The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-04
Dummy Directors In the HOus.
Like
Character, Condition Preside
the
BY LINCOLN s7EFFEMs---copyr,ght 1900.

z WASHINGTON, February 3.--,rhe Sem
the lower branch OF Our national leg
islaturc with contempt, and Washington
which sings what the Senate sings, like
IN chorus-Washngto despIses the
House. don't mind. did at first.
When the friends OF the Senate apollo
sized for the House as too close to the
people," j resented the slur as personal
to me; which 1t was, OF course But
they babe me look into the House for
myself; and have done so, little.
And ] find that our representatives have
very little respect for themselves.
The senator's. like our bosses at home,
have free speech In their chamber. They
may talk when they please, as long as
they like and about anything that may
interest them. They arc above party
and defy platforms and rival party
leaders" like free men. quoted once
"a writer who said Aldrlch was the boss
OF the Senate. There Is no boss of the
Senate. The Senate Is q deliberative
body.
The House is not. Our representa-
tives are divided, like us, into parties to
which. like us, they must be true. These
parties are so organized as to tie our
representatives into knots to the end
that. like us, they may not speak with
out permission, and then at the risk of
hurting their business Self govern
ment has passed out of the House, as
1t has out of so many OF our cities and
States. The senators represent their
political States; our representatives rep
resent our political condition. The House
is ruled by boss.
The boss of the House is the Speaker,
and our representatives elect him. There
is where they show more intelligence but
less self-respect than we do. We don't
choose our own bosses, not directly, nor
to our knowledge. We think we elect Il
Mayor or Governor. and our boss
sneaks in behind our candidate. But our
representatives In Congress are politicians
or business men who know some
tEing about the game as 1t Is played.
They rarely are bosses themselves The
only local boss that know of In the
Hcuse is the Hon. William Lorimer. OF
Chicago, and he has enjoyed the reput,-
tion rather than tell power OF his bad
em!nence at home. Most of our mem
hers Cat least, in the States know are
made by some local boss. But they
all know what they are about when
they elect Speaker and adopt his rules
One wonders why they do 1t, and guess
1T is because. being boss-made. they are
accustomed to that form of worship. SO
they set up in Washington Speaker in
the image of their creator to rule over
them
And he rules over them. I wish yoil
could see them. as have. sitting there
gagged and bored: full of some speech
which they know would make hit.
Didn't 1t win us when they delivered it at
us from the stump? But they can't get a
chance to deliver 1t here
The Speaker. "Unce joe Cannon,
won't recognize them unless they See
him before the House meets. and then
they say they have to tell him what they
are going to say. He can tell awfully
funny stories about born orators whom
he wouldn't see" lie likes to tell them.
The Speaker is not without humor. Now
and then he does give young orator the
floor. and. of course, that bores the
others. Most of the time. however. he
recognizes the old-tmers who represent
business" and they don't make speeches;
they talk business. So our representa-
tives sit there looking like statesmen.
1t is wonderful how many of them look
that part. No doubt some OF them are
potential politicians. But. as the late
Speaker, Thomas B. Reed. said: This Is
business government and Our" repro