The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-25
STATESMEN GOING TO SEED.
MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE CANNOT
TALK WHEN THEY PLEASE.

Through a Session without Being
Recognized by the Speaker-It Is
different in the Senate-Perqui-
sites of congressman and the Uses
they Put Them to.
washington, March A-In the House of
Representatives there is large group of
budding statesmen going to seed, because
under the existing rules of that body they
are deprived of the privilege Of express
ing their views on public questions when
ever the spirit moves them.
Although the House of Representatives
is supposed to be a forum in which the
plain people of the country are represent
ed the restrictions placed upon the mem
bers are so severe that modest and I'M
aggressive member may go through an
entire session without Catching the
Speakers eye' and delivering himself of
one of the numerous speeches he came to
Washington heavily charged with.
Senator Beveridge, the youthful free
trader from Indiana, who has achieved so
much notoriety from his recent speech
on the Philippine question and his latest
attempt to lead the fight for free trade in
the Senate, is the envy of all of the rule
ridden and ambitious young members of
the House. The rules of the House, hand
ed down by Car Reed are framed to stifle
free speech and unlimited debate Unless
a member gets the consent of the Com
mittee on Rules 1t is almost impossible
for him to get an opportunity to unbur-
den himself of some of the ponderous
thoughts which his anxious constituents
are waiting to see reproduced in the Con-
gressional Record.
An AutOcratic Committee.
This autocratic body, the Committee ON
Rules, is composed of five members:
Speaker Henderson, chairman; Represen-
tatives Dalzell of Pennsylvania, Gros-
venor of Ohio, Republicans, and Richard
son of Tennessee and Bailey of Texas,
Democrats. This committee outlines the
order of business and fixes the Limitation
upon the time to be occupied in the cop-
sheraton of each Individual measure.
The majority of the committee consider
and decide in secret the affairs proposed
as they come up, and after a determine
ton has been reached they politely invite
the members of the minority to come in
and view the offspring as mere matter
of form, thus it will be seen that three
men dominate the business of the House.
In the Senate the rules are SO elastic
that a senator may at any time DISCUSS
any question that enters his mind by
simply rising In his place and proceeding
especially prepared statement of his views
on some question either of national or To-
cal Importance, he simply gives notice
that on such and such day and at such
and such an hour he proposes to submit
a few observations on a given topic That
notice is deemed, according to senatorial
courtesy. as an imperative order that the
senator thus giving notice has the right
of way at the time specified to the eXclu-
sion of al lother business. If a similar
rule was in force i'll the House, deluge
of suppressed elCquence would daily be
uncorked, thereby blocking the public bus
mess and fattening the already ponderous
Congressional Record.
Only Outlet for Oratory.
The only outlet for the surplus stock
of academic oratory in the House is
through the grace of the Committee on
Rules, or when an annual appropriation
bill comes up and the field of general
debate is thrown open for two or three
days. Only then does the ambitious
speech maker get in his deadly work by
making a personal appeal to the member
who happens to be in charge of the
pending bill. The usual allotment of time
Is but single hour to each speaker, but
if the latter happens to be interesting or
entertaining to the members small ex-
tensions of five or ten minutes are doled
out to him by unanimous consent. These
occasions, however, are quite rare and
the gentleman in charge of the bill is
more apt to pinch" the time of the new
member than to allow him an extension.
General debate on an appropriation bill
is regarded as field day. in the House,
ter in the bill under consideration and ex-
mitted to totally ignore the subject mat
ter in tn chill under consideration and ex-
plot their views on any subject that may
happen to be near and dear to their con-
stituents. A close observer can usually
tell when a new member is slated to de-
liver a speech in the House. Democrats
as a rule display evidences of greater
preparation for such important events
than their Republican associates. A Dem
ocratic member usually appears on such
occasions carefully attired in Prince
Albert coat, clean collar-sometimes with
out cuffs, dark trousers, clean shave,
and a new hair cut executed by the con-
gressional barber! In addition to several
fresh handkerchiefs the equipment of a
Southern statesman upon entering a de-
bate invariably consists of cup of cold
coffee, a lemon and sometimes dash OF
whisky and water properly arranged on
his desk as sort of safeguard for the bolt
of manuscript which he keeps spread out
before him for ready reference.
On the Republican side the new member
makes similar preparations when he en-
cages in general debate although the Re
publican does not draw his inspiration
from tea cup of cold coffee, lemon, or
something a little stronger, but usualy
confines his stimulant for the oratory TO
a glass of ice cold water placed upon his
desk by a page soon after he Is recogniZ-
ed by the chair as being entitled to the
floor.
Suppression of Genius.
1t is interesting to follow the course OF
some of the new members who came 10
Washington last December cooked and
primmed to distinguished themselves IN
Of CnnOracg Each had a
bullying pocket full of bills, relating to the
financial question, the colonial and foreign
policy of the government, public building
bills. amendments to the river and har-
Dor bill, and an unlimited number of pri-
waite claims all of which he had pledged
his constituents to pass through Congress
during the early hours of the session.
Time has passed, the new member still
has in his possession the great batch of
public business which accompanied him