The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-01-04
Measures That Are Slated for
the Legislative Graveyard
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Executive Session of Senate VIII be
Utilized to Switch Consideration
of Statehood BilI-Parliamenta-
rlan at Speakers Elbow.

Washington, Jan. 3-Beginning next
Monday there are just fifty legislative
days before the Fifty-seventh congress
expires by limitation. That Is in the
minds of the congressional leaders who
have been returning from the holiday va
cation; both those who want to pass
Legislation and those who want to kill
everything save the appropriation bills.
Several measures seem to be selected
for the legislative graveyard Prominent
among them. of course, is the state
hood bill, the ship subsidy bill, the pure
food bill which recently passed the house,
the immigration BILL the eight-hour bill,
and some others of not so much import
ance- 1t is a goodly array of important
measures which Is thus marked for
slaughter. The friends OF all these bills
will not let them reach the last gasp"
stage without an effort to rescue them.
Most of them are In the Legislative pock-
et," where they will be easily strangled
If there is any attempt made to force
them to final vote. The probabiliti
are that the senate steering committee"
will place some of them on Its order or
business" but that will not amount to
much with the statehood bill occupying
the main track, and the Cuban treaty on
the siding. This latter has place of adj
vantage. 1t will not displace the state
hood bill, which has the right of way as
unfinished business" but by turning the
executive session switch the senate can
consider the treaty as another body and
leave the three territories waiting for
coal on the main line.
The senate is the best example of two
in one that is extant With open doors,
the galleries occupied, the reporters pres
ent, the pages scnrrying about 1t Is
legislative body. Presto" as we say,
in the food 'ad," everybody is hustled
out the doors closed, and the senate Is
a part of the executive branch of the
government. But either way whether
working with the house as a legislative
or with the president as an executive
it has great power. and one of the great
est prerogatives is to put stop to bills
that a goodly number do not want to
have become laws. Fifty days. 1t Is
1t is enough for the appropriations, but
not for much of anything else.
The speakers right-hand man is called
.clerk at the speakers DESK" and Is one
of ii. ,i,sost useful men In the house of
-refA esthtatives. 1t Is his business to
know things, all things; in fact every
thing connected with legislation. He
must know parliamentary law prece-
dents of the house, and must have them
ready at a seconds notice so that they
may be cited by the speaker or by the
chairman of the committee of the whole
house whenever a point of order Is raised
or a parliamentary point to be decided.
He must know all the members of the
house, and from what state they come,
in order to tell the speaker or chairman
= u.
the presiding officer. He must know all
the secretaries of the president and the
the clerks of the senate, SO as to tell the
presiding officer when there is a message
from the president or the senate to be
ceived by the house. He keeps the time
on men who are addressing the house,
and the hammer falls when he says that
a man has consumed his allotted time.
OF all these tasks the greatect is to be
well informed upon parliamentary law.
: There Is no index to parliamentary rul-
ings, and many points are found by the
man who will delve and dig and study the
subject all the time. Such a man Is the
present clerk at the speakers desk''-
Mr.. Asher C. Hines of Portland Me. He
came to that place in the Fifty-frst con-
gress, being selected by Thomas b. Reed.
He was there two years. and when the
democrats took control of the house ne
Mr.. Reed brought him back In the Fifty
fourth congress, and he has been there
ever since. He will probably remain as
long as he desires. as he has gained a
knowledge Of the duties of the position
attained by very few men. The selection
of Mr.. Kinds by Reed naturally means
that ae is a good man for the place. as
Mr. Reed had the reputation OF selecting
none but the best as his assistants.
Parliamentary law is a study. and even
the best parliamentarians that ever ex-
listed were not always sure they were
right. Once new member came to Tom
Reed in the days when the republicans
returned to power.
Mr.. Reed" said he. what do you
think is the best thing for a new man to
do? What line should he take?'
"A knowledge of the rules OF the house
is very useful" said Mr.. Reed.
"Oh. understand that" said the new
member. Ever since have been elected
! have been studying the rules of the
house. and understand them perfectly"
you are fortunate" responded Reed.
81 have been studying these rules for