The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-05
.TWOSTYLESOF DEBATE
Methods of Doing Business In
the House and Senate.
ORATORY UNDER DIFFICULTIES.

The House Goes Ia the Extreme In Saving |
Time - Sixty Second Speeches - What
Senators Can do In Fifteen Minutes.
Incidents of the Teller Debate.
WASHINGTON, Feb B. Especial. There
Is great difference between debate in
the senate and debate i'm the house, AS we /
have recently had occasion 10 observe.
When the now celebrated Teller resolution |
was under consideration in the senate, the |
speeches were generally long and labored
ones Under the rules of that body a SEN |
ator may talk as long as he likes, and |
when a senator once gets started as usu-
al thing he does not like to choke himself
off, During the last day of consideration,
| however. by unanimous agreement the 10
minute rule was adopted, and all speeches
were limited TO quvrter hour each. Inc
senate Is ut its best while debating under
| this rule, and many of the addresses mace
on this question, both for and against the
| resolution, were models of compact, elect
i've statement Many people think it would
be good thing II the senate would pro-
coed all the time under the 10 minute rule.
In the house the idea of saving time Is
carried to an absurd extreme. The time
devoted to debate is placed under the con-
troll of a leader on either side. In this case
Mr. Dingley had control of the time on the
Republican side and Mr.. Bailey had con-
troll of that allotted to the Democrats.
Each subdivided his time in order to ac-
commodate as many men as possible.
Scores of congressman wanted TO make
speeches, and the result was that five min
| utes was given to one man, ten to another,
three to another and in some cases only
two. The absurdity Of trying to make "a
speech in two minutes was, however, out
done by q number of the friends OF little
General Wheeler. Having secured ten min
! utes for himself, he generously parceled IL
out among his friends, one minute to each.
The attempts of these gentlemen to make
a speech Oh great question In oO SECONDS
resulted in series of most laughable
farces. No sooner would one of them get
nicely under way and just ready to say
something which he wanted to say, when
crap would go the gavel and the ambi-
. tious gentleman would have to sit down
in the midst of sentence.
4 Under the practice OF the house not
much politcness is shown members. Ihey
| are cut off by the impudent gayel right III
the midst of the finest and most eloquent
:. passages They are often left hanging In
the air, with a flight of oratory, an arm
uplifted for emphasis, the voice higi
pitched, and right funny and not LITTLE
humiliating is it to be compelled to drol
q like a winged pigeon to earth with thu
q traditional dull thud.
e Senatorial Politeness.
: They do these things moro politely II
It the senate When they proceed under tn
d 10 minute rule at that end of the capitc
y the vice PRESIDENT waits till the allotte
e. period has about expired, and he the
ID warns tho speaking senator by lookin
is hard in his direction. If the orator doc
N not take the hint and improve the oppol
tunity to come to a close vt the emu
some convenient sentence, the vice pres
dent then raps gently "a few times with IL
III little ivory hapdleless maliet which Is IL
= only eavel used in the upper branch.
, this does not bring the senator to "a reallzi
lie ton of the fact that his time has expires
ID the vice president awaits a polite and COZ
a yenient opening between sentences an
$ then intcrposos more vigorous rappii
a. and saws. "Ihe time of tho senator irc
a. - has expired"
Tho debate on the Teller resolution ga
us several examples of vigorous oratory,
some cases accompanied by gymnastlc
lustrations of queer character For
stance, Senator Tillman, who Is alwa
- most energetic and intense, spoke abo
" the sort of bimetallism which the hepu
ed licans wanted. He said that instead
ed permitting the money system TO have "
ed legs with which TO get about the Repu
nd licans cut of the silver leg, stuck 1t up
&c; the shoulder of the system and COMPEL
ed the poor thing to go hopping through 7
ed world on one leg. Whereat the senator
ed Illustrated by hopping around on one leg
a most athletic fashion, and greatly to
~. amusemenJ Of the senators on the lie
sh and the occupants Of the galleries.
M Southern senators appear to have Tor
~ ! ness for athletic gestures. Mr.. Tillm
~. ~, had not much more than taken his 81
"a when Mr.. Butler Of the other Carroll
gave an illustration of what no though
real bimetallism should be. He said
would be like the two arms OF an athle
M of equal strength and usefulness. But
for Republicans had bound one arm tight
for the body and put all the work on the o
nd or. and here Mr. Butler let loose his RIG
ip- To show how the gold arm was doing M
pts than its share of tho work, and his
a. came in such dangerous proximity to
On head of MIR. Hanna that that gentlen
ne. Thought 1t would be prudent to move
RS. chair q little farther away-a flank mo
RS, ment which was effected greatly to the
,.4o light of the spectators.
lnu An Odd Incident.
$50 An odd incident Of tho house debate
100 the riproaring stump speech delivered
General Henderson Of Iowa. 1t set
Republicans into roars Of applause. G
1. erai Henderson made picturesque fig
m as bo stood by his chair, with the stu
Y, of his leg resting upon bis desk, Z
; az poured hot shot into the enemy 1
10 method of resting the MANNED limb eau
ara another congressman to remark that
md eloquent 1owan had given the hous
ket stump speech in more senses than Q
ers, Notwithstanding his fire and energy, II
TIL derson Is popular among the Domocr
est and he has scat on their side OF
house.
One Of the unpleasant incidents OF
Teller resolution debate In the house
ele- a savage speech made by Kontu
~ member. He Is an eloquent and lear
man, and before he became too IN
4, "a ...r,,,ol M, he Ind delivered n good ar