Bisbee daily review., 1902-06-07
HOUSE RULES AND SENATORIAL COURTESY.


 Rules which make the speaker of the House of Representative an auto crat, and stering committees and sena- torial courtesy in the senate has lation in the hands of few men. This condition is now the subject of much adverse comment in the press of the country and there are hopeful signs that reform may be brought about in the national law making bodies. Re gently there have been several re volts against tn one-man power in the House and the people are encouraged in the hope that the individuality of congressman may be restored in that body and that members may be re lieved of the humiliation of supplicat- ing at the throne of the speaker for the privilege of having a measure even considred by the House. Several con gressmen on the republican side have declared their willingness to join an open and determined battle against the Czarish rules under which they have been working. They are tired If being prodded by their constituents and hindered by the speaker and set of rules which denies them the privilege of introducing and submitting meas gres to the judgement of the members of the House. Under present condi tions when congressmn goes to the Speakers room with a bill, for which his constituents may be clamoring, he does not know whethr he will return to his seat man or a mouse. The Speaker has a dangerous power for the coercion of members to sup port any measure he may champon, or oppose any that may meet with his dis pleasure. Under the present rules the members who antagonizes the Speak CT minimizes his ability and opportu- mites to render efficient service to his constituency; he may have the wis dom of Solomon and the eloquence oi Mark Antony, but with the power vest ed in the Speaker against him he may never be able to bring a measure be- fore the members of congress for their consideration.
 It is, indeed, high time that there should be a reform in congressional methods and return to some thing like the democratic simplic- ity and traightforwardness, which marked the early days of congress. We have had of late a little too much of steering committees and senatorial courtesy.
 A recent dispatch reported an anus ing incident the other day, illustrating how senatorial courtesy may be worked in that body. The dispatch was printed in the Times:
 For many weeks there had been upon the senate calendar a bill estaD fishing an assay office at Portlnd, Or 1t was Senator MitchelPs bill, and h. could not get the senate interested 1T it at all His constituents clamoreC TOT that assay once, anu tne senate rS mained indifferent. The situation wa becoming serious. One morning Sena tor Mitchell went into the senate ani privately told the senators that he haC received a forty-pound salmon iron Oregon, and that he proposed to feas the entire senate on that splendid fisi in the afternoon. So, after Senato Hoar had finished his speech, motion was mde that the senate take a recess for thirty minutes. and the senator retired to the restaurant, where Mitch ell's fish was discussed. When tn senate re-assembled, it was the unan fmous opinion of the honorable mem bers that Mir Mitchell's fish and MI Mitchells measure were both goo things. and he was allowed to push tn latter along