The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-02
GREAT TRIUMVlRATE
WORKS WITHOUT FRICTION IN
SHAPING LEGISLATION.
THE MACHINE DESCRIBED.

THE MACHINE DESCRIBED.
Wonder Parliamentary Continuance
That Makes ENSrything Easy in
One Branch of Compensation IL
Has Been ERcctuaIIy Used i'm the
Past and VIII BE Again During
the Present Session.
Great is the United States Senate,
but greater the House Of Representa-
tives. Magnificent is the United States
senator. but rather ordinary is the
representative. The one is a unit in
deliberatve body; the other simply
marlonette. In the churning of legisla-
ton the representative is like goat
in a treadmill. The senator enjoys a
lavish supply of Injuries; the repre-
sentative ekes out his official existence
in the atmosphere of economy. The
representative is lathered and shaved
at his own expense; the senator is lu-
bricated and FURNISHED at the expense
of the people The Senator gets his
mineral water, lemonade, and any ac-
companying ingredients by assessing
the taxpayer The Representative pays
for his refreshments out of his own
pocket, or goes without. The govern
ment furnishes a separate apartment
and attendants for each senatorial dig
nity-and, by the way, they are all dig
nitaries-while the representative is
forced TO receive his friends in the win
dow embrasures of the corridor, in the
room, in the restaurant, or
behind the pillars in Statuary Hall.
The government allots a clerk to each
senator at $l,500a year, 1t allows each
representative one at $1,000. sena-
torial messenger receives S1,44O;
House messenger only $1,000. In
thousand small ways the senator is
favored beyond the representative, yet
he lacks the greatest convenience in
the Capitol. 1t is a marvellous legisla-
tive machine left here by the Hon.
Thomas b. Reed, of Maine. The House
retains exclusive possession of this GU
riosity. Delicate in structure, and COM
pick in design, it is as exquisite "a piece
of machinery as any Endorsed by the
Patent Office.
This mechanical production is kept in
the Speakers room and is worked en-
tirely by the Speaker 1t is known to
the triumvirate. 1t runs silently and
without friction. Compared with it an
automatic sewing machine is obsolete.
AS it is undoubtedly the greatest aid
to legislation in Washington, it is sur
. prising that the Senate has not appro-
priated the design and made an inn
proved machine. Without it, indeed,
aside from appropriation and revenue
bills, and other privileged business,
- ~T.,As
except the consideration of a few UNI
important measures. The rules provide
no way by which unpriviliged bills
making or involving appropriations can
be brought up without manipulating
the triumvirate or securing the unani-
nous consent of the members. I'm
animous consent, however, cannot be
gained without getting recognition
from the Speaker, and the Speaker is
the only man who thoroughly under
stands the machinery of the triumvi-
rate. A claimant may haunt the Capt.
tol for years and finally succeed in get
ting. his bill out of committee and on
the calendar. ut viii remain on the
calendar dangling from bumped hook
unless removed by unanimous consent
or placed in the machinery of the tri-
umvirate. With the aid of this ma
chine il can be laid before the House
in a jiffy and prompt action taken. By
its aid a.member may be unseated and
thrown out of the hall in the twinkling
of an eye. Under the skillful manage
ment of Speaker Reed in the Fiji
ty-first Congress. Col. William Elliott,
of South Carolina, lost his seat in a
minute and a half. He left the north
door full-fedged member of Congress.
and on returning through the east door
two minutes afterward was informed
that he was no longer a representative,
his seat having been pre-empted by a
colored gentleman.
There are seven contested seats in
the present House. 1t is hardly prob
able that the aid of the machine will
be required to settle these controver-
sizes. The drastic remedy applied to
the case of Col. Elliott will not be used.
Apparently there is no legislative
emergency necessitating any such ac-
ton. If the minority, however, evinces
a disposition to prolong any contest
the triumvirate will undoubtedly act
promptly and decisively It's services
are almost sure to be required when
the ship-subsidy bill is ready for the
action of the House. If the Crum-
packer or any other bill providing for
reduction of representation in the
Southern states should be thrown into
the legislative hopper the triumvirate
would probably be worked to it's full
speed and give rise to extraordinary
scenes. The excitement would parallel,
if not exceed, that attending action on
the force bill in the Fifty-first Con-
gress. The machinery of the triumvi-
rate was in constant use in the cleo
ton contests preceding the considera-
ton of this bill. and was in cons tant
operation up to the time the vote was
taken. Without this cleverly designed
machinery the force bill could not have
been sent to the Senate. With a similar
machine in the Senate it would GER
tainly have been the law to- day. I'M
hampered by such methods and follow
ing the path of strict parliamentary
law. Arthur p. German was able to
scotch it, and the Senate adjourned
without action.
Whether the triumvrate will be used
in the further consideration of the
Nicaragua canal bill depends upon the
action of the Senate. The fight is trans
ferred to the gilded chamber of the
lords of legislation. The Panama
scheme has scored a preliminary VIC
tory in the supplemental report of the
commission. and it's projectors are said
to be busily at work at the other end
of the Capitol. The Canal Committee
of the Senate has not yet shown its
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