St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-05-31
HE RULES CONGRESS.
Speaker of House Is Bigger Man
Than the President.
Can Force or Prevent Legislntion ut
His Own Sweet Win-One-Man
Power Felt in Other d.
rectiOn0.
rsnecial Washington letter.

Especial Washington Letter.
CONSIDERABLE valuable informa-
IL ton concerning national legisla-
ton has been condensed into a
brief space by an independent local
newspaper under the headline: bot
tied up in the House." The news par
egraph follows:
| More than one senator has taken occa-
sion during this session to refer in debate
| to what is called the one-man power OF the
house. and it Is quite likely that the feel
| ing against the speaker will manifest itself
In more emphatic fashion before the ses-
| sion ends, unless something is done with
! the measures which the senate has passed.
| just at present the most serious criticism
Is directed against Speaker Henderson S
evident determination to prevent further
action upon what is known as the omnibus
| claims bill. This measure passed the house
and went to the senate, where 1t was
| amended by the addition of the claim bills
which had at various times passed both
houses of congress, but had never been
favorably acted upon during the same SEES
sion. Instead of allowing this bill to go to
with amended bills. 1t has been placed upon
the calendar. and there. it is said. 1t will
be buried.
The other bills which have been passed
by the senate, and which seem to be bot
tied up in the house, relate to the subsidy,
irrigation, department of commerce, and
increase of judges salaries. 1t is said to be
quite doubtful whether any one of them
VII be allowed to come before the house
for action Quite a number of senators
whose states are interested in this legts-
Iatlon have been appealed to by members
of the house; and it is not improbable, in
case nothing is done toward bringing. them
to vote. that some if not all of the meas
ures will be attached to appropria ton bills
in order 20 insure their enactment into law.
That is not only correct state
1nent of existing conditions in the
congress, but it presents very ac-
curate picture of the conditions
which annually obtain. 1t shows
that while the house of representa-
tives may legislate, and the senate
1nay amend the bills which originate
in the house, it is in the power of
one man, a representative of a sin
gle district out of 357, to block all
national legislation, provided that
one representative shall have been
favored by his NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
by election to the position of speaker
OF the house of Representatives. Of
course, you understand that the
speaker is the presiding officer, and
that upon him devolves the appoint
ment of all of the chairmen and
members of the committees of the
popular branch of the congress.
That, is a dangerous power to be
committed to the judgment of one
individual. In the early days the
speakers did not arrogate to them
selves any more than their consti-
tutional prerogatives. But since
presidents have been aggrandizing
for their own delectation speakers
have grown into the habit of magni-
flying their Office, and the complaints
of senators which are embodied in
the protest mentioned indicate that
there is revolutionary period i'm.
pcnding-a peaceful but everlasting
in the methods of doing
the business of this republic. If the
people are to remain supreme they
will demonstrate sooner or later to
their public servants that they are
servants of the people and not their
masters. This lesson must first be
to some speaker Of the
house of representatives, whomso-
ever he may be, and afterwards it
will be administered to whor soever
of our citizens may be serving as
president of the republic. Men who
have been too long in public life
forget that they are pub
lie servants, and arrogate unto them
selves prerogatives which they would
never dream of in their early days Of