The daily Alaskan., 1912-09-09
TALK IN CONGRESS-
Where Freedom of Speech Is a
 Right IeaIously Guarded.
MIGHT OF THE LOWER HOUSE
The Enormous Power |. Yields by Reason Of It's Grip Upon the Purse os the Nation--Absolu,e Democracy ef the Committee of the Whole.

| the Nation---Absolute Democracy ot
 the Committee Of the Whole.
 The house of representatives of the
 people oi the Unitpd States, the great
 demos the soure ot all power, the basis upon which the great super structure of the government rests
 dates back Co the Magma Charta, and it's immediate ancestor was the drst parliament of Henry w. In the hf- | rerpth century. In Heury'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' ecutiye or the Judicial branch or 'ne 1 government could turn.
 1t is because Of this parliament that
 there is DO ways and means committee 1 tn the senate and that when any treaty or commercial arrangement or any thing involving the payment of money
 is introduced. any appointment or iegis- lation is proposed. the house of repre- sentatives raises its mighty hand and settles the matter according 10 the
 will of the people through their repre- sentatIves. for it can defeat any meas
 ure or any person by merely declin' inr to appropriate the money necessary to pay for that measure or person.
 When this great committee on ways and means presents its business 10 the house of representatives and the house
 goes into committee of the whole
 house on the state of the Union the sssemblage at once resolves itself into body as absolutely democratic as the saxon witenaEemot or the New Eng land town meeting Every symbol Of a popular assemblaEe Is religiously ob' served The speaker leaves the chair, and a chairman is elected who Is not the speaker. Not even S, much as the prestige Of the regular presiding officer is allowed to hamIer the freedom of debate. The speaker Eucs down to the floor and has no murc privileges than the most obscure member oi the house.
 The mace. the emblem Of authority.
 is put under the speakers table to
 show that the house dclihcratcs with out interference from anybody. The mace is really a weapon, stout wood. pn stick with a metal hend, and used Go be the favorite weapon of fighting priests of the middle ages. They were forbidden by ecclesiastical law to use swords. but got around the law by
 using the mace. terrible weapon. against the armorcd men ot the time. In the choice Of the mace ns the type of authority the idea of democracy
 was riCidly carried out In the early days only few men out of the whole
 were authorized to wear swords. but any and all of the people could use
 good stout stick. and SO the weapon of their majeSties the people was chosen. When the speaker presides and any members show signs Of in- lulrinc in iSticufIs and will not obey the speakers GaveI the sergeant-at. arms or his deputy is directed to show the mace" That functionary seizes the mace and marches up to the offend ing members, who are supposed 10 be awed into good behavior at sight Of
 this big stick
 Not long ago. when two members got into a row and lt sScmed as if blows
 were about Co be exchanged, the speaker promptly ordered the sergeant
 at-arms to show them the mace. The sergeant took the mace. marched up to
 the two beiligerents and stood. mace in hand. mRjestically. before them. This. however, had not the slightest effect and the sergeant,at-arms anx-
 iOusly Inquired of member sitting
 next What am to do with the mace nowg'
 To which the member responded in a
 stage whisper. Peek 'em on the head ! with tl-'
 This suggestion brought down the
 house. aud a roar Of laughter and ap
 plsuse followed, in which even the
 belligprents were obliged to join. lh Etlititat. AiyNtNNA. Afflttt tAlN hAthNN can 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 reprimanded | by the speaker. who talks like 8 Dutch uncle to them and calls them by name. | This naming" Is the only time mem- ber's name is used in debate. He is at other times ''the member from So and
 so" or 'the gentleman from So-and-so." ! These collisions rarely. if ever. occur between members anywhere except on
 the 1oor of the house Everything Is permitted in the freedom of debate. uor is a member held accountable out side for anything he may say on the
 floor. Through this freedom of speech
 members say things they would not
 dare to utter elsewhere. ln the old
 days duels followed the exchange of
 the lie. and the Graves-Cilley duel, the
 John Randolph and Henry Clay duel
 and many historical encounters took
 place. But in the evolution of govern ment the principle became firmly hxed