Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1908-10-09

ence OF the committee, | wish to
speak on the subject of the Presi,
dents message and the necessity il
suggests Of parliamentary reform III
the house. After the many eloquent
speeches of the past two days, | rise
with great deal of dittidence to
speak on subjects of such peculiar
delicacy. Particularly do l wish to
avoid both personality and partisan
ship, neither Of which | approve in
debate But as l have convictions on
these great questions for the public
good, and, this being the house OF
representative of the people where
free speech is in order, l am going to
express my convictions to the mem
bership and to the country, in the
fear of God and no man.
People Do Not Know the Rules.
Years before | had the honor OF be
ing a member | had read OF the rules
but | had only vague idea, as most
people have of the immense power
concentrated in the speakerShip and
the corresponding surrender OF rights
and privileges by the individual mem
bers. indeed, the people know little
OF the rules, and less OF the surrender
of their rights under these rules, and
still less OF the effect of such surren
der upon legislation in the interest OF
all the people. During Speaker
Reed time no doubt, people read OF
his counting a quorum, Of his putting
a stop to the tilibuster and OF his re-
pealed to be acting for the public
good, and the country approved Of his
action. There is since then the er
roneous idea lurking in the minds OF
many, especially editors, that some
how members Of congress who com
plain of the present rules would re
Vive the old obstructive practices
that were in themselves innovations
Der of either side of the house would
do that, and could not if he would
Now the pendulum has swung over tC
the other extreme, and, instead of a
few minority members, goaded by
harsh legislative treatment reSOrting
in the open to iIl-advised tactics OF
obstruction, we have a few majority
members SO ''intrenched in the forms
and usages' that under the cloak OF
the majority they are enabled to per
petuate their own rule and control
the house for their own purposes.
What Best Writers Say.
1t is not my purpose at this time
to go into any extended discussion of
the rules OF the house. L wish now
merely to direct your attention to
one great immediate necessity for
parliamentary reform suggested by
the presidents message. But before
passing to the consideration of the
message l shall briefly summarize
what the best writer's have said OF
our parliamentary procedure.
Speaker the House.
1t is the consensus of opinion that
practically all the power of this body
has been merged in the speakership.
He is the house.
Members Surrender Power.
1t is the consensus of opinion that
the individual members have sur
rendered their constitutional rights,
powers, and privileges, to such an
extent that their Importance has be-
come insignificant, in fact, is gener-
ally regarded as negligible guam
tity. One writer has even said that
the members of the house are "a pint
of sand carried in the speakers
pocket; the smaller the particles the
better"
Give Up Peoples Purse.
1t is the consensus of opinion, both
as to revenues and expenditures, that
the control of the purse, which the
constitution vests in this house so as
TO keep it close to the people, has, be
cause of our own rules and usages,
substantially passed over to the con-
troll of the other branch of the con-
gress; and the standing of the house
has suffered on account of it, not only
before the country, but also in the
eyes of the statesmen of the world.
Businss Not Done.
1t is the consensus of opinion of
the best writer's that the business of
the country is not dispatched speed
lily, economically and considerably,
but, in fact, that the rules have be-
come so complicated, cumbersome,
and unwieldy, that fully three-fourths
of the business has to be done out