The Washington herald., 1909-02-14
POWER THAT RESTS
INSPEAKER'S STANDS
What Makes Legislation Diff
ficult in Lower House.
RULES ARE SHORT AND SIMPLE
But in Action They Are compH-
Gated Machinery that Few Members
Of Congress Ever Master-HOw Bills
Are Passed, and How Practices Are
Superior 10 written Rules.

Victor Murdoc< IN the Kausas City Star.
Standing al the Speakers side IN the
House Of Representatives Is the Speakers
parliamentary clerk often as the Speak
er is pronouncing a decision, the lips
Of the parliamentary clerk may be seen
moving. No one except the Speaker
hears what the clerk IS saying But the
Speaker hears him and is repeating to
the House what the clerk whispers.
Now. the rules Of the House are short
and simple enough their vital portions
wouldn't occupy two columns OF a news
paper However. the rulings. precedents.
practices. and hair-splitting definitions
which have grown out Of these simple
rules fll eight great volumes. each as
/ large as an unabridged dictionary. There
are Se1 members Of Congress. and il can
be declared here with freedom from con-
tradlction that 80 Of these DO not know
the rules and that only one man on earth.
the Speakers parliamentary clek. knows
/ the practices Of the House under the
rules.
What interest have the American peo-
! pie in this situati0R2 They have this
I interest. that under the rules and their
administration the House cannot he ex-
/ peditiousiy responsive TO public opinion
I The agitation for railroad rate regula-
ton. for instance. grew 10 white heat be-
/ VI ssuodssI eAlBlstSsI ulIM l9u II sJoI
I the House OF Representatives. This was,
I in a measure. true also of the pure food
law, the employers liability law. and the
en-hours-of-service enactment It Is
true to-day Of other legislatiOn-as in
/ junction and postal savings bank enact
ments
Fail to Get Action
The entire Committee on Banking and
majority Of the House have been for
eighteen months genuinely IN favor Of
actual currency reorganization Any
initiative. either on the part of the House
or Of the committee. has been fatty
smotherd, and ali the House orgsniza-
ton has offered Is a measure such az the
Observation-Disclosures bin. a sorry patch
work passed in the House finally with
such haste that the last draft Of the bin
was not in the hands Of the members un-
I'll the clerk had already read a portion
OF the measure. and containing provi-
sions 50 crudely drawn that every one.
proponents as well as opponents. would
dread 70 see the act IN use
There is quite a general demand over
the country for a law giving jurisdiction
10 state police power over interstate
liquor packages I believe a majority Of
Congress would vote for this measure.
But the committee 20 which il was re-
ferred VIII not report IL. II Is claimed
that a majority of the committee hold Il
TO be unconstitutional. Let the committee
then report IL adversely and pass il up
u the House itself To decide No such
thing viii be done. There are no adverse
reports in Congress They would weaken
the control Of the Speaker
Gives Cannon His FOwer.
The American people ought 20 be IN
terested IN these rules. II the rules rob
them OF representation Speaker Cannon
has power under them. the individual
member has not Speaker Cannon IS rep
resenung the people Of S91 districts. he
is responsible 70 one district only-the
DanvlHe 0iiD district-his own He
exercises this power and escapes respou-
sIbility in so districts under the rules
Now the men who support the Speaker
and his inordinate power meet all criti-
are wrong. give one concrete suggestion
Of a practical change
What. then. is the remedy? Ii is three
fold First. 70 take away from the
Speaker the power of fnquisitorizl recog-
nitiOn-that is. the power Of passing upon
the purpose Of n members request for
recognition when the member IS in order.
Second. 10 take away from the Speaker
the power which comes with the ap-
pointnent Of committees Third. &c give
to the House itself power over its bust
ness.
At present in practice the Speaker may
say 20 q member who has obtained recos-
milton, when The member IS IN order and
has made his motion, The gentleman is
not recognized for that purpose"
BY his appointment Of committees the (
Speaker has built a vast machine which
he controls and which controls members. I
Under the existing system the Speaker Z
dictates what business the House shall
transact and what it shall not
The power Of recognition Is apparent
There IS no difficulty in comprehending I
the influence that comes 10 the Speaker /
through his appointment Of committees /
But mis- power over business should be /
explained here.
Oh, It's Easy for the Speaker.
Let us take the newly elected Con
gresham Naturally he at once becomes (
a student OF House procedure. After F..
three months painstaking observation. he I
decides that simple observation reveals (
nothing. for he understands nothing. The !
rules are then sought They are short. 4
plain. and the soul Of simplicity. He may
even so 20 the point Of learning them BY I
heart He then discovers to his dism ay. /
that nine times out Of ten. when the 1
House does anything, It IS by suspend /
ing the rules violating them by a grant /
Of unanimous consent. or by bringing I
in for the occasion brand new rule
II the member has learned the rules 4
by heart, he throws them aside as use
less and forgets them. and II is only 4
when he attemps to do something that 1
he begins 10 learn. not the rules. but the /
practices Of the House. The most CON
mon discovery Is made through the in /
PRODUCTION Of bill relating to some 10 i
cal matter such as the construction OF a 4
bridge over a navigable river. When the +
bill has been reported out OF the COM 4
mittee it goes 70 calendar and the in 1
terested member finds that there are /
three ways. theoretically, in which It can .
be taken of the calendar and passed /
He can ask the Speaker to recognize /
him for unanimous consent 60 pass the I
bill
Not Part of the Rules.
Unanimous consent is not part Of the