The San Francisco call., 1907-02-24
Great Activity Is
Shown as End
Draws Near
By Ira Z. Bennett

dies at noon on March Of each odd
numbered year. It's death is full OF
struggles and breathlessness and last
words. In the two weeks before dis
solution the doctors and nurses are
tense and excited. working night and
day. The dome of the capitol displays
q big light. which is the signal that
night sessions are on. The flags that
fy above the Senate and House only
during sessions are at the masthead
almost continually. AS night ap-
prosches the great building is pune
tured with Nights from its thousand
windows and they CLEAN long after
midnight.
The Senate and House Of Represen-
tatives work under totally different
rules. The House must originate ali
bills for raising revenue and by Gus
tom If not by constitutional require
ment IL originates all regular bills for
spending the nations money. with
good majority and a strong Speaker
the House can and does keep its work
well IN hand. Debate can be cut down
TO ten minutes on q bill carrying $780,
600 600 if the majority desires Delib-
Grafton over important measures is
sometimes allowed, but nothing is ever
dissected as thoroughly in the House
as IL is in the Senate
The Senate appears TO the casual
visitor TO be a criminal spenothrift OF
time. During the major portion Of
every session il drones along on a
thousand subjects, some Of them
regarded as purely academic by the
public. Then. when prodded by the
consciousness that March 4 is at hand,
The Senate shakes of its lethargy and
dispatches business with such rapidity
as to make the House stand aghast-
Il seems always TO escape by narrow
e. 74-.l
to its work il Is usually discovered
that the time apparently wasted was
used TO good advantage The Senate
rarely fails to strengthen the legls-
latfve work of the House.
Nearly every winter the demand is
made by somebody that the Senate
shan change its rules by restricting
the freedom Of debate. It is declared
10 be an absurdity 10 permit single
Senator 10 hold the floor on any imag-
Unable subject for any length Of time
Whether any bill is before the Senate
or not a Senator may talk on anything
he likes as long as his strength viii
permit and neither q, single Senator
nor the Senate itself can stop him.
When adjournment is near the fear Is
always expressed that tedious speeches
may obstruct business 10 such an ex-
tent as to prevent the passage Of nee
essary bills and thereby force an extra
session Of Congress. But these fears
prove 70 be baseless. By unanimous
consent" agreements are reached which
accomplish results without infringing
upon individual rights of debate
FREEDOM OF DEBATE
There is not the slightest probability
that the Senate viii ever put limi-
tation on freedom of debate. The
ADVANTAGE Of the present system so
FAR outweighs its disadvantages as TO
leave no room for argument when the
situation is once clearly understood.
The United States Senate is the only
forum in the Government where abso-
1utely free speech, without accounta-
biIhy or fear of duress may be in
dulged in. More than this. it is the
only place where such speech can be
expected 10 exert a powerful correc-
tive influence upon all officers of the
government, from the President down
ANY restriction Of the right of an in
dividual in the Senate TO discuss in his
own tine and in his own way any sub
feet he chooses would be an entering
wedge which might eventually destroy
free speech IL that body.
The majority in the House may vir-
tually prevent a member of the minor
fly from exposing something rotten in
the government If il chooses The same
condition IN the Senate might lead to
gross abuses with the party 10 power
able 10 throttle public discussion Of
them. But there is no power now in
any political party TO prevent the ex-
posure and free ventilation of any dis
scovery which the minority may make.
The Government is forced to keep on
its guard constantly for fear Of the
criticism of the opposition All its
operations must be conducted in the
light Of day, because any bold and
resolute Senator may rise in his place
and tell the country what is going on.
AS the end of Congress approaches
the work tends toward concentration
in few hands. Appropriation bills,
carrying nearly q billion dollars in the
aggregate for the myriad operations of
the Government. are always given the
right Of way. One reason for this is
because the closing session of each
Congress is short. running only from
December 10 March 4. Little general
legislation can be undertaken in this
time. II appropriations are properly
discussed and provided. Under the
word appropriations" come a thou
sand subjects which excite debate. The
size OF the army and the navy; the
conduct of the various departments. in
Guiding postal land. Indian. and insu-
lar affairs; the proper distribution of
authority: the political questions aris-
ing from proposed new policies; these
and scores of other considerations are
involved in framing appropriation bills.
COMMITTEES ARE INDEPENDENT
There is no method under the Amer
ican government for bringing the pro-
wider and the spender of public money
closely together The heads of the
great departments do not sit in Con-
gress and answer pointed questions as
they do in England. France and Ger
many. They ask for what they want
but they have no means of jmpressing
directly upon Congress why they must
get what they ask for. So. frequently
they do not get it Congress gives
them what it pleases. and they must
cut the cloth accordingly.
When q committee of the House is
framing a big appropriation bill it
usually sends for such executive Off
GERS as II thinks may shed light on
its work They appear before the
committee and answer questions. The
chairman Of the committee and most
Of its members may be entirely ignor-
ant Of the technical questions involved
Usually they are. The Government Of
hcers. on the other hand, know their
subjects to the finger-tips. They know
why they want bat1aeships of GER
tain size. or why certain army legis-
lation is needed. or why Indian mat