The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-22

and followed this statement with a
very o~utspoken and almost sensational
criticism Of the power exercised by the
speaker. He declared hat he was pre-
pard to make the statement that no
bill. public or private. could be consid-
cred without the speakers approval.
IF there is any one here who desires
to deny that statement" said he, paus-
ing, Il am here to bea valuable testi-
mony for his benefit. Who is the speak
er OF this house, who sets up his i'm
maculate Judgment against that OF the
members he asked, ~ahtdnemSap nj
ceeded to describe, amid the applause
OF the democrats any many OF the re-
p~ublicans, how a bill after its iatro-
duction was finally worked through
committee to the calendar. Calendar,
that is a misnomer. 1t ought to be
called a cemetery" (Laughter). For
therein lie the whitening bones of leg
islative hopes. daughter). When the
bill is reported. what does the member
who introduced it and who is charged
by his constituency to c its pas
sage, do? Does he consult himself
about his desire TO take Il up? No. Does
he consult the will Of the majority OF
this house? No 1 will tell you what
he does. He either consents that that
bill may die on the calendar or he puts
llo IiidllIlOOd dLu Ills INDIVIDUALITY III
his pocket n goes trotting down
that little pathway hat leads to the
speakers room-aye, the speakers
room. All the glory that clustered
around the holy of holes in King Solo
mons temple looked like thirty cents
-(prolonged laughter and APPLAUSE
yes, looked like tw%enty-nine cents,
compared with that jobbing depart
ment of this government" applause
n laCghter.)
Mr.. Cushman then quoted Cassius'
allusion to Caesar as the colossus Of the
world and continued:
II make no onslaught on the indi-
vidual. l have a high regard for the
speaker of this house personally and
for him politically, but the fact is that
we have adopted a set of rules in this
body that are an absolute disgrace to
the legislative body Of any republic.
applause on the democratic side).
They are unrepublican, they are I'M
democratic, they are un-American.
applause on the democratic side). We
need the patriotic duty in this body to-
day of rising up and formulating a new
declaration of independence. We need
to restore this house to the great
patriotic plan on which the fathers OF
the republic placed it, where every in
dividual member on this floor stands
on an equal and an exact plane wit
every other. (Applause). We operate
here under a set of rules confessedly
designed to beiittle the hopes and
dwarf the ambitions OF the individual
members of this body and at the same
time to vest more power in the hands
of one or two men than was ever en-
joyed by orienta despot or a ten but
ton mandarin. 1 say to you, my
friends, that the system is rotten at
both ends. 1t is rotten at one end be-
cause ii robs he individual member
in this house OF the power that the
constitution OF the United States and
his credentials as q member on this
floor entitle him to; it is rotten at the
other end because il vests power in
men that have no right to it and oft
times places on them duties that they
have no capacity TO fulfil" applause
and laughter).
Mr.. Cushman said it was sinful waste
of the money OF Washington to pay to
see the Liliputians who are giving an
exhibition at a 1Lcal theatre. when they
could come up TO h house galleries
and witness the exhibition on the floor
without price. He that he
proposed to devote his attention to
putting some spokes in the wheel of
the machine which it's designers a
not ordered and promised later to de-
liver a speech Oil the rules $50 hot that
it would have to be printed On asbestos
paper"
hen turning TO the sponsors for the
pending bill he paid his respects to
Mr.. Payne, Mr.. Dalzell and Mr.. eros
venor, ridiculing each in turn by con-
trasting the reciprocity Of Harrison
with hat OF Dalzell. that of Mckinley
with hat of Grosvenor, and that of
Blaine with that of Serene E. Payne.
| He was particularly severe on enera
Grosvenor. He told how he had made
a successful campaign with the aid OF
a copy of the Ohio statesman's speech
es from which when he was corr cred
he was always able to prove or dis
prove anything.
Mr.. Cushman concluded his speech
with an eloqnent peroration which
drew a storm Of applause from his re.
publican colleagues and after he had
concluded members from both sides q
the house flocked round to congratu.
/ late him. The confusion was so great
that it was several minutes before o..
der could be restored.