The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-11
KENT HOWARD IN WASHINGTON
Being the Story of New Congressman and His Temptation as Told by Series of Letters to His Wife

of marty service or public service in
 th House. Tn the old days the House
 was the great American forum, where af, individual had chance to make his
 fr1,press on national affairs. To-day
 owing to the operation of the system; the determination of great commercial
 and industrial syndicates to have
 tl,eir desires gratified and their special Interest safeguarded and protected,
 tba y,embers of the House have been
 reduced to mere puppets, dependent on tha will of party leaders. There are 3S6 members of the House put so
 far as actual Influence goes. SVo or them might as well remain at home
 Tbis do,,btless sounds like severe ana astonishing statement to you, put
 inc facts will bear me out. As mat
 tey of fact. while there are 3S6 mem
 bers of the body, one and the speaker usually count majority. under lne
 peculiar rules adopted for the conauct of business in the House everything is Ss, S,,t and dried as the programme TOT
 ss,,rprise party In the country. NO
 \, et,,ber is recognized on the ioor un- iasx he has first rehearsed his speech and secured permission or the Speahet' No measure is brought up for consiuea,
 ation unless 1t has met the appI, | ~ fha august body known as the com
 ,w ar Pnles. which is a sort or ciearins- house arrangement with @ .he pras,dent the party leaders, ana ."o rssaat ana all-powerful third house
 inc marty leaders in ana ou. "i VI gress. Legislation which the pataS paS
 managers decide to pass IS Tep' Tepo. se1 by this committee and, aiter tha .s,a ps s,ou, oY free discussion on me Nonr ia rushed through. usually oh
 rsr,v lines. Other bils, however n,eritorious. are placed on the caiehoar | or allowed to die of old age ih 'he | hands of committees.
 l i,,iT Oratorieal Bars Let Down.
 When the appropriation oiils are up | the great measures carrying ,. s | enr tbe maintainence of the dinereht l aa,,artments of the government-the l aratoricaI bars are let down and mem l hsrs are allowed, within a specined .i,.,a limit. to discuss any topic unoer | tbe sun. They usually discuss every | thing except the measures under cvi 1 sideration; and 1t is these speeches I that we send back by the eaTIoaos ~ sata~s iu our districts, showing what | rss are doing and how we are stand l irg' ,Ip for the rights of the plain neenle, No one ever listens to these I craforial efforts. They are usually 1 deIIvered to vacant chairs, and, except | for the purposes of home consuHlp ton. might have as well been shoutea
 into a swer manhole. This Is tne meas- |
 unity. and the limit of his useful
 ness. The bills that become laws are framed by the party leaders. or thelr close friends. and we know notnlhs of them until we get directions to sup port them .,
 Why not be a party leader, then you ask? All of us would ike 10 pc but party leaders are not picked up lin a night. They have to stand the fire test bbefore they are placed in the front ranks. Look over the names or the men who are recognized to-day as factors in legislation In the House; Payne, of New York; Dalzell, of Penn svivania: Grosvenor, of Ohio; Sher- man, of New York; Babcock, of Wis | oohsin: Hepburn, off Iowa; Burton, oi Ohio; Hit, of Illinois. and men Of that standing. and you will find that they have served in the House for years They come from districts where ,, a nomination bby their party speils | edection without effort, and they se- cured their standing with the party bosses, in a measure at least, because