Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-15
SLOWS CONGRESS-
New Office Building Has Effect
of Making it Harder to
Keep Quorum.
COMMITTEES HOLD MANY
Members Will Spend Much Time in
Their Offices Instead of at
Desks on the Floor

| There is llttIe doubt that the grip VI
"the committee system" on legislation
will be strengthened in the lower
branch of congress by the recently
completed Office building of the hous,
of representatives, says specie.
| Washington correspondent of the New
York Post. The influence which this
building is to have upon the daily at
tendance Of the house is already ap.
parent. From this time forward il
may prove difficult to maintain a quo.
rum and work on the floor will be con
fined TO even fewer men than hereto
fore.
1t is twenty years since James Bryce
pointed out what he conceived to be a
weakness Of the American system OF
legislation in the house. The influence
of the standing committee has grown
since Mr.. Bryce's criticism of 1888 In
The American Commonwealth" and
We're he rewriting that work today
there is little doubt that he would cite
the location of the office quarters of
representatives as one reason why
members generally do not take a great
er interest in the proceedings on the
floor
Lack of space in the capitol building
made it impossible TO supply more than
limited number of members with Of
fee rooms. There are now sixty-one
committees of the house, and the chair.
man of each of these committees has
had one or two rooms in the capitol
for office purposes. The new Office
building was completed few days
ago, and now each member has d;
least one room. Many of the standing
committees have been transferred
from the capitol TO the Office building
and probably not to exceed thirty com
mitteeS will have quarters in the CAPT
tol. 1t is a walk of nearly five minutes
from the floor of the house to the Office
building
The new member finds out that the
measure under consideration has been
discussed at great length III the com
mittee which reported it. 1t comes to
the house accompanied by an elabo-
rate report in which its merits or deg
merits are set out at great length. Pos
sibly hearings on it have been held
and those most interested given q
chance 10 speak their minds for OF
against it. The anxious listener, fresh
from his constituents and determined
to let nothing slip through that will be
inimical to the people of his district.
discovers that the members of the
!, committee that reported the bill are in
a sense specialists of the problem with
which it deals. He learns that in de-
Tending or opposing 1t these members
of the committee will be probably the
only ones entitled to speak. Unless il
is subject that specially interests
, him or has direct bearing upon some
: industry or thing in his district he will
: conclude probably that he does not
care to remlt in for. the debate.
Bcginning of Indifference.
Thus his Indifference begins, and IL
the end he will be found spending lit
t tie time on the floor. He will he there
r of course, when the opposing cham
? | picns clash in debate on questions di
viding the parties. He will be there
: when his own committee is fighting tC
S sustain its report Probably he vii
D not be absent when a particular clause
in an appropriation bill in which his
: district is interested, is reached. He
= will he on hand when appropriation
: for rivers and harbOrs and public build
t ings are being made. At most Other
s times he will permit his associates Il
e see to it that the general public veal i:
e conserved
\ southern representative said re
Gently that the new office building
would enable him to do twice as mucl
' work as formerly. He had in mind the
t writing of letters and the sending o.
I documents and seeds to constituents
Many members who were always OF
hand at the opening hour now spenC
Il that hour In their rooms At / o'clocl
u they drift over to the capitol. If any
Ii thing of interest is up for discussion
they may remain, bNt usually thei
tt visit to the capitol is not to spend tim
/ on the floor, but to visit the house res
70 taurant
: Giving each representative an offic,
/ room has one advantage. 1t makes i
Il reasonably easy to locate the where
u abouts of Il representative. Hereto
10 fore whenever there was call of tn,
y house the sergeant at arms sent hi
!: men scurrying all over the city ii
/ search of the absentees. 1t was neces
&c sary for the house officials to know
ii something about the habits of each rep
reSentative, where he was accuStome,
u to loaf at particular hour, who hi
l. intimate friends were, etc. Now tina
/ every member has an Office It is likel
that it will be easier to round up tn
is absentees. If the missing representa-
e. tive is not in his room, it is more thai
ID likely his secretary will be able to in
dictate where he can be found. Thi
applies not only to the house officials
.l but to. others who are anxious to Sc