Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-01-18
HOUSE MAY GO
BACK TO BENCHES
Desks for congressman in DAN
ger Of Being Abol-
ished.
BODY HAS GROWN TOO LARGE.
The Hall of the House OF Representa-
tives viii Have TO BE Enlarged il
Addition of Desks Keeps On.
Special Correspondence.

| Special Correspondence.
| Washington. Jan. 12.-The present
| Congress will make the necessary APP
| preparations for starting the machinery
required to take tho next census of the
\ United States two years hence. In
| former times It was a special arrange
| ment. The superintendent, as the head
of the concern was once called instead
! of director, was appointed only few
| months before the work of enumera-
| ton commenced. He was greatly
| rushed TO collect about him his assist
| ants and to select the hundreds OF
! clerks required to aid in the work. Now
| the bureau is permanent, and the d.
| rector serves indefinitely.
| GOOD SALARIES AND POSITIONS.
The scope of the bureau has been
| greatly enlarged within recent years.
and publications concerning most of
| the leading industries are constantly
| being issued. Much better salaries are
| being paid than prevailed before the
| bureau became such an important one,
| Men thoroughly qualified for the duties
| are retained In office, and nearly all the
| positions worth having come under the
| operations of the civil service law, so
/ lHdl lue men 0OiulIB lnG JODS CtllHON
/ be removed for partisan advantage in
| the event of change in administra-
| ton. Uncle Sam will have to spend
| big sum to take the next census
| If Congress does not keep down the
| membership Of the house, one of two
| things Is bound to happen-either the
| desks win have to be removed from
the hall or the room win have to be
| enlarged. Tt will be a difficult matter
| to do the latter without destroying the
| looks of the capitol. Many attempts
| have been made to throw out the desks
| and substitute benches for the MEM
! hers such as they have in the British
| house of commons. 1t has been argued
| that IL this were done the American
! house of representatives would become
| more of a delberative body. The gall
lery space could also be increased, so
| that probably thousand more people
could be present during the sessions
of the house. With the members occu-
| pying benches the debates would not
only. 1t is contended, be more animat-
ed and interesting, but the statesmen
| would feel as If they belonged to
truly deliberative body. With the
grand new office building and each
member allowed u competent clerk
who receives $1,000 year, the repre-
sentatives cannot longer insist upon re-
tanning desks in the hall for writing
Australian parliament the desks are
very small, and when q member is not
writing the top can be showed BACK, so
that very little space is taken up.
Probably this sort OF desk may even
tually be put in our house of represent
atives If the bench system is not ultl-
mately adopted.
MORE MEMBERS FOR OKLAHOMA.
1t having been shown by recent
| hot
a population of little over 1,4oo,OO0
Congress at this session Is expected to
pass the bill of Senator Gore allowing
the state two more members OF the
house, making seven instead OF hve to
be voted for at the national election
to be held next November, NO other
state at the time of its admission into
the Union had so large population
FEW BOAST A LONG SERVICE.
Only six members of the house of
representatives have the record OF hay
ing been elected to Congress for 10 or
more terms. All six are Republicans.
They are the following, the number of
terms of each being given! Speaker cam
non, IT; Bingham of Pennsylvania, 10;
Payne of New York, ~: Daizell Of
Pennsylvania and Hepburn of Iowa, IL
each; sherman Of New York TO- Speak
err Cannon has not had g continuous
service, for he was defeated for the
| Fffty-second Congress ut the election
held In 1890. The same year the late
President Mckinley was beaten In the
Canton district of Ohio, the Democra-
tic legislature having changed his dis
trict so that one OF their men slipped
into Congress by slender plurality.
That aroused the friends of Mckinley to
such a pitch that they ran him for gov
ernOr the next year. and that started
him well on the road TO the White
House.
DEMOCRATS EVEN LESS FORTU-
|, NATE.
Only -four of tho Democratic members
OF the house have had as many as nine
terms. They are De Almond OF Mis-
souri,, Jones OF Virginia, Livingston OF
Georgia and Meyer OF Louisiana Gen.
j Warren Keifer OF Ohio, who is an ex-
speaker OF the house, has been elected
10 only six terms In Congress, ana they
were not continuous. only one other
eXspeaker is llVing--John @. Carlisle,
formerly of Kentucky, now OF New
York city, John Sharp Williams. the
Democratic leader of the house, is I'm
eisht-torn member All the other eight
term members OF that body are Re-
publlcans, as follows: Bartholdt of
Missouri, Cooper OF Wisconsin, Cousins
of Iowa, Gardner OF New Jersey, Me-
Call OF Massachusetts. Tawney OF MIN
nesOta and Wagner OF Pennsylvania. In
consequence OF their service all In this
group have the most prominent commit
tee assignments There are now 81
members Of tho house who are serving
their first terms