The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1911-08-11
FLOOR PRIVILEGE
Congress Guards It jealousy In
Both Houses.
RARELY USED IN THE SENATE

rormer Wempefs OF tnat booyr WUuo
Free to Attend It's Sessions, Prefer
to shun the Scene Of Their solonio
Efforts--A Story Of Evarts.
What Is known as "the privilege Of
the floor in congress Is the right to
60 upon the floor of the senate or
house when either body Is in session.
Although the right to 60 upon the
floor of legislative body Ia not so ex.
elusive a privilege In some OF the state
legislatures. 1t Is q great privilege and
an exclusive one In congress. The
doors are carefully guarded while con-
gress IL in session. and It Is sometimes
exceedingly difficult to have access to
senators or Representatives when pub
lie business Is being done.
Senators and representatives have no
regular or rigid rule on the subject,
but 1t Is known In Washington that
the statesmen feel that their constit-
uents or others who desire to see them
privately should endeavor to do so In
their Offices. their committee rooms or
at their residences.
To former members of the senate and
house "the privilege of the floor" is
| given, but they do not often avail
themselves of that right. This. how
ever. Is in strong contrast to the Gus
toms of twenty years ago and longer.
when It WAS not uncommon to see for
mer members moving about on the
| floor of the house when It was no
| toriously known that they were lobby
ing for some private claim or public
graft
Speaker Reed found this condition so
obnoxious that he issued orders that
no ex-members should be permitted to
pass the doorkeepers without written
authority from the speaker. Subse-
quent speakers have not found 1t nee
essary to draw the lines 80 rigidly,
because the abuse has almost entirely
ceased.
There is an unwritten law, however.
governing the privilege of the floor Of
the senate, and 1t is the unwritten
law of good breeding. good manners
and common sense. Every ex-senator
has the privilege of the floor, but it is
so seldom exercised that its abuse has
never occurred. nor is 1t ever likely to
occur.
; Former members Of the senate are
never seen there unless 1t is well
known that they have proper business
calling them to Washington, such as
appearing before the supreme court as
attorneys for clients in great cases.
and even then 1t seldom happens that
an ex-senator thus engaged ever en-
tiers upon the senate floor. although in
going to and from the room of the
supreme court they are obliged to pass
by its doors.
After James G. Blaine ceased to be
a senator he avoided the senate cham
Der forever. After resigning from that
body Senator Roscoe Conkling Of New
York never entered the senate cham
Der, although be was often in the
capitol on business before the supreme
court There was an exception, how
ever. in one instance. By invitation
he was one of the pallbearers of Sena-
tor Logan of Illinois, who was buried
with obsequies from the senate cham
Der. and on that occasion Senator
Conkling was present Senator Benja.
min Harrison upon leaving the SEN
ate never crossed its threshold until
he went there to be inaugurated as
president Senator Dawes of Massa-
chusetts, Senator Blair Of New Hamp'
shire, Senator Don Cameron of Penn
sylvania, Senator Thurman of Ohio and
Senator Mcdonald of Indiana are ex-
amples of distinguished senators who
remained away from the senate after
their terms expired. Durins the pc
Rod of four years when he was in re-
tirement Senator German Of Mary
land never availed himself Of the
privilege Of the floor, and during the
two years he was without election
Senator Quay OF Pennsylvania abb
sented himself from the senate cham
Der.
From a veteran employee Of the sen
ate there is cleaned an unusually in
teresting story concerning the late
Senator Evarts of New York. This
senator was one Of the greatest intel
lects in public life for many years.
but he was absentminded in small
things. On one occasion he overlook
ed the rule about the privilege of the
floor. He was entertaining DR.. Oliver
Wendell Holmes at his Washington
home and invited his guest to accom-
pany him to the capitol. Together
they walked along the capitol corridor.
and when they came to the door OF
the senate they entered together.
There was copy OF the senate rules
on each side of the doors, but Senator
Evarts did not look at them. nor. of
course. did his guest The doorkeep-