Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-12-11

4
galleries are not slow to take the tip
and thousand voices in the upper
stratas swell the wild and woolly re.
| frain.
In the senate not a sound is heard ;
not hand clap, not a note of ap-
plause: in fact it is never heard on
the floor except upon rarest occasions
and if the galleries break loose as they
frequently do after a speech by Sena-
tors Dolliver. Beveridge or Bailey,
the gavel of the vice president comes
down hard, and the galleries are ad-
monished that to repeat the offeHse is
to invite an order clearing the seats.
The scramble for seats in the house
is an interesting feature of each new
Congress. In the senate, there is no
such struggle. A senator retains his
seat as long as he desires, but in the
house at the beginning of each Con-
gress there must be a drawing of
seats: no member can reserve his for
mer seat. At noon of the first day of
the session there is no house and no
speaker. The clerk of the house holds
over, and he it is who at 12 O'Clock
siezes the gavel and calls the body to
order. The old members have taken
their former seats and the new mem
bers take what is left. The clerk an
nounces that the first business is to
elect speaker, and each side of the
chamber presents the man agreed upon
previously in caucus. Following the
election and presentation of the
speaker, the entire membership is
sworn in, groups of twenty five taking
the oath at one time. There is now a
speaker and House of Representa-
tives, but the members have no seats.
The 385 men line up at the back and
sides of the chamber, every seat being
empty. BY courtesy Gen. Bingham.
of Pennsylvania. the father of the
house" so-called because he is the
Oldest member in point of service,
is permitted to choose a seat. as are
also the majority and minority
leaders, Payne and Williams.
The process of parceling out seats
is as follows: A box containing 1856
marbles, numbered from to 3S5 is
brought in. Before the reading clerk
lies sheet containing the names of
ell members, each name having a
number before it. A page, blind
folded, reaches into the box and takes
out marble which is handed to an.
other reading clerk who announces
the number to the clerk with the
numbered list The latter runs down
the list. finds the name correspond
ing to the number and calls out the
name. The congressman whose name
is called may choose any seat he de-
sires. This process is continued until
there are no marbles remaining in the
box, each member, as his name is
announced taking his choice of any
seat remaining. 1t usually happens
that many of the brand new members
get early choice of seats and the old
wheel horses bring up the rear. 1t
is the custom, however, for new mem
bers drawing the best seats to volun-
tarily exchange them with leaders
who may have obtained seats at the
extreme rear or sides.
The seats are arranged in a semi
circle about the speakers desk, with
wide aisle cutting the semi-ci
into two quarter circles. The quarter
on the left of the speaker, or the east
side of the chamber is the republican
In choosing seats of course each cem-
ber gets on his own side as long as
possible. However, after a while the
republican side is filled and still there
are nearly three scores of republicans
without seats and an equal number of
unoccupied seats ON the democratic
side. Five or six rows of seats at the
extreme right of the speaker. on the
democratic side, have been set apart
for the republican overflow. This
section is called the Cherokee Strip
and obviously seats there are not
coveted by members. 1t is usually oc-
cupied by the new members, although
if an old member whose name was
called late is unable TO make an ex-
change with new member having a
good seat, he must take his medicine
and make the best of the isolation.
Out of the $50 seats there are not
more than 150 considered really good.
These are seats on the center aisle or
near the speakers desk. A member
sitting on the rear row at the extreme
right or left of the speaker might
almost as we'll be in the cloak room.
He can near what is said only within
a small radius and cannot even see
members ON the other side of the
chamber.