The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-05-20

LIS PAAF&IO SAA4ky AO" IAN
and labor unions coerce the legislature,
etc. The writer is high in political life
to-day. a strong believer in organiza-
TiOn. and jealous of his good reputa-
tion, To reveal his identity would
mean suppression of the articles, for
reasons which will be obvious to the
reader as the series progresses.
"Mr. Speaker"
: It was the first time | had been so
addressed from the floor of the lower
house of the legislature. The title had
been tackled to my name the day be-
fore in complimentary fashion when
the aucus of my party, the majority
party in the house, had decided to- put
me in the chair and give MT the all
powerful gavel. But this member, ris-
ing in his place, Immediately after the
close of the short inauguration speech
which custom eXacted from the new
ly-inStalled official, vas the first to
officially and properly give me the title
which 1 held for more than n term.
AS | look back now on those nerve
racking, trying days, l can recall the
inarticulate gasp which seemed to send
my heart up into the region of my
throat when the deliberately voiced,
bugIe clear words, "Mr. Speaker" came
from the member standing erect and
expectant on my left. l recognized
him and he proffered a routine reso-
luton bearing on the preliminary
movements which lead up to the be-
ginning of business in a house of
representatives in any state of the
union.
Those first moments OF my speaker
ship were heavy with apprehension
and laden with misgivings. | was
fearful of making some false move
which would give the minority an
early chance to make a point or two
fright. Perhaps the strain of the few
preceding days had tried my nerves
TOO severely. Perhaps it was the be-
ginning of the realization of the heavy
responsibilities which l had assumed.
But whatever the cause the fact re-
mains that my first quarter Of an hour
with the gavel in my hand were Is
minutes of mental anguish and almost
physical torture.
Few men appreciate the tremendous
power which abides in the speakers
chair. l doubt if any man, except one
who is or has been speaker, realizes
the magnitude of the power for good
or evil which rests in the hand that
holds the gavel in the lower house Of
a state legislature. And few men I'M
derstand why it is that frequently the
speaker apparently is unable or I'M
willing to exercise his potent influence.
[ was an experienced law maker
som years before I became speaker
and my several terms as representa-
tive had shown me the vast response
biiities which at times seem ready TO
crush the chief officer of the lower
house. But in all those years the bur-
den had been On the shoulders of the
other man, the scepter of power
was in another's hand. 1t was not
until that first quarter of an hours
agony had passed that l felt the weight
of the responsibility and realized the
authority of the little mallet of pol
ished wood which lay on the desk be-
fore me- Then there came to me the
query: Twill make a good record or
will I retire at the end of my term an
,abject failure?"
While we waited the return of the
committee which had been sent on the
perfunctory errand to ask the gov
ernor if he had any message for us !
glanced over the assembly that faced
me. Most OF the men behind the
deslts, which in parallel half circles filed
the spacious room, were well known
TO me. Many of them had been my col
leagues for some years. Some of them
were my bitter Political and personal
enemies. All of them seemed to be
aooaing at me apparently studying the
nan who by their own act had sud
denly and actually become the auto
Graf of them all
"Autocrat' was the very word that
came into nay head as | sat there, wait
ing for the committees return. And
chen there came upon me the full
waaTfzat;an that a sneaker could not