Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-07-24

Viii OF Tue peOp'0 SutOu6o soSAA sePAv
sentat ives. for it can defeat any meas
urs or any person BY merely declin-
ing to appropriate the money necessary
b pay for that measure or person
When this great committee on ways
and means presents its business to the
house Of representatives and the house
goes into committee Of the whole
house on the state Of the Union D
assemblage al once resolves itself into
4 body a. absolutely democratic a. the
Saxon Witenagemoe or the New Eng.
land town meeting. Every symbol OF
q popular assemblags u rsligiously OBJ
served. The speaker leaves the chair.
and q chairman u elected who u not
The speaker. Not even % much - the
prestige OF the regular presiding officer
10 allowed to hamper the freedom OF
debate. The speaker goes down to the
door and has no more privileges than
the most obscure member Of the house.
The mace, the emblem Of authority.
= put under the speakers table to
show that the house celebrates With
out interference from anybody. The
mace u really a weapon. q stout wood.
On stick with a metal head. and used
70 DO the favorite weapon Of lighting
priests Of the middle ages. They were
forbidden by e~cclesiastcal law to use
swords. but got around the law By
using the mace. q terrible weapon.
against the armored men Of the TINA.
In the choice Of the mace a. tho typs
OF authority the idea Of democracy
was rigtdly carried out. In the early
days only a few men out Of the whole
were authorized to wear swords, but
any and all Of the people could use q
good stout stick. and 80 the weapon
Of their m~ajesties the people was
chosen. When the speaker prestdes
and any members show signs Of in
dulgtng In fisticuffs and viii not obey
the speakers gavel the sergeant-at-
arms or bis deputy 10 directed to "show
the mace" That functionary seizes
the mace and marches up to the offend
ing members, who r supposed to be
awed into good behavior at sight Of
this big stick.
Not long ago. when two members got
into q row and It seemed a. II blows
were about to be exchanged, the
speaker promptly ordered the sergeant
alarms to show them the mace. The
sergeant took the mace. marched up to
the two belligerents and stood, IA
In hand. majesttcally. before them.
This, however, had not the slightest
effect, and the sergeant-at-arms anx.
tously inquired OF a member sitting
next. "What am ] to do with the mace
nowr'
TO which the member responded In q
stage whisper. peck 'em on the head
with til"
This suggestion brought down the
house, and a roar of laughter and ap-
plause followed. In which wen the
b~elligerents were obliged to join.
In general. however. before the mace
eau be shown. the members rush In
and separate men whose tempers have
got the better OF them. who have ex.
! changed the lie or the blow that always
follows. Members engaging in these
rows are always called before the bar
OF the house and sternly reprtmanded
BY the speaker. who talks like q Dutch
uncle to them and calls them BY name.
This naming b the only time a mem.
bers name Is used In debate. he is al
other times ''the member from So-and
co. or the gentleman from So-and-so."
These collisions rarely. IL ever, occur
between members anywhere except on
the door OF the house. Everything u
permitted In the freedom of debate.
nor 10 q member held accountable ont
side for anything he may say on the
door. Through this freedom Of speech
members say things they would not
dare to utter elsewhere. In the old
days duels followed the exchange OF
the lie. and the Graves-Cilley duel. the
John Randolph and Henry Clay duet
and many historical encounters took
place. But IN the evolution sof govern.
ment the principle became firmly 6xed
that there must be absolute freedom
OF debate aud that no man could be
beld responsible outside for anything
said on the door OF either house. And
20 the dueling practice was dropped 10
congress tong before public sentiment
abolished It elsewhere. No libel suit
holds for anything said in open debate.
ana In every way the freedom Of
speech = jealously guarded ana main.
tained.-Chicago Record-Hsrald