The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1907-05-18
SIGN OF AUTHORITY
WHAT THE MACE MEANS TO As.
sEMHLED CONGRESS.
Insignia Is Of the Most Ancient and
Honorable orisin--Wss First
Ussd Under the Roman
Republic.

~'fN~f -" fNNtA~N
Republic.
At the right Of the speakers desl
IN the han OF the house OF represen
tatiyes in the capitol at Washington
stands a large cylindrical pedestal
made OF highly polished green marble
When the house is called to order
each day the sergeant-at-arms, or one
OF his deputies. places upon this pedes
tai the mace. which is the symbol Of
authority in the house. When the
body adiourns, says ST. Nicholas. he
removes 1t, and keeps it in safety untll
the house meets again.
This mace is OF very ancient and
honorable origin. Under the old Ro-
man republic, the magistrates passed
on foot from one place to another. adj
ministering Justice. trying public Of
tenders and imposing penalties.
Each Of these magistrates was at.
tended by a small body OF men known
as nctors, whose duty it was to make
way for the officers of the law, pre-
serve order, make arrests and infiict
punishment on condemned citizens.
Each OF these hctors carried with
him bunch OF rods tied together with
thongs, and having an AK bound 10
the outside OF it The thongs were
used for beheading. Sentences i'm
posed by the magistrates were at once
carried out.
These bundles Of rods were known
as fasces. When the magistrates
passed along the thoroughfares the
lictors preceded them, bearing the
fasees aloft, and the assembled citi-
zens Immediately made way for them
When any disorder arose nearby
the lictors appeared with the fasces,
upon the sight of which quiet was in
stantly restored. No Roman citizen
ever ventured to question the author
ity OF this emblem.
When the Romans conquered Brit
ain the use of the fasces as a symbol
was brought with them, and like many
other Roman customs remained with
the British people.
While II was no longer used for in
fiicting punishment it continued to be
used as symbol by the early nglish
and when an officer ap-
peared carrying the fasces his au-
thority was Immediately accepted by
an. It was. in effect, his badge of Of
fee. -esES arFi>-sMAs
The English form Of the fasces was
slightly changed in that the AZ was
placed inside Of the bundle Of rods,
with blade protruding from the top.
The great councils of the early Sax
ors gradually developed into one gen.
eral body, which in the fourteenth
century became known as the house
OF commons. In all these earlier
councils the use or the fasces was con-
tinued, but it then came to be known
as the mace, which has remained as
the emeblem Of legislative authority
in that body down to the present day. I
The house Of representatives of the
United States was modelled closely
after the house of commons by the I
trainers Of cur constitution and the
usage Of the mace was borrowed from
the English custom.
The first mace adopted by the
house was destroyed by fire when the !
British burned the capitol in 1914 I
From 1914 until 1912 a mace Of paint
ed wood did service. but in the lat. I
ter year the present mace was made, I
after the model of the original one.
\ :. Is about three feet in height and (
consists Of bundle Of ebony rods,
bound together with a band Of silver,
after the fashion Of the fasces. From
the center OF this bundle of rods pro.
trudes a silver stem, en- which is a
silver globe four or five inches in di.
ameter. This globe is an eagle OF
solid silver with outspread wings.
This mace is the emblem of author
Ity in the house, and when, as some
times happens. that body becomes
unruly and seems quite beyond the
speakers control the sergeant-at.
arms appears. and. lifting the mace
from the pedestal. bears it up and |
iown the aisle OF the hall. Instantly \
every member sinks into his seat. or |
Ter is restored at once, and absolute
silence prevails. Any members who I
iisregards the mace is In contempt"
md IL Ifahfa n careura ,r ax-av, ex-r,,,l