Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-20
The speakership Here and Abroad.

the lower mousse OF congress- out also
in the corresponding body of our
state legislatures, has become more
and more of political leader,
while abroad the tendency has
been in the opposite direction
to make the speaker merely
moderator or presiding officer with
parliamentary rules and accord Impair
tial recognition to all claimants for It.
Some people profess to see in the
present reaction against what is called
speakership despotism, a movement to-
ward divesting the office of its politi-
cal character. 1t just happens that the
American correspondent of the British
magazine, known as The National Re
view, refers in an interesting way to
this feature. of our congressional stu
alton in the current number, drawing
the contrast in these words:
Unconsciously a sentiment has been
growing during the last few years in favor
Of reform in parliamentary procedure,
tion of the speaker was to be the servant
and not the master of the house. The ex-
ample Of England is contagious. Men turn
to England and see the speaker there
simply a presiding officer sitting over the
deliberations of the house with judicial
impartiality, and wish that their speaker
might be equally removed from the in
fuence of partisan politics. Such a thing
is not possible here at present for the
speaker is always a shining mark; no
house with a democratic majority would
| accept a republican as speaker, and vice
versa no political party would consent
to the return unopposed of the occupant
of the chair. 1t must be many years be-
fore a reform can be instituted that would
add to the dignity of the house and pro-
mote the welfare of the country, but a
beginning has at least been made Revo-
lutions do not always succeed, but they
never go backward. Reform sometimes
halts but its progress is never blocked.
The speaker has been snorn of some of
his power, and the next congress will in
all probability still further restrict his au-
thortty. When the speaker is no longer
able to name his committees, which Is
what the advocates of parliamentary pro-
| cedure are striving for, very substantial
progress will have been made to restore
to the house the real conduct of legisla-
tion instead Of entrustinE it to the speaker.
But one other thing must not be
overlooked and that is the essential
ernment of Great Britain and the
presidential government of the United
States, whereby the responsible minis
try has seats in Parliament with all
the powers of initiating bills and pilot
ing them through the mazes of legis-
lation, while our president and cabinet
officers can only make recommenda-
tions and work through friendly sena-
tors and representatives who have
their own constituencies to answer to.
The speakership in the House of
Commons is not a political office, be-
cause the leadership of the majority
party is assumed by the ministry, while
in this country, the speaker is chosen
to his office, both in congress and in
legislatures, for the very reason that
he is the natural commander of the
dominant political forces. If the
speaker in congress were deprived
of his political functions exercised
through the appointment of commit
tees, membership in the house rules
committee and the privilege of accord
ing precedence by recognition on the
floor, then the duties of leadership
must devolve upon someone without
Official position, such as floor leader,
party whip, or caucus chairman
chosen by the responsible majority.
This is now done by the minority. the
designation taking the form of com
plimentary vote cast for speaker at the
! beginning of the session, which com
pliment materializes into an election
! to the speakership, in the event the
minority becomes transformed into
majority.
Strictly speaking, nothing in the
constitution would prevent congress
| from choosing a speaker from entirely
outside its. own membership just as it
chooses its other officers, and this
might be the easiest method of divest-
ing the speaker of his political func-
tions, but the practice has always been
the other way II is possible that we are
| heading toward the British and Euro
| pean conception of the speakership,
but if II we're put to popular vote to-
day the choice would still be sure to
favor the American type of speaker
rather than the British type of speaker.
The late DR.. Louis Klopsch is said
TO have collected through his Christian