The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-02-06

districts all over the United States,
whose terms We're limited to two years.
In reality, there was "a recail-if d Repre-
sentative were satisfactory. he could be
returned by his constituents, if he were
not satisfactory. he could be retired from
Congress at the end of his term. The
/ Speaker. elected by the members, was
( TO preserve order and decorUm and sign
all acts, addresses. joint resolutions,
writs. warrants, and subpoenas issued
by the order of the House. He was to
be the servant of the House, YOU see, and
not It's master
Must BE Recognized.
Formerly, the rules provided that
when any member desires to speak or
I deliver any matter 70 the House. he shall
/ rise and respectfully address himself to
4 Mr.. Speaker Later. the three words,
/ 'on being recognized were added to
the rules and power was thus trans
ferred from the floor to the Speaker.
/ A member could stand up, but he was
compelled to state his business be
/ fore getting the recognition that per-
mitted him to proceed under the rules
newly created. For what purpose does
the gentleman arise?' the Speaker since
then has asked. The member. supposed
to be the representative Of 100000 Ameri-
cans. becomes a mere petitioner by the
/. inquiry Of the Speaker. His rights have
vanished He states his business and is
then denied the floor or allowed TO pro-
coed by the whim, prejudice. or favor OF
the member from Danville, H.
Theoretically, control goes up from the
floor 10 the chair; practically. it goes
down from the chair TO the floor until
the members are mere automatOns, d.
vested Of all authority and Of their con-
stitutionaI character as the makers of
the nations laws. Publicly, i'm the hall
of the House. open to the view of the
world in the galleries, the Speaker de-
cides whether a member may talk OF
shall keep silent. Privately. in his power
of appointing the standing committees
he controls the unseen business of the
House and the very lives of the members
themselves.
Power in One Man.
Representatives who dare TO act in.
dependently in the meetings Of theiI
committees are reported to the Speaker
and are punished-they suddenly discover
their inability to accomplish anything
whatever. that the curse of the chair ha.
shut them away from all opportunity
and thus the Speaker controls them in.
dividually and collectively. Joseph G
Cannon was sent to Congress by the peo-
pie of Danville. but he is the whole
House of Representatives. II the Speaker
is to take unto himself the rights anC
privileges Of the $50 other Congressional
districts in the country, then I say h,
should be elected by the nation and no
by handful of people along the border
of Indiana, in Eastern Illinois,"
What is the common practice"
asked. when a member has a matter o.
business that is of Importance to hi
district"
IF he is not under a boycott of Tn,
organization. he respectfully goes to tn,
chairman OF his committee and solicit,
his kind Offices. Ordinarily, the chairman
takes him to the Speaker. who hears an,
, decides the case while he sits at hI
, desk in his private Office. The chairmel
of the various committees are the mino
!, bosses Of the House organization; the,
/ are also vigilant watchmen on the wall
and report all the signs they see OF in
$ subOrdnation and independence"
/ All Rubbish About Power.
"But." I said, Speaker Cannon has re
{ peatedly declared that majority OF III
members OF the House can do anything