Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-12-12
CHAMP CLARK LETTER
Fifty-seventh Congress
Organized.
SCENE VERY IMPRESSIVE.
Most Powerful Legislative Body
In the World.
SPEAKER A POTENT PARSONAGE.
SPEAKER A POTENT PARSONAGE.

h4 44lA4Ao4b n VI LIN hA6VNAuus
Second In the Land In Governmental
Afnirs-Vicc President a Mere Fig.
Clerk of the House Sometimes o
Mighty Man--Story of John quincy
Adams-The Cart Before the Horse.
Exit of the CoIored Congressman.
DespOtic Action of Trusts-G. o. r.
Torn by Dissension-signs of the
Times.
Especial Washington Letter.1
Ills done! The Fifty-seyenth con-
gress Is organized and is now ready for
business. 1t is an impressive scene to
witness the organization of the most
powerful legislative body in the world,
for much Of happiness or woe hangs
upon its action and nonaction In the
two ensuing years. Over in the house,
where everything is FURNISHED and new
new desks, new carpets, new furni-
ture-promptly at high noon, Washing
ton time, Major Mcdowell of Pennsyl-
vania, clerk of the house, ascends to
the speakers pulpit, seizes the speak
er's gavel, calls the house to order and
requests the blind chaplain, Dr. Cou-
den, to pray, which he does fervently,
pathetically and in extenso, after
which General David Bremner Hender-
son of Iowa, upon being reelected
speaker. ascends to his lofty perch,
lays hold of his gavel, delivers his in-
augural, takes the oath and becomes
the second most powerful parsonage in
the land, for in point of power the vice
president is not to be compared to the
speaker. The V. p. is a mere figure
head. Old Ben Franklin wittily pro-
posed to name him your supert1uous
highness." He is at best a waiter for
dead mans shoes, while the speaker
is most potent factor in legislative
and governmental affairs. General Hen
derson is the picture of health as he
returns his thanks for the high honor
just bestowed.
Two Blind ChapIains.
Over in the senate, which is con-
tinuing body, President Pro Tenn Will
liam P. Frye of Maine called to order
the Lightweight senators from forty
four states. the forty y-tifth- Della ware
being unrepresented because of Ad-
dicks and his Doodle. Senator Frye
asked the blind chaplain, Dr.. Milburn.
t9 pray. which he did with great upc-
tibn, eloquence, learning and lung pow
er. One of DR.. Milburns most elabo-
rate prayers is equal in comprehensive
ness to a presidents messa ge His
prayer at the opening of the session
was great function.
1t will be observed from the forego-
ing that both the chaplain of the house
and his brother Of the senate are blind
as bats. have often wondered wheth-
er 1t is another case of the blind lead
ing the blind and all tumbling into the
ditch together. We get there often
enough anyway. DR.. Milburn has
queer habit-whenever he meets per-
son whom he knows. or when he is in
troduced to a stranger he shakes hands
cordially and says in a most CHEEKY
voice. II am glad to see your just as
though he had two good eyes. He also
has published a very entertaining book
entitled What Blind Man Saw In
Europe" In passing it may be stated
that both DIR. Milburn and DR.. Couden
are most delightful companions and
manage to extract much pleasure from
life notwithstanding they cannot see
the beauties of this earth.
Clerk With the Big Head.
1t will be observed from the forego-
ing that Major Mcdowell. clerk of the
house in the last congress. called the
house of the Fifty-seventh to order
and presided till the speaker was
sworn in, for. though Mcdowell Is
clerk Of the house in the Fifty-seventh,
he had not been elected when he called
the house to order and presided on the
I'd inst, and he performed those acts
as the retiring clerk Of the Fifty-sixth
under rule of the house. Ordinarily
his duty in that regard is purely per-
functory and speedily ends; but where
there Is deadlock In the election for
speaker as has sometimes been the
case, the clerk in his role of presiding
officer of the house becomes a person
age of vast power, and be sometimes
becomes somewhat obstreperous. In
one of the last congresses in which
John Quincy Adams sat--after he ceas-
ed to be president-there was bitter
and long drawn out struggle in the
election of speaker. extending over
several weeks. The clerk, as presiding
officer, was doing large political stunt
and acquired an acute case of big head.
He lorded it over the house much as
did Hon. Thomas Bracket Reed when
speaker the first time. Finally Mr..
Clerk fatty refused to put some mo-
tion offered by John Quincy. which
made that irascible and testy old
statesman mad through and through
Members sat speechless with amaze
ment and seemed TO think that as the
clerk refused to put the motion the
bottom had dropped out. the end had
come and the Jig was up. Not so John
Quincy. however. He shouted with
rage, I'll put the question myself"
And, jumping to the top of his desk.
yelled: "All in favor of the motion say
Aver All opposed say 'Nayr The
ayes have tip And thus 1.-THE Old Man
Eloquent" as he was called, rebuked
big headed clerk and broke deadlock.
Nothing like being equal to an emer-
gency, you know. There was much
sense in Danton's famous motto, "L'Au-
dace! LAudace! Troujours LAudacep
But Major Mcdowell, present clerk of
the house, is a modest, Jovial, obliging
gentleman and in nowise resembles the
clerk whom John Quincy Adams felt
called upon to squelch. Indeed Major
rather shrinks from the rou-
tine duty of calling the house to order
and holding a perfunctory election for
speaker.
Axes to Grind.
/ thought as / looked over the new
house and took a squint at the new SEN
ate that if all the ambitions, hopes and
schemes harbored in the 450 heads of
those two bodies could be dragged
forth and put into print, what an eye
opener it would bel How many of that
numbnr are irpl7hafinp nlans fo s11r.