whatever It is challenge that - is apt to be promptly accepted by those in- terested in river and harbor improvements. A proposition to postpone such bill to the short session would hardly be acceptable to those who are looking for reelection. Log rolling galore may follow and the leaders be forced to either take the back track :. or suffer defeat If the committee on riv- CTS and harbors insist on it's privilege the only thing that could probably prevent the  2 ation of war against Spain. The probability is that the committee will be goverened by the wishes of the dominating power and the bill will go over to the short session. 2 But "It is in daily evidence. The eyes of the nation are widened with wonder. sz Laundering along the Avenue on sunny mornings, "It' ascends the Capitoline Hill, marches under the arch of the north wing, goes up in the elevator, and disappears at the door of the speakers room lt IS In tx, Al, special order is required, bluff Gen. Hen ; derson of Iowa quickly stumps along the massage followed by the alert and adroit Dalzell of Pennsylvania. These two, with the speaker, form the majority of the com mittee the speaker presiding. Joseph w. Bailey and Benton McAillin are the mi- nority The majority formulate the special order and then send for the minority to tell them what they have done, after which vote is taken.
 McMilln retails a reminiscence of the Fifty-first congress which photographs the situation in the Fifty-fifth. At that time Thomas B. Reed, William Mckinley, and Joseph G. Cannon were of the commit tee on rules. The opposition in the house had repeatedly denounced the action of the committee as outrageous, arbitrary, and tyranical. Five minutes before the ses- sion of the house one day page informed McMillin that he was wanted in the speak er's room. His colleague on the commit tee MT Mills, of Texas, was absent. It was a hot day in June As the Tennes- seean entered the room he saw MT. Reed in his shirt sleeves, presiding In commit tee and flanked by Mckinley and Cannon. "Glad to see you, Mac" drawled the speak CT, good-naturedly, as he agitated the air with palm-leaf fan. 'I merely wanted to inform you that Bill and Joe and have agreed to perpetrate the following outrage upon you and Mills
 Thereupon he read the proposed special order. It provided that immediately after the reading of the Journal the house should begin the consideration of specified bill, and that after a two hours debate, the previous question be considered ordered, and vote be taken on its passage. Under the rules only twenty minutes debate was allowed on the special order, and it was not amendable.
 But It'' is always in evidence in the speakers room just before noon. Members pour in and out, seeking recognition for unanimous consent, or trying to avail themselves of the privileges of suspension day. Green, indeed must be the man 4 who fancies that recogntions are made on the spur of the moment. All are pre- arranged even to the little ve-minute talks in discussing sections on the read Ing of bills for amendments. You can shout "Mr. Speaker until you are hoarse, and signal him until you are paralyzed but you will never secure recognition un- til you visit the desk and come to an un- Herstanding. The new member who com plained that he had been here five months and had caught everything in Washington but the speakers eye," was probably unaware of this fact
 But "It'' is dominating and all powerful. The reins of legislation are held with a firm hand, and the leading horses, stum- ble they may, never fall. The driver is president and far-seeing. Rarely, in deed. does he receive a check. One of the strongest checks ever met was in the Fifty-first congress, with Billy Mason leading the malcontents. It was during he consideration of what was known as
 the Lard bill. Mason fancied that 1t struck blow at the vitafs of Chicago. and he