The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-06-09
THE PRIVILEGE OF THE
FLOOR.

hltiouxn tne Ilgnt 10 go upon the
floor OF legislative body is not so ex-
elusive privilege in some State Legis-
lature, II is great privilege and an ex-
elusive one in Congress. The doors are
carefully guarded while Congress is in
session, and IT is some times exceed
ingly difficult to have access to the SEN
ators or Representatives when public
business IS being done.
Senators and Representative have no
regular or rigid rule on the subject; but
it is known in Washington that the
statesmen feel that their constituency or
others who desire TO see them privately
should endeavor to do so in in their
offices, their committee rooms, or al
their residences. While the Senate and
the House are in session, il is to be pre-
sumed that all Of the statesmen present
desire to attend to public business; and
and It is not regarded as exactly the right
thing to call them from public business
TO give ear to the desires or schemes of
individuals
1t has often happened that self seeking
persons have sat in the gallery OF the
Senate or House, and have seen their
congressman in their seats. and, upon
going to the doors and sending in their
cards, have been informed by the attend
ants that the objects of their search were
not in their places This has caused ac-
rimony and querulousness. But as a
matter of fact it takes from hve to ten
minutes to go from the gallery to one
OF the doors and get card carried into
the chamber by the messenger During
that time the statesman sought may have
gone to his committee room, or to the
building called the "Office Annex"
To the former members of the Senate
and the House of Representatives "the
privilege of the floor, is given, but they
do not often avail themselves of that
right This, however. is in strong CON
trast 10 the customs of twenty years ago,
and longer, when it was not uncom-
mon to see former members moving
about on the floor OF the House of
Representatives, when il was notoriously
known that they We're lobbying for some
private claim or public graft.
Speaker Reed found this condition so
obnoxious that he issued orders that no
members should be permitted to pass
the doorleepers without written author
! lty from the Speaker So rigidly did
| Speaker Reed cause that order to be
| enforced and so carefully did he look
into the motives of every ex.member who
applied for pass, that the lobbying GUS
tom was practically destroyed Suisse
! quent Speakers have not found it neces-
sary to draw the lines so rigidly, because
the abuse has almost entirely ceased.
ETIQUETTE IN THE SENATE.
There is an unwritten law, however,
governing the privilege of the floor of
! the Senate, and it 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 it ever likely to
occur
Former members of the Senate are
never seen there, unless it is well
! known that they have proper business
calling them to Washington, such as ap-
pearing before the Supreme Court as
attorneys for their clients in great cases;
and even then ii seldom happens that an
Ex-senator thus engaged ever enters
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 Chamber
forever. After reSIgning from that body
Senator Roscoe Conkling, of New York,
never entered the Senate Chamber.
although he was often in the Capital on
business before the Supreme Court
There was an exception, however, in one
instance. BY invitation he was one of
the pail bearers of Senator Logan, of
Illinois, who was buried with obsequeis
from the Senate Chamber, and on that
occasion Senator Conkling was present
Senator Benjamin Harrison, upon leav-
ing the Senate, never crossed its threSh-
old until he went there to be inaugurated
as President of the United States. SEN
ator Dawes, of Massachusetts, Senator
Blair, of New Hampshire, Senator Don
Cameron, of Pennsylvania, Senator
Thurman, of Ohio, Senator Mcdonald,
of Indiana, are all examples of distin-
gulShed Senators who have remained
away from the Senate after their terms
have expired During the period Of four
years, when he was in retirement, Sen
ator German, of Maryland, never availed
himself of the privilege of the floor. and
during the two years that he was without
election Senator QUAY, of Pennsylvania
absented himself from the Senate Cham
Der.
There was Senator of eminence and
renown, for long time President pro
teWbore of the enate who became an
Ex- Senator and renamed away from
the Senate in accordance with the unwrit-
ten law; but he made himself victim OF
self humiliation on one occasion, which
was pitilul. He did some newspaper
work on the occasion of a noted sporting
event. He should have known that
such an act would be resented by his
former colleagues; but one day he
entered the Senate Chamber when that
body was in session. He walked across
the floor, from the main entrance to the
east door-and not one Senator greeted
him or even noted his presence.
The late Senator Stewart, of Nevada,
when in his eighty-sixth year, several
times visited the Senate Chamber when
/ it was in session; but he was welcomed
! because of his age, venerable appear
ance, and a tendency to childishness.
SENATOR EvARTs' SECRETARY.
From veteran employee of the Senate
there is CLEANED an unusually interesting
story concerning the late Senator Evarts,
OF New York. This Senator was one
of the greatest intelects in public life
for many years; but he was absent
minded in small things. On one occas
ion he overlooked the rule about the
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