Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-02-11
DON'T CARE FOR THE HOUSE.
There Are But Few Men of WealtA
Who Care to Enter the Lower
/ Branch of Congress-

The formal announcement which Con.
gresham Powers made while at home
that he would not be again a candidate
for congress, although no news to his
associates and friends here, has occa-
stoned the widest regret. In connection
with many similar announcements, says
the Boston Transcript, it must be taken
as n of the signs of the times which
do not augur well for the future of the
house as a legislative body.
The fact must be faced that the body
has ceased to attract the kind of men
that it ought to have. More than Speak
er Cannon's defiance of the senate would
be necessary to restore the house to the
place where a seat in 1t will be worth
while" for the really big men of the
country. Except for the few leaders who
dominate the whole thing there is very
little for anybody to do. The member
ship of the house is so large and the
acoustic properties in it so bad that
no member commands any attention
when he speaks unless he happens to be
a born orator" The salary is pitiably
small for those who have to live on 1t.
Membership still has its uses as a step
ping-stone for persons who have an eye
on the senate or some other coveted
post. A set of rich young men are in
consequence taking up congressional
seats, notably Pennsylvanians, much
as well to do people in the cities are buy
ing up the abandoned farms Of New
Hampshire. But for men of good OPP
p~ortunities for professional advance
ment at home there is little in a con-
g%ressional seat as an end that is worth
while, and they are fast finding it out.
If they do not know it when they get
here they o o become aware of the
fact, with the result that changes in the
delegations of the most important states,
which ought to keep men here long
enough to reach places of prominence,
are becoming painfully frequent.
Judge De Almond, OF Missouri, one
Of the most thoughtful men OF the house,
recently remarked to the Transcript cor
respondent: Nearly all the work OF
this session will be in passing appropria-
ton bills, but have you ever thought
how absolutely farcical is the place
which the house occupies in this pro-
ceedings? The committee may report
a bill having in it a S 1000 item for a GER
tain purpose and if time is hanging on
the hands of the house considerable de-
bate may develop in committee of the
whole over the proposal to reduce this
item to 1900. Perhaps the lower fig.
ure may prevail. The bill goes to the
senate, which promptly raises the item
to $4,000. The revised bill, with scores
of amendments, comes back to the house
Three men go out on a conference com
mittee to split difference with the sen,
ate. They come back and perhaps after
two or three trials of strength the house
votes to accept a certain conference re
port which its three representative
have worked out. What become of thu
old debate between the 5 2 1000 and tn,
1900? Not II mar in the house, ex
cept possibly one of the conferees, and
much doubt that. will have the remotes
notion of what has been done with thi
item. The Pineville Academy Debating
society might just as well have resolved
On the question"