Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-01-01
Mr.. STILLMAN'S LETTER
INTERESTING ITEMS FROM WASHINGTON
CONCERNING CONGRESS.
Description Of "Scrap" on the Floor Of
the Senate. and Makeup Of Senate and
House Committees.

/ AooSS SvhAAASssSSSs
Washington, d. c., Dec. 80. -Spe.
clal correspondence Minority leader
Williams and his rival for that thank.
less job, Representative DeArmond,
OF the house, have contributed a
chapter to the rapidly enlarging vol.
ume entitled ''Scrapping Solons.
About once each session there must
be pulled off at one end of the Capitol
or the other, 'mill' of some sort,
either rough and tumble, knock
down-and-d -drag-out or hair-pulling
and face-scratching. y This session
probably there will be several, now
that the ice is broken and the first
bout pulled off before the holidays.
OF course the senate is due for the
next set-to, but the senate will pro-
badly not respond, although Bailey
and Tillman are apparently in mood
to take hand if provocation is forth
coming.
have personally witnessed scrap
in the senate and one in the house.
The latter was the set-to between
Bartlett of Georgia and Brumm of
Pennsylvania. which occurrt d about
eight years ago. OF course the "lie
was passed" (the "lie'' is nearly
always the provocation) by Brumm,
and Bartlett who was a dozen seats
distant. jumped to his feet, grabbed a
bound volume of the Congressional
Record and started for Brumm, racing
across the tops of the desks. He
hurled the book at Brumm but never
reached him. fortunately for Bartlett,
some of his colleagues pulling Bartlett
down. Brumm was massive figure
and would have made short work of
Bartlett, who is small man. This
occurred in open session and of course
both parties were compelled to make
apologies to the house.
The senate episode happened to
witness was the bout between Ti.lman
and his colleague, McLaurin. five OF
sig years ago. These men, represent.
ile the same state, were, at swords
points. although there had been nc
open hostilities up to that time. Till
man charged McLaurin who was then
absent from the chamber, with having
mi n vod NJ ho h dc nf< ho Io, :
in order to control the patronage OF
South Carolina. McLaurin was ad-
vised of the charge read Tillman S
words from the stenographer s extend
ed notes. and returned to the senate.
He was separated from Tillman by
Senator Teller who sat between them
At the first opportunity McLaurian
arose to question of personal privi,
lege and then denounced the charge
OF Tillman as deliberate and mali
cious lie.' AS the senator uttered
the word "lie" Tillman made lunge
for his colleague. forgetting and
ignoring the presence Of Teller who
was considerably roughed up in the
melee. Tillman and McLaurin
clinched as best they could amid
chairs and desks, but only for mo-
ment. The assistant sergeant-at. arms
rushed in and got between the comba-
tants. and Senator Warren. of Wyom-
ing. who is a giant in strength. grab
bed Tillman. who is himself large
man and jerked him out into the main
aisle as though he had been child.
That was the end of that scrap. Both
senators apologized, but it went
against the grain terribly for Tillman
to do this. and it looked for some time
as though he would not. 1t has been
several years since a fight has oc-
Cured in the senate.
The passing of the "lie" in the
house. inferentially, is quite common.
and Gaines, of Tennessee, has habit
of calling people liars quite indis-
criminately. but otherwise the use OF
the blunt word "lie" is not frequent
~ heard, and when it is used there is
something doing. The southern mem
bers will fight at the drop of the hat.
and size cuts no figure at all.
The Williams-DeArmond fight will
be felt throughout the session by the
minority. Both are able men with
many friends. and while the affair
will be smoothed over, outwardly. il
will be a source of constant division
that will make it hard and disagreea-
BILE for Williams, the minority leader.
The mace" is the emblem OF au-
thority in the house; the senate de.
pends wholly on the sergeant-at arms
and individual members in times OF
confusion or disregard Of orders. The
mace is painted cylinder of wood.
corrugated so as to resemble bundle
of rods. about three inches in diane
ter and perhaps three feet long
through which passes q rod terminal
ing at the upper in large battleaxe