The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-05-05
THR HOUSE TRIUMPHANT.

Students of public affairs have been
deeply concerned of late years over the
rapid encroachments of the Senate upon
the prerogatives of the House of Represen-
tatives. 1t has been alleged, with the
greatest show of truth. that a little ring
of Senators, not exceeding eight or nine.
were rapidly getting all the powers of the
Government in their hands, and debating
the policy against the President and the
House of Representatives.. 1t is in the
philosophy of things that unless there is
decided check, one House of any represen-
tative body will naturally tend to absorb
the whole power of Government, and re-
duce the other branch to a mere register of
its will. The Senate has peculiar advan
tage over the House. inasmuch as it is
generally made up of men of long expert
ence in public affairs, who by dint of the
knowledge thus acquired become leaders. 1t
is intended by the scheme of our Govern
ment that if there is to be any precedence
in Congress, it shall be with the House of
Representatives., which being fresher from
the people than the Senate is more re-
spOnsive to the popular will, and that the
office of the Senate shall be to hold the
more numerous body in check. This, how
ever, has not been the case for many years.
and on many important questions the
House has been the conservative body,
while the Senate has been the radical. The
election of Mr.. Cannon as Speaker prom
ised return to the original idea of the
relations of the two bodies. Mr.. Cannon,
a man of the highest force, has had an ex
perience in public affairs equal to that of
any Senator, and he is properly proud of
the House and jealous of its prerogatives.
Under his Speakership the House. it is be-
lieved, has regained very much of what it
lost under some of his predecessors. The
first collision between the two Houses &C.
Cured on the Question of the government
of tho canal zone. The Senate had pre-
pared very complicated bill, which was
supposed to have the sanction of the En-
ecutive Department, and it looked as if this
would prevail, but the House set itself firm
ly against it, and offered substitute which
was duplicate of the simple enactment of
1903, drafted by Thomas Jefferson for the
government of the Louisiana Purchase.
The Senate expressed the most determined
support of its own measure, and threatened
to keep Congress in session all Summer.
but it encountered in the House will SUI
perior to its own, and eventually the
Houses bill was adopted. The next clash
was on the Rivers and Harbors Bill. The
Senate was determined to embark on a
schedule of very costly improvements, while
the House was equally fixed in its nten-
ton to appropriate only 100000 to keep
in order improvements already made.
Again, after an obstinate contest, the
House prevailed, and no new work was sur
veyed or authorized. Another victory for
the House was in the matter of the Capitol
extension, which is one of the pet projects
of the Speaker. The Senate wanted to
create a commission to extend the Capitol,
but the Speaker wanted the improvements
confined to carrying out the original plans
of Mr.. Walter, the architect. Again the
Senate receded, and the House measure
was adopted. 1t was so in most of the i'm
portant supply bills, where the Senate
yielded and gave up most of the costly ex-
penditures that it contemplated. The ses-
sion seems to have ended with the Senate
noticeably reduced to its proper position
of coordinate body, instead of the direct
ing force of Congress.