Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-03


does not reflect any too great credit
upon a great country like this. The
FORMING Of such views Is at this time
even more unfortunate than II might
otherwise be I'm that it Increases the
popular belief I'm stories Of political
graft and plutocratic domination of
the government. In cases where sena-
tors are actually attending TO official
duties with the committees on which
they serve II would be well IL visitors
were aware Of the reasons for their
preoccupation.
Senatorial "Hazlng"
Tn discussing the disappointment
visitors experienced In finding their
senator or representative absent when
/ they chance TO drop in at the capitol
the various kinds of senatorial haz-
ing" must not be overlooked IL used
TO be an unwritten law of the senate
that news senate should not enter
INTO debate until he had served half
his term sitting i'm silent apprentice
snip at the feet Of his elders. How this
rule has been broken is illustrated in
the case of Mr.. La Toilette, who took
his seat only last December. For two
days within n week he has occupied
tho greater part Of the legislative ses-
sion Of the senate. lie was clearly
tion from the chair, hence many of the
veterans did the only thing they could
Wen do to show their dspleasure and
their lack OF respect for any views he
might hold by leaving the chamber as
soon as he began to speak Perhaps
the largest number of them went to
the senate restaurant for their frugal
midday meal, but the impression upun
the galleries was that they were per-
mittipg public business to drift along
without them. Again 1t is unfortunate
that visitors as n class are not aware
that nearly every senator scrutinizes
very carefully each morning the Con-
gressional Records verbatim report of
the proceedings of the preceding day.
1t Is not then that absent senators
have suffered such personal loss
through disinclination to be present
throughout an entire days session, but
the impression has gone forth that they
have not been as consistently attentive
10 the interests of their constituents as
they might have been.
How Congress Does Its Work
All this brings up the point of how
congress really does its work To the
visitor II seems as IL everything was
accomplished on the floor of the SEN
ate In open session while they are look
ing on and listening to every comment
uttered on the floor In reality tho
important business of congress is far
from being transacted in such a way.
1t Is done in committees, behind closed
doors usually, unless an open session
is desired for some specific reason
such as the appearance of a cabinet
OFFICER to comment upon matters of
public rather than purely official in
terest. After this preliminary commit
tee work the actual contamination of
the law making in open session is in
most cases hardly more than formal
ity. There may be sharp debate of an
intermittent sort, but after awhile
party lines are drawn, the vote is
taken and perhaps the only response to
the call for the ayes and noes will be
one vote in the affirmative, cast by the
senator in charge of the bill
On the house side there is keener
interest In the roll calls and a sharper
partisanship in parliamentary strug-
giles. 1t is not possible there for q
member to defy the speaker the way
a senator can hold the floor until he is
ready to yield it.
Mr.. Tnlman gave an example of how
well he understood his rights as a SEN
tor when Mr. Aldrich tried to cut him
off last week in the midst of his verbal
combat with Mr. Hopkins of Illinois.
Aroused by the vice presidents having
taken Mr.. Aldrich's hint and having
announced the railroad rate bill before
the Senate in advance of it's official
right of way, Mr.. Tillman sharply
served notice that he purposed holding
the floor until he was good and ready
to give it up or-as he added somewhat
penitently-"unless the chair or the
senate shall take me off my feet"
To the average audience in the SEN
ate galleries such incidents as this be-
long to the thriller class just as
much as any theatrical melodrama.
They usually give some evidence of
approval by applause and have to be
called to order by the presiding officer.
But every such incident only empha-
sizes the more the absence of other
senators> and increases the feeling of