The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-01-27
ANCIENT UTENSILS IN USE
AT NATIONAL CAPITAL

Washington, San. 24.-They have
SNUFF boxes on the senate side, they
have quill pens and sand for plotting
in the supreme court room, and now
the house of representatives has fall
en- back on the ancient sand glass as
a means for telling time.
The sand glass is not exclusively
used to tell time in the house; it is
only utilized as an aid to the presld-
ing officer in apportioning time for
speeches under the so-called five
minute rule" of the house.
The glass was made to order by
specifications furnished by Asher C.
Kinds, whose real job as parlimen-
tartan is concealed under the title of
clerk at the speakers table" 1t
consists Of two long glass tubes,
nearly foot and half in length,
each one of which is a five-minute
glass. They are on opposite sides Of
a brass standard, and may be re-
Versed when the sand has run into
one end, by turning a knob in the
center. The sand, which runs from
one end of the tube to the other, is
black. The background for the tubes
is white enamel, SO that a congress-
man who has good eyesight may see
just how fast the sand is running
out from any place on the floor with
in fifty feet of the speakers ros-
trum. The presiding officer looks at
the tube which faces him.
During the consideration of all ap-
preparation measures in COMMITTEE
of the whole house on the state of
the union," amendments are permit
ted under the fve-minute rule-that
is, each prepayment of an amendment
is granted five minutes in which to
speak in favor of the proposed
change. Heretofore special clock
was used by the presiding officer
the chairman of the committee of
the whole house, as he is officially
called-to keep tab on these five
minute speeches. But there have al
ways been complaints of discrimin-
alton by the presiding officer, and
even the most careful chairman
sometimes forgets to note the exact
time at which a speaker begins his
talk under the five minute rule, and
has to guess the time.
Very few members can accurately
estimate five minutes and when
most of them get warmed I'D to
their subject very few can complete
their argument within the specified
time. If they had some means of
ascertaining how fast their time was
being consumed they would probab-
ly be able to finish. No member can
now complain of being Disseminated
against, and the thin line of black
sand is mute warning that .'tempus
fugit.''
The glass was first tried out a few
days ago during consideration of the
Moon bill to revise, amend and cod
ify the laws relating to the judiciary
Rep. Olmsted Republican, Pennsyl-
vania) was chairman of the commit.
tee of the whole and expressed salts.
faction at the operation of the new
scheme. To Representative Garrett
! democrat. Tennessee) whose five
minutes of time had expired, he de.
| clared, The sands of time have run
against the gentleman" in lieu OF
the time-honored formula, "The gen.
tleman's time has expired"
Representative Butler Republican
Pennsylvania suggested to Speaker
! Cannon that the device could be i'm.
proved on by the attachment of 6
trigger which should fire off per
cussion cap at the expiration of five
minutes and thus save the voice o.
the presiding officer.