Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-07-08
HOW CONGRESS
WORKS in SUMMER
Senator's Try to Adopt Them
selves to ToPPid Heat of
Washington.

WASHINGTON, d. c., July g.
There may be places In the prece
dents where one could find proof t.
substantiate the statement that black
is black-but then, there's still an.
other precedent that shows thai
white is black. Its all according to
how the Speaker wants things done
The precedents of the house in
clude every parliamentary ruling and
a brief resume of every parliament
airy Interpretation of the rules of the
house since the time of the first
speaker. Asher C. Kinds, who col
lected and wrote the eight volumes,
spent thirteen years at the task. Ash
er Kinds, by the way, is the pilot who
sits at Uncle Joe's" right hand and
guides him through the stormy seas
of parliamentary trouble. He is the
foremost authority on legislative law
and practice in the country. If the
speaker wants to do something-no
matter if that something is frowned
upon as not in order in the rules of
the house-he consults with Asher
Kinds, and Kinds finds a precedent
TO apply, effectually showing that a
parallel case occurred in, well, 1882,
wherein the then speaker rules as
follows: Etc.-which ruling is just
what the present speaker proceeds
to make. Hes fortified behind the
precedents. No one can hope to get
the better of the precedents, unless
by an appeal from the chairs de-
eision, and whenever this occurs it
always means party vote, wherein
the republicans rally to the speakers
support, and effectually snow under
the democrats.
Vic" Murdoch, who is the head of
the republican insurgents" agains;
the present house rules, admits that
the real solution of the problem is
the presidents. He agrees that the
rules don't amount to shucks when
II comes to the presidents. Its those
eight volumes that worry everybody
there's so much uncertainty as TO
Just how they are to be read-whC-
ther black is to be black, or black
white. Murdoch is insurging around
against the precedents even more
Enormously than against the rules.
he thinks the time has come for a
new deal and a clean deck, where
previous discards don't count. He
wants new set of rules formulated.
Ihen he would cart the eight vol
anes OF presidents to the ash heap.
me rules have been several times
amended since the congress was or
sahized, but the same old presidents
sui govern. The speaker raked one
~ the other day bearing the date of
FEBRUARY 10, 1S37-before Gear
need was even thought of and before
ae famous Reed rules under
winch the house is now supposed to
governed were ever projected.
WIN the aid Of that relic OF 1897,
saO one dated January 2s, 1s47.
speaker Cannon ruled out a certain
documentary proceeding to which
as and the other republican leaders
objected.
NOBODY appealed because II was
uemocrat who fought for the par
-4aehtary proceeding. and every
IVY realized that a minority mem
vi had about as much chance of
s''esstUlly carrying an appeal from
: enair's decision as a bali of snow
sOaid have on one Of Mephistoph-
e'es stove lids.
speaker Cannon may be the Iron
Of American Politics" and
-e more-but the real ruler OF the
hguratively and actually the
saef behind the throne, and the
eOo Of Things as the Speaker
aus Them to be. is Asher Kinds
nodating tome of preeedents.
'-r'u making and hot weather do
make good bed fellows. Wash