The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-07-08
A NATIONS DISGRACE
HuMlLlATlNG SITUATION IN ONE
HoUsEN OF CONGRESS.
A Body of So Called Representatives Rul-
ed by q Party Boss-A Strong Appeal
For the Reconquest Of the House of
! Representatives.

Representatives.
Following is a small part of a powerful pa
per written by John Clark Ridpath for the
July Arena.
My Countrymen-You once had a ma
tional house of representatives. You
still have at the capital of the nation a
body Of men designated by that name.
The reason why it is 81 called is tradi-
tional. When the constitution of the
United States was prepared, it was pro-
vided that there should be a congress
consisting Of an upper house and a low
er house. The upper house should be the
senate; the lower house should be the
house of representatives. The name thus
given to the body last mentioned be-
came current. and to this day we still
speak Of the house of representatives as
though it were a fact as we'll as a rem
iniscence. History, like a great river,
carries on it's surface many such re-
minders Of the past. It is sometimes in
teresting and useful to rescue a piece Of
this fotsam of bygone times and to ex-
anime it with curious attention.
That the people Of the United States
once had a house Of representatives is
true. Not only was such a body provid-
ed for in the constitution, but it was
actually created more than a century
ago, and all who are acquainted with
the history of u country know that
our national commons answered fully
for awhile to the expectations Of the ia
theirs.
1t is in it's organic structure that the
house of representatives has fallen away.
The IL in which the house is con-
stituted, the regulations which have
been adopted for it's government and for
the conduct Of it's business and in par
ticular the concentration of it's func-
lions in the hands of the presiding Off
Ger have been the fundamental reasons
for the falling away and virtual col
lapse Of the house as a representative
body. These deteriorating forces have
crept in from the outside political do
main. They have become predominant
because of the exigencies Of party nan
agement and because of the substitution
Of party success for the welfare Of the
nation. Gradually this vice has come
into our American system. Our fire.
quent elections and the constant broil
and competition for office have suggest
ed to the political parties the construc-
ton of a system for keeping themselves
in power, and this motive has gradual
ly prevailed until all other motives are
extinguished.
N1l>n ,N,,c of rNco,,4of11y 0c hos 1on-
peculiarly sensitive to this degrading
force in political society. The conse-
quence is that out in the open field men
are selected for the congressional func-
ton not Oh account Of their ability, not
Oh account of their reputation and cour-
age, but for exactly the opposite reasons.
Candidates are chosen by the party con.
ventions for the reason that the men
thus selected will be subservient to the
behest Of party and will recognize ODE.
dience to the party mandate as the first
and almost the only duty Of a represent
atiye.
Of course this vice is not universal.
Here and there the old principle of pub.
lie usefulness still prevails to the extent
of putting men forward on other thar
party grounds and electing them be
cause of their character, their experience
and their high abilities. These two
forces pull apart. One force urges il
one direction and the other force in TIN
other direction, and it is for this reason
that we have in the house of representa-
tives at the present time a few men wht
hold control and dominate all the res
and why outside of these few we hav'
a mass Of nothings who obey partisan
dictation and do what their party lead
ers tell them to do as subsequently a
if they were mere tools in the hands O
their masters.
This condition of affairs has given tn
opportunity for organizing the hous
of representatives in the present despoti
and absurd manner. It was found neces
sary to put power into the hands Of on
man. representative, Or rather master
of the majority, and to take away al
rights and all privileges which shoul
belong to representatives not only fror
the minority, but also from the grea
mass of the majority. This necessit
arose from the fact that legislation wa
constantly conducted for party advar
tage. This being true, the minorit
sought not only by legitimate but b
illegitimate means to prevent action
This led the ,Aajority to abuse it's power
and as a method for making the bus
ness as easy and complete as possibl
the functions of the house were gathere
up and put into the hands of one ma
with the avowed purpose Of maxim
ii,im a despot over the representatives
tsle people, and, if over them, then owe
ail,e people themselves.