Bisbee daily review., 1902-05-18
ACTUAL NUMBER PRINTED TO-DAY, Ii5O.
THE HOUSE RULES.

volt among the members of the lower decay, brought about by a set of ru,es which has effectually buried all il- dividuality, unless the individual hap pens to reach the speakers chair, where he becomes the whole thing Hon. Francis w. Cushman, member of congress from the state of Washing. ton, has opened the fight against the rules of the house, and he promises to keep it up until some kind of relief is obtained. Under the present rules the speaker is an autocrat and has more power to shape legislation secure the passage of laws and prevent the passage of others, with the aid of his committee on rules, than all the Te- maining four hundred members of congress If the present system of doing business in the house is to be continued then the average congress man would be as efficient at home as in Washington. Bills could be sent by mail to the speaker and he could pass upon them, just as he does under the ants to deny that statement I ann , Cuchman is too lengthy to be given in full here, but the following extract from it gives a clear conception of the present power of the speaker of the house.:
 T approach this subject with de. eided degree of deference. Tn the three years which have been a mem Der of this body I have endeavored 10 conduct myself with a modesty that l conceive to be becoming alike to the new member and to his con stituency. l represent a congressional ';~t-:ct comprising the entire state of Washington, a congressional district with half a million people in it and with vast and varied interests demand ing legislation for their benefit and protection in many of the channels Of trade and branches of industry
 Tt is with humiliation unspeakable that l rise in my place on tf-s floor and admit to my constituents ct home that in this house I am utterly power less to bring any bill or measure, no matter how worthy or meritorious it may be, to a vote unless I can first make terms with the speaker.
 Tt may be matter of news to some of the good people within the confines of the American republic to know that unprivileged measure considered and voted upon in this house unless it suits the speaker. I am aware that there are several theoretical ways of getting a measure up; but they have no actual reality-no fruitage in fact. I make the statement on this floor now, that no member of this body who introduces bill-not a private bill, but a public bill-can get it considered or brought forward for final determination unless it suits the speaker. And if anyone wants to denny that statement I am in a personal position and in pecI- liariIy happy frame of mind right now to give a little valuable testimony on that point! Applause and laughterl
 Imagine, if you please, a measure not a private measure, but public measure-which has been considered at length by a great committee of this house and favorably reported with the recommendation that it do pass. That bill is then placed on the Calendar" The Calendar That is a misnomer. It ought to be called a cemetery, for therein lie the whitening bones of leg islative hopes. When the bill is re ported and placed on the calendar, what does the member who introduced it and who is charged by his constit- uency to secure it's passage do?
 Does he consult himself about his desire to call it up? No. Does he con suit the committee who considered the bill and recommended it for passage? No. Does he consult the will of the majority of this house? No. What does he do. will tell you what he does. He either consents that that bill may die upon the Calendar or he puts his manhood and his individuality in his rocket and goes trotting down the litt,e pathway of personal humilia- ton that leads to where? To the speakers room. Aye, the speakers room All the glories that clustered