The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-01-22
ORGANIZATION OF
THE LOWER HOUSE
Is Thing that Most Interests
the Visitors to Nation
al Capitol.
ASK TO SEE LEADERS
Leaders" Are Numerous,
One for Each Important
Bill to Be Heard.

Washington, Jan. 21.-Visitors to
the galleries of the house of represea-
tatives often puzzle the guides to have
pointed out to them the Republican
leaders, and the question invariably
leads to a discussion. Newspaper
correspondents frequently preface
their stories by saying 1.-The leaders"
have agreed on this or that legislative
program, without naming the leaders.
That there are leaders is unquestiona-
BILE. bat there, is generally but one
leader in charge of an important bill.
AS matter of fact, the Speaker Of
the house is the recognized leader of
his party. and he finds way to make
his leadership effective. This is the
speaker of the house has had this pre-
negative not only questioned, but on
several occasions greatly curtailed 1t
was the speakers leadership that
brought about the issue of Cannon
ism" which proved SO disastrous to
many Republicans in the November ell
ection, and made prominent the de-
mand for committee on committees,
which threatened to give the Demo
crat in the next house all kinds of
trouble
Next In Importance
Next to the speaker the most impor-
tant member on the floor is the chair
man of the ways and means commit
tee. In this congress he is Represen-
tative Payne. of New York. He is the
member Of the house to make the mo-
ton to adjourn at the close of the
days session. He is the one who says
whether or not the house will do bus
mess in the early days of the session
when the legislative program is being
arranged. Chairman Payne is always
in his seat when the session opens,
and is present when the house is
ready to adjourn. OF course, there are
exceptions to this rule, when budgets
from the severa: committees have
been reported and are up for consider.
alton. Then the leadership spreads
out, so to speak. and the honor is
passed along the line.
The ways and means committee is
charged with all legislation having for
it's purpose the raising of revenue by
imports and internal taxation. 1t is
a privileged committee, and always has
the right of way, except when the ell
ection committees have contested ell
ection cases to report. These commit
tees. of which there are three, are of
the highest privilege because they
have charges of cases affecting the
right of members, and can get the
floor at any time. The next commit
tee in importance is that of rules.
which formulates the legislation and
its chairman, Representative John
Dalzell, of Pennsylvania, takes the
leadership whenever he has a report
to make
Methou Of Procedure
Special orders are reported from the
rules committee under which measur-
es are considered out of their order,
thereby giving them the right of way.
All of the most important bills report
ed from committees, such as the tariff
bill. the postal savings bill, the omni-
bus public building bill, all bills that
are provocative of long debate, are
brought up under special orders from
the rules committee. 1t was the i'm
mense power, exercised by the rules
committee which prompted the insur-
gents fight on Speaker Cannon, which