The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-18
TALKS
WITH MEMBERS.


WITH MEMBERS.
The long and monotonous roil-calls OF
the House are especially tedious 10 fsp-
resentatiye otey. Of Virginia. who -
business man and accustomed 10 following
business methods. He has better plan.
which be thinks may have been snggeslen
before, but shieh. In the details, ne eiAlfhs
as his own,
Il would have the House vote by eiee-
trie.ty,f said be, as he palled OUT pelicn
and sheet os paper and started 10 liius-
trate his plan by drawing. Il would nave
erected al the rear Of the Speaker aesA
and directly in front of the main entrance
such electrical devices and appliances a.,
being connected With the desk or eaen
member by wire, would enable MIN 70
touch button and display his vote. aye
or no. BY small Incandescent lights. Lock
boxes on each members desk would. o.
course. be a necessity, so that no one
could vote fo- somebody else. II would Dc
quite important also that there should De
a penalty under the rules Of the House
against pushing another members voting
button.
My display boards. on either side OF
the chamber, would be SO arranged that
the flashing OF the incandescent hght N
the aye or no column would be opposlle
the name of the member voting II would
be plain 20 the entire chamber just Whdt
the members were doing. The clerks could
figure up the totals in Short order, ara
there would 0e little delay in getting the
sentiment of the House on any subject
u.s. - --..,,,a 49, haaD irysf as
effective as 1900, but II was gratifying 10
me to have the latter figure as my major
ity," said Representative F. W. Cushrnan,
of Washington. the Abe Lincoln, OF the
Northwest" yesterday IL an optimistic
reference TO his home State. 1.-TWO years
ago II was less than 3.0o0." Mr.. Cushman
has been back but a few days, having
been taken I'll on the way East and
Obliged to make an extended stay at ms
native town in Southeastern Iowa.
I'VE are very much interested In Wash
| ingson State" observed Mr.. Cushman, in
a ship subsidy bill-not a graft for a few
favored companies, but in a genuine sub
sidy that will build up American COM
merce. / was very anxious to have the
anti-oieo bill pass, but they were able to
| do that in the House without the aid OF
my vote"
"Tf ex-senator Fred Dubois isn't elected
TO succeed Senator Shoup on the first ball
| lot in the legislature he will have trouble
on his hands," remarked Representative
| Wilson, of Idaho, who has been here a
few days, plump and sleek, after sum-
mer devoted to law practice and apart
| from the distractions OF the campaign.
/ Having had two terms in the House, Mr..
Wilson had no further desire for public
| service.
There are seventy members in our
| legislature" he continued. "Of these
| twenty-five are Democrats, twenty-seven
| Republicans, nine Silver Republicans, and
nine Populists. No two parties, unless
one of them be the Republican party, has
| strength enough in the legislature TO elect
a Senator. The Democratic convention
indorsed Mr.. Dubois, and he should have
the support Of the Silver Republicans"
''It Is a very roundabout way we have
OF getting information from the depart
ments." observed Representative Boutell,
| of Chicago. I'VE must write a letter Ia
this Secretary or that Secretary. accord
| ing to the information wanted. We must
| wait for the reply to be transmitted by
letter. and then. however much the Sec
retary may try to get the information de-
sired, it may not be exactly what is
| wanted.
| For that reason admire much the
| English system, where cabinet officers
have a seat In Parliament II must be
| far more satisfactory to stand up and
| question your man face TO face and get
by spoken word what you are after"
Mr.. Boutell has hobby. for searching
old and unique epitaphs, some of which ne
has hitherto recited for the entertainment
of the House. II have been too busy the
past summer" said he, ito mike any
further searches in my favorIte field
There Were some people out in Chicago
who were seeking to write an eDitapl
over my political career and they kept me
occupied