New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-23
POWERS OF THE HOUSE.
Discussed By President Wilson of
Princeton at Columbia.

President Woodrow Wilson OF Princeton had for
his subject The House OF Representatives" in a
lecture which he delivered AT Columbia yesterday
before large audience IN Earl Hall. DR.. Wilson
said that Ike tho President OF the United States
the House OF Representatives had got far away
from the purpose for which II was originally
| formed and become body with a genius and a
mania for doing things. DR. Wilson said that the
original idea OF those who conceived Congress was
that II was 10 be body for discussion and DELHI
Grafton and that in fact almost no discussion took
place in that body. Said the speaker:
We have heard one OF our most capable Speakers
thank COD that the House was not a deliberatfvs
pody. Inc question is however. how when all the
business that the House does IS transacted by com
mittees behind closed doors are we 10 know how
that If all even the most important measures
tnat are brought before the House were discussed
us business would be reduced nne-tenths. but this
Is a consImmation devoutly TO be hoped for. The
House OF Representatives at present has the Amer
team idea OF doing things and not OF giving rea-
sons for the things done. The essence OF constitu
what is done.
Speaking OF the Senate In this connection DR.
Wilson told how discussion was unlimited in that
body. and how, on that account Senator. to pre-
vent the passage of the Ship Subsidy bill had read
from the dictionary 70 take up time But" said
the speaker. better than have no body where free
discussion IS allowed is It to permit a Senator to
read from that interesting II somewhat discon-
nected book"
Or. Wilson went to point out that the only
who, after he had been elected had practically
complete control OF the acts of that body IF"
said the lecturer you want to the acts OF the
House OF Representatives. watch It elect a Speaker
and then observe that after it has made the Speak
er it has done all it knows how to do" DR.. Wilson
continued, In part:
The House OF Representatives may be said to be
organic the Senate indivdualistc. even atomis-
tic In the Senate the committees merely prepare
the subject matter OF business and debate; In the
House, on the other hand the committees really
be unreal business Is so complex and the mem
bers so numerous that the easiest and most ef-
800 on the floor I'm everv mater Of InpoTtance
And the committees are not chosen by the House
itself. They are appointed by the Speaker.
And even his own personal views upon particular
public questions enforced in his appointments,
so that the very majority he represents may some
vote upon measures it is known TO desire What
committees 90 not report tho House cannot vote
upon Every oiu introduced oy an lndlvldual mem
Der must be referred 10 a standing committee The
each bill each official communication. shall be re-
ferred. No committee is obliged to report back TO
the House any bill referred 10 II.
Moreover it has come about that by this preroga-
measures reported The House of Representatives
restricts debate upon the reports of committees
aIlots most OF the brief time to the chairman OF
the committee reporting. No member who has not
previously obtained the promise OF the Speaker that
he will be recognized need rise seek to catch his
whose Intentions the Speaker has not first learned
may expect to be accorded tho floor to make any
motion Speaker arbitrarily deter
mine what proposals he viii permit the House to
hear
OF course. the extraordinary power Of the Speaker
is in a sense not personal; he is in no proper sense
OF the word autOcrat; he is the instrument. as
we'll as the leader. OF the majority, in controlling
the processes of the House.
It win be readily understood from this analysis
why the Speaker of the House of Representatives
has come to be regarded the greatest figure in
the complex government Of the United States. next
to the President himself tlndinS ltSelt useless as
q number OF persons. the House reduced itself 10
House and the President have become two com
peting leaders You can't conduct government
which has any momentum very long unless one OF
these leaders sweeps the other. The President
now because he is more before the people. oc-
casIonally oveFwhems the Speaker. The man who
talks most and best always has the greatest power
and for this reason We ought not TO object 20 a
talkatiVe President