Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1912-09-13
TALK IN CONGRESS-
Where Freedom Of Speech Is a
Right jealousy Guarded.
MIGHT OF THE LOWER HOUSE

the COMMITTEES Of the Whole.
The house Of Representatives OF tn,
people Of the United States, the great
demos, the source Of all power, the
basis upon which the great super
structure OF the government rests,
hates back to the Magma Charta, and
its immediate ancestor was the arsi
parliament OF Henry w., In the ar
tenth century. In Henry's parliament
the Representatives Of the people es-
tablished finally and forever that all
revenue bills must originate in the
lower house, which should hold the
purse Of the people and without which
not a wheel In the legislative, the ex-
ecudvs or the judicial branch OF the
government could turn.
lt Is because Of this parliament that
there Is no ways aud means committee
In the senate and that when any treaty
or commercial arrangement or any
thing involving the payment of money
Is Introduced. any appointment or legis-
latton Is proposed. the house of repre-
s%entatives raises its mighty hand and
settles the matter according to the
will OF the people through their repre-
sentatives. for 1t can defeat any meas
ure or any person by merely declln-
ing to appropriate the money necessary
10 pay for that measure OF person.
When this great committee on ways
and means presents its business to the
houSa NJ REPRESENTATIVES, ond tho ho,,oo
goes into committee of the whole
house On the state Of the Union the
assemblage at once resolves itself into
a body as absolutely democratic as the
Saxon Witenagemot or the New Eng
land town meeting. Every symbol of
a popular assemblage Is religiously OBJ
served The speaker leaves the chair.
and a chairman Is elected who is not
the speaker. Not even so much as the
prestige Of the regular presiding officer
is allowed to hamper the freedom Of
debate. The speaker goes down to the
hoor and has no more privileges than
the most obscure member of the house.
The mace, the emblem Of authority.
Is put under the speakers table to
liza NA9 hOuoG nCiAOGIuNG0 Will
interference from anybody. The
mace is really a weapon a stout wood
en- stick with a metal head, and used
to be the favorIte weapon Of lighting
priests of the middle ages. They were
forbidden by ecclesiastical law to use
swords. but got around the law by
using the mace a terrible al
n OafuQf fho armorad man ne tho etn,o
In the choice OF the mace as the type
Of authority the idea of democracy
was rigidly 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 a
good stout stick, and 80 the weapon
Of their maJesties the people was
When the speaker presides
and any members show signs OF in.
dulging in f~sticuffs and will not obey
speakers gavel the s%ergeant-at.
or his deputy is directed to ''show
the mace" That functionary seizes
he and marches up to the offend
ng members, who are supposed to be
lived into good behavior at sight Of
his big stick.
Not long ago. when two members got
INTO a row and 1t seemed as If blows
we're about to be exchanged, the
promptly ordered the ergean
to show them the mace. The
sergeant took the mace. marched up to
he two belligerents and stood, mace
n hand, m~aJestically. before them.
This. however, had not the slightest
fleet, and the sergeant-at-arms anx-
ously Inquired Of a member sitting
ext What am l to do with the mace
l0w?"
To which the member responded In a
whisper, Peck 'em on the head
Nth ItI"
This suggestion brought down the
louise. and a roar of laughter and ap-
followed. In which even the
.'eiiigerents were obliged to join.
In general. however. before the mace
an be shown. the members rush In
nd separate men whose tempers have
OF the better of them. who have ex.
hanged the lie or the blow that always
Members engaging in these
ows are always called before the bar
{ the house and sternly reprimanded
, the speaker, who talks like a Dutch
ncls to them and calls them by name.
his naming Is the only time a men,
er's name is used IN debate. He is at
Their times the member from So-and.
D" or "the gentleman from So-and-so."
These collisions rarely, II ever, occur
members anywhere except on
he door OF the house. Everything is
ermitted in the freedom Of debate,
IL q member held accountable out
ldo for anything he may say on the
oor. Through this freedom Of speech
iembers say things they would not
are to utter elsewhere. In the old
avs duels followed the exchange Of
he lie. and the G~raves-Ciley duel, the
ohm Randolph and Henry Clay duel
nd many historical encounters took
lace. But in the evolution Of Y
lent the principle became firmly fixed
rat there must be absolute freedom
{ debate aud that no man could be
responsible outside for anything
aid on the door of either house. And
D the dueling practice was dropped In
long before public sentiment
polished II elsewhere. No libel suit
olds for anything said in open debate
- L.