Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-24
REARRANGING HOUSE
English Commons Bench Plan
to Be Adopted.
REPUBLICAN, CHIEFS AGREE
Chamber to Be Reduced and Cloak.
rooms Enlarged.
ALTERATIONS DURING SUMMER
Boutell Of Illinois to Take Charge.
Ease in Speaking and Elasticity
Of Accommodation Promised.

The republican leaders OF the House
have decided to enact the necessary legis-
lation at this session to provide for an
entire rearrangement of the chamber Of
the House of Representatives during the
summer recess. The chamber will be re-
duced in size by half and the desks and
big, comfortable chairs replaced by
benches on the order of the arrangement
in the British house of commons.
This is not the first time that propO-
sition to this effect has been considered,
but it is the first time that the leaders at
the House end of the Capitol have come to
unanimous agreement to put the
changes into effect. 1t is realized that
under the present basis of representation
at least. the House has not by any means
reached the limit of its growth, and it is
also generally admitted that some new
plans for the arrangement and accommo-
cations of members are absolutely impera-
tive. At present members complain that
even when the House Is reasonably quiet
they cannot, unless they have voices like
foghorns-which few of them possess
make themselves heard across the cham
ber.
Bench Plan Considered Best.
The seats in the House are all occu
pied under the present quota of member
ship and some new arrangement would be
necessary under the present system were
any additional members to come into the
body by the admission of new states or
by the rearrangement Of congressional
districts.
The House leaders think that the bench
plan is by far the best. This will not
only permit the chamber to be made about
half the size it is today, with accommo-
dations for all of the present members
and any reasonable addition of members
that might be admitted, but will greatly
increase cloakroom space.
AS 1t Is now, except when there is some
thing important up or when some ir-
repressible member of the William Bill
Sulzer type is tearing the atmosphere to
pieces, the chamber is virtually deserted.
And with benches in the cnamber-al-
though they are not as comfortable as the
individual easy chairs now prOvided-it is
thought that the hardship even on the
very thin members, would not be unen-
durable. There will be no restrictions on
sofa cushions
Any member. like Representative Cush-
man of Washington, for instance, who
would be likely to cut his initials on
bench every time he sat down, will be
permitted to carry all the sofa cushions,
air cushions and the like that they may
desire. And when there isn't anything i'm
portant going on and when some irrepres-
sible member Is not beating a colleague
over the head with verbal broomsticks,
they will be able to retire to a cloakroom
that Is a cloakroom an dthat will have the
lounging room Of the ordinary high-class
club backed off the map.
Luxurious Cloakrooms.
This Is one reason why even those
members of the House who are sticklers
for ease and comfort and luxury wherever
they sit down, are expected to favor the
bench idea. The new enlarged cloa hrooms
will be dreams of comfort and luxury
with big armchairs, thick carpets and
soft davenports that will accommodate
the tallest member of the House-even
Cy Sulloway of New Hampshire-on a
stretch.
Mr.. Boutell of Illinois, chairman of the
special committee which is investigating
the Lilley charges of submarine graft,
corruption, ETC., will put into shape the
plan Of the House leaders for the rear
rangement in question. He has given
some thought to the job already and will
tackle it in earnest as soon as he gets
through with Mr.. Lilley. The House
leaders are anxious to wind the matter up
this session, so they may come back at the
convening of the second session of the
Sixtieth Congress to the new American
house of commons.