The sun., 1908-02-02


No wonder Williams had TO make a sound
ing board Of his hand. The chief differ
enco between the noise In the House OF
Representatives and the noise In q sawmill
is tho fact that the mill makes its noise
because It is saving wood and the House
doesn't One man, even though he talks
&C the top Of his voice, Ia no match for q
couple Of hundred swapping jokes and
arguments In q conversational tone all
around him.
One source OF noise has beon done away
with OF recent years. Formerly the pages
m the House sat on the stspa OF the Speakers
platform. a. they still do in the Senate,
and q member summoned one by oiappinG
his hands sharply.
StrangeEs tn the galleries used 20 BE- star
tied. for instance. by an apparent burst Of
applause a. soon a. the chAplain's prayer
was finished. 10 wAs not really q tribute
to the reverend gentleman, but a call for
pages. Az the House grew larger and
ever notster this vas done away with. cleo
trio puSh nuttons were attached TO the
deaks and the pages were banished 10 the
cloak roomI whero the annunciaSor was
installed.
This caused q lot Of delay. 90 the pages
we're brought back TO the main hall and
placed in two corners where noIseless an
nunciators are in operation. When button
10 pressed at a deak the corresponding
number disk on the annunciator tairns .
reddish brown. The color gradually fades,
taking about thirty seconds 70 die out en-
tirely. So there 10 an end to hand clapping,
except for real applause.
The Representatives arc fairly generous
with this. Il Is q matter Of Democratic
duty TO applaud any member Of the minority
who gives the slightest excuse for IL. That
side Of the house always seems TO be saying:
Though We shout In vain; yet will we
ahoutl' When Q vote 10 taken and there
is an Indifferent humble Of ayes from the
Republican side and a violent explosion
OF noes from the Democrats, the gallery
novice is surprised TO hear Uncle Joe's
calm. singsong:
tho ayes seem 10 have IL. The ayes
have IT,
But whsn the novice has seen the divi-
sion Of the House upon call after few Of
these votes and has observed she number
Of Republicans which II took 20 make that
number Of ayes and has seen that volume
OF noes peter out TO astonishing thinness
he has more conndsnoe in the Speakers
aDluJy 10 size up vote
II Is an interesting thing. by the way.
to see the Speaker count q rising vote. He
turns hiS savel around, gripping IL by
its white marble head and using the foot
long slender wooden handle a. a pointer.
With his head forward. his eyes keen. his
lips moving. he indicates each man with
. peculiar motion Of the gavel 20 decided
and 90 exact that every member must know
by Watching that handle whether he is
counted or not.
His manner OF using the Gayel to main
tain order is peculiar 70 him too. He is left
handed, 90 that It 10 almost invariably with
that hand he grasps the handle. at its
extremity and rather loosely.
He stands a great deal when presiding,
and a. he lifts the gavel above his head Il
has a good long drop to tho green baize
cover OF his desk. Il falls with slow hang
-bang-banS. And when il does fall Il
produces an immediate effect.
When the House sits as a committee o
the whole, with somebody else in the
Speakers chair. 1t is amusing to watch the
struggles OF certain temporary chairmen.
There is one who begins banging the desk
before he is fairly seated, for he. like most
OF the temporary chairmen. sits down 20
the work that Uncle Joe stands up TO.
He bangs and then he calls for order
and then he bangs some more. Then no
scolds and pounds. singly and together
And with all the hullabaloo he makes he
can't get as much order an the Speaker
does with three OF those deliberate left
handlers.
But it keeps Uncle Joe's good left arm
pretty busy. The top Of the Speake
great marble desk. at least about four or
Ave feet Of the centre OF it. In covered with
a pine board, which, in turn, Is covered with
green baize. That board h already being
pounded to pieces.
II you should run your hand over the
worn spots on the baize " hich show where
the gAvel comes down you would feel not
only the dents in the wood underneath but
that Il is actually now in great slivers.
Before the end Of the session II will be a can
didate for the sawdust pile. Hardwood was
tried formerly instead Of pine. but II hurt
the Speakers hand too much and pine
has been used ever since
There is q worn spot on the bai1e at the
right end Of the desk where the temporary
chairmen do their pounding and the wood
there is yielding to their blows. IL is less
refractory than the House itself.
There is no detail which indicates more
vividly the difference between Senate and
House manners than tbis very matter Of
gavel welding. In the Senate that implc-
ment has no handle at all. Il is a mere
head. which the Vice-President holds in
his hand and with which he taps-taps.
mind you--on his desk. II the Speaker
tapped on the House desk the gods might
laugh. gallery and other varieties. Nobody
else would know anything about it,.
There is another interesting detail about
the Speakers equipment. His chair runs
on a track. Each rail Ia formed by two
parallel pieces Of brass slightly separated.
The ends Of the chair legs ht into these
spaces, two running on one track, two on
the other As Uncle Joe is up and down
fifty times day while presiding. this sliding
track Is very convenient
Among the things which always amuse
the gallery gods il the spectacle Of Repre-
sentative going through all the motions of
addressing the House while the House
shows not the slightest consciousness that
il is being addressed. The orator himself
doesn't seem to mind.
He IN in reality NOT talking IN tha Ho,,aa