The National tribune., 1908-05-28
NATIONAL

treated in his own house. We went to
Mount Vernon and placed a laurel
wreath on Washington's tomb, and the
entertainments extended included those
of Mr.. Wilson. Third Assistant Secretary
of State, at luncheon. and the recep-
ton of our Embassador. Mr.. Takahira.
I'm looking back across the Atlantic
several things stand out in our minds.
Among them the vast areas We saw un-
cultivated, the 'rapidity' of the people,
their striking methods in business. the
splende- of Washington. the uniform
courtesy and desire to please exhibited
toward us. In some cases the enter
tainment was little too much. We
felt like circus party on several oc-
casions. and the ladies did not care
about it."
Again the question Games. "When was
Memorial Day made National hoii-
day?" And again the answer is made,
Never" The United States has no
National holidays. Not one. and II
please you. There is not a single day
in the whole calendar that is observed
by all the States. Anyone who knows
anything of the South knows that they
will never accept the goth of May as
holiday, and until the Southern States
do accept it it cannot become Nation
al--that or any other day. Congress
cannot vote holidays for the States.
Each State must do that for itself. and
when As States have lcgislated thru
their Legislatures to make a day q holi-
day, then it can be called National
only after Congress has declared for the
same holiday in the Territories.
Judge Alton B. Parker. former Chief
Justice of the State of New York and
the Presidential candidate of the Demo-
cratic Party in 1904, was admitted to
practice before the Supreme Court of
the United States last week. The mo-
ton for his admission was made by
former Solicitor-Gencral Whitney, who
contented himself with a simple pre-
sentation of his distinguished friend"
Chief Justice Fuller smiled as he
recognized the applicant. and merely
directed him to the desk of the clerk
to take the oath. Judge Parker then
stood with ~ others. two of whom We're
colored, and promised under oath to
properly demean himself as a member
of the bar of the highest court in the
United States.
The statue of Washington done by
Greenoagh, which has been standing on
the Capitol plaza FOR many years, Is to
be taken to the Smithsonian and located
for the rest of it's life. The statue NAV
be a fine one, presumably is. for 1t cost
the Government mint of money. but
about the only value attached to it
would seem to be for anatomical study.
Washington is naked to the waist in
the statue, and you can sec every bone
in the torso. The statue has been the
laughing stock of everybody for years.
and a determined effort has at last got
it off the Capitol plaza.
1t has long been a recognized fact
that our House of Representatives is
altogether too large q room for the
average orator to make himself heard
and about four-fifths of the members OF
the House are not even the average"
in oratory Some time ago a movement
was started looking to the removal
from the House of all the desks, leay-
ing the Representative Hall with close
placed long benches. Then it was pre-
posed TO cut the hall down till it is
smaller. The committee has reported
as follows:
THE purpose of the resolution is to
make the hall of the House suitable for
the transaction of public business and
" uo away d hHlCl
makes the House of Representatives
the most disorderly and the noisiest
legislative body in the world The
enormous size of the hall makes it very.
difficult for a member with voice OF
ordinary strength to be heard even under
the best conditions, while if any degree
of confusion exists il becomes in most
cases impossible to hear one who is
speaking half way across the hall In
order aRitatn fnig No
of air many of the members are com
PEELED to make a very special effort
ami the energy that should be employed
in the brain is diverted to the lungs
and style is demanded which is de-
structive of the argumentative manner
and leads to defamation and the mere
ad captandum As a result
the normal condition of the House is
one of extreme confusion.
THE House of Representatives occu-
pies the largest legislative hall in the
world. and it is chiefly due 10 that fact
that Il is not the greatest legislative
body in the world. Visitors of distinc-
tion often come to its galleries prepared
to witness sympatheticaliy the proceed
ings of the great representative body
of the American people, and, seeing
nothing but chaos and confusion, they
which are not complimentary to the
House. Thousands of American citi-
zens who come to Washington carry
with them 30 their homes a similar i'm
preston.
in extreme dimensions the hall of
the House, including the galleries. is
now 139 feet long. SO feet wide and Sc
feet high. and the floor of the hall is
ll3 feet long by 20 feet in width. 1t is
proposed to reduce this to rs feet by
60. or one and one-half times the size
of the House of Commons. The cutoff
space at either end of the hall would
be utilized as lounging and writing
rooms for members. The changes. IL
they are determined upon, will be so
made that the old order can be re-
turned to after the long session if de-
sired
Here is the way they sometimes get
around using that unparliamentary lit
tie word "i-r" in Congress, and vet
say il two or three times over
Mr.. Fowler, of Indiana, to Mr. Bur-
ton, OF Ohio-What you said the other
day when you said that / was opposed
to my bill was false, and you must have
known il.
Mr.. Burton Gin effecD-You said in
the presence of the Banking Commit
tee that you were not now in favor of
your bill You never made an effort to
get your bill before the House.
Mr.. FOwler-I Will state that that
also is untrue.
Mr.. BurtOn-There are some mem
| bers of this House who if they should
| make the accusation made by the gem
tleman from New Jersey would cause
me extreme sensitiveness, but in this
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