The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-25
STENOGRAPHERS
 MUST BE ALERT Some Gossip About Ways at
 At the Capital WORK IN THE HOUSE  Stranger Unable To Make Heads or Tails of It Because of the :,
 Apparent Constant
 Confusion .s#
WORK IN THE HOUSE
BY WALTER HARPER.

Washington, June 24-(Special. )--I never appreciated the value of stenog- 1 raphy so much as have since I came to Washington and had an opportunity 1 to watch the method of reporting the proceedings of Congress.
 Clever young men, middle aged men, some old men and some with bald heads, some that are tinged with gray, dart hlther and thither about the hall while Congress, is in action catching every word that Is spoken.
 This work is specially interesting in the House, where there is more or less confusion. The reporter must get close to the speaker and stay close to him though he may move from one place Ito another and Is sometimes almost l smothered with oyer-eager listeners who leave their seats to get closer to him and out of the hearing of other members who are not interested in the speech and are busy discussing their own affairs without seeming respect for the man who is trying to talk. But thesspeaker never seems to mind the confusion and the fact that some times he has only one or two listeners. He knows that through the young man lodging around in front of him with busy fingers and a keen pencil he is l talking to the thousands of his constitu- ents at home.
 l He may have no hope of changing a vote. He knows that his argument at times is useless but he knows that his constituents at home are listening and | xya tpb n hui that the 300 other members of the house are hanging eagerly on every word he utters.
 Take. for instance, the 10 or 12 days consumed In the Hosse in the open dis cussion of the wooden schedule or Schedule K. Everybody knew at the beginning of the discussion what the | final result would be-
 MT. Underwood might have made short address, outlining the object and substance of the bill, and MT. Mann, the leader of the minority might have made his short speech defining the position of the republicans, protective tariff op- position and closed debate. The vote would have been practically as 1t was at the end of the 10 days discussion.
 But MT. Underwood was liberal. He realized that the republican members, as well as the democrats, wanted to go on record with their speeches and | they. were given all the time they wanted. They spoke and spoke until they were red in the face and their col lars wilted.
 When the bill was put under the five l n1ipufa r1la 0urobar of aroan pte were offered by the republicans They were promptly voted down. The men who offering them knew that they would be but they got in the record and the people at home will applaud.
 If debate Is limited in some instances and there are a number of ambitious members with speeches under their arms or in their pockets leave to print is usually given and while the house is relieved of the burden of having to sweat through the long orations the speech goes into the record and the dear people at home get 1t, applause marks and all.
 l The stranger in Washington look l ing down on the House in action is be- wildered and amazed. He cannot make heads or tails to the confusion until the | neWness wears off a little. If a large | part of the members are present they are never still 1t makes but little diff | ference who Is speaking or what the | business is before the House. Some times the confusion is so great that l not one word can be understood from | the gallery. The resounding bang of | the speakers gavel, with his repeated | calls that "The House will be in or | der" is effective In getting peace for a | few minutes, but it does not last much l longer than 1t takes for the speaker to | take his seat.
 Uncle Joe Cannon delights in rising | slowly from his seat In the midst of | such confusion and with that quizzical smile that no other man can smile so perfectly, and make the point that the House is not in order"
 By the way, Uncle Joe Is the most picturesque political character in the Congress and he never fails to engage the visitors attention and interest. His remarks are always pointed slow, de- liberate, usually witty and when he subsidies to his seat 1t Is with an air of Well, you rascals will have your own