The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-07-28

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fQ IS the custom to speak OF IL
al, -Vf United States senate as the mo
wv VI dignifled legislative body in Il
wv m | world while occasions II
him & | house of representatives has bet
INW MN | described as a bear garden II
IDA1 NM senate is ordinarily dignifed d
him IA | Lucrative body, but nevertheless
\AAj is mistake to look upon the hou
of representatives in any way, e
cept on the rarest occasions, as
assembly given to disorderly pr
cedure There have been within the last fe
months many scenes of intense excitement
the house, times when personal political and ia
tional temper has run high and when there W;
the "high spirited excuse for scenes borderlI
on the tumultuous. In the main, however, throus
all the temper-trying times of the attempt
shear Speaker Cannon of his power, and dur
ing the intense moments of the debate on the
railroad bill, the members succeeded In holding
themselves in check, and in giving an exhibit
ton of self-restraint that was admirable. On
only few occasions within the space of sew
en- years that one correspondent has watched
proceedings In the house, have there been per-
sonal encounters on the floor between mem
bers In only one instance really could these
affairs be spoken of as personal encounters,
for in only one case were blows exchanged.
former minority leader of the house and
one of the leading members of his party, ex-
changed blows but the matter was a personal
one and not political one, and 1t might have
happened outside of the house as we'll as in
side. 1t was not brought about by the heat of
debate, but by long continued friction which
engendered heat enough to cause an explo-
sion while the house in session. One of
the parties to this physical encounter is now
dead, and the other, next March, will take his
seat in the senate of the United States Their
names probably will suggest themselves at
once.
There are many hot-headed members of the
lower house of congress, and some of these
''temperamental ones" are lenders in their re-
spective parties AS leaders, however. these
men long ago learned that If they were to
maintain leadership they must keep check
on their tongues and check on their birth
right willingness to enter a scrimmage.
The members of the house realize that men
laboring under excitement will say things that
they will be sorry for in a minute, and so fire.
quently, words that positively are insulting.
are overlooked by the offended member for
few minutes in order to give the offender
chance to get his faculties back and apologize.
If he does not apologize, though he generally
does, the one who feels himself aggrieved, has
his own way of securing retraction, either by
appeal to the house, direct appeal, some
times made in pretty sharp language, to the
member who has offended
One of the most exciting times in the house
of representatives in recent years was ver-
bal encounter between Representative Bourke
Cochran, Democrat, of New York city, and Rep
iresentative John Dalzell Republican, of Pitts
burg. Bourke Cochran is known as one of the
greatest orators of the United States, and John
,Dalzell is known as one of the ablest debaters
on the Republican side of the house of repre-
sentatives, a small man physically, but abso-
!Iutely fearless Dalzell is of the chief adj
vocates Of protection.
The New York member attacked the con-
Isistency of the Pittsburg member in a speech.
and said some things about the inconsistency
of the Republican party. To Dalzell, this
seemed to give the opportunity that he wanted
He stood on the floor of the house and &C
cused Cochran not only of inconsistency, but
practically of using his gift of oratory, first
to uphold one side of a question, and then to
uphold another, and the Pittsburg man did not
try to conceal the reasons which he thought
were responsible for the change of opinion and
the change of attitude on the part Of the man
whom he was crticizing.
In that speech against Cochran, Dalzell was
waspish. There the floor who
expected fully to see Cochran attack him, not
verbally, but physically. but the New Yorker
sat through the SPEECH and when it was ended
larose in his own place. The New Yorker con
tented himself with saying that if he were
guilty of the charges which the Republican
member had made against him, he was not fit
to stay in the house of representatives, and he
demanded that congress as a matter of per-
sonal privilege to him, should make an in
vestigation of his conduct, make report there
on, and If he were found guilty the fact should
be published to the country.
The house refused to take any action