Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-02-13
OFFICE OF SPEAKER SHORN
SOMEWHAT OF IT'S POWER BY
THE DEMOCRATS OF THE LOWER
HOUSE.
IN OLD DAYS IMPOSSIBLE FOR
MEN WITH BILLS TO GET THEM
CONSIDERED AGAINST SPEAK
Frs WISH.
(Herald STAFF Correspondent. y

! will regret it sincerely. The Honorable
Champ is very much of a man and he
! has knocked around in the world long
enough to know better han to get
grOuchy when he has attained to high
station. The gods have been kind to
him in many respects, even though they
did not put the sceper Of power as firmly
in his hands when they elected him
speaker of the house as it has been put
into the hands of speakers who have
gone before and even though it was not
youchsafed to him to become democratic
nominee for president.
Speaker Clark started off simply and
splendidly. Perhaps there was a little
affectation in his refusal to ride i'll the
automobile which an indulgent republi-
can congress had provided for the pre-
siding officer of the house of representa-
tives. While that automobile rusted its
valuable life away in a garage, the hon
Orable speaker proudly walked down
10th street every morning, when the ele-
ments were not raging. He "h00ffcd it"
to the capitol to take up his duties there
and often 'hOofed it" back at night,
when he did not put down a street car
ticket which cost 4 10 cents at whole
sale prices for a ride in the public con
veyance.
That was all very fine, however, for
it sounded a conspicuous note for econ
Omy in public expenditures. There GER
tainly has been extravaganza and it made
for hnttnr anH locc ovpanciro Oro
ment to have the speaker of the house
: thus assert his mind. And during his
administration of the Office of speaker
al era of economy has come. There is
less extravaganza in voting away the
public money. The speaker still walks
back and forth and the government au-
tOmObile still rusts in the garage.
But there is not so much sweetness in
\ life for the honorable speaker, since the
newness of his station ceased to be. His
philosophy appears to have grown cold
nd he courts the prominence of the
Isolated peak. Men like him as well as
yer. He is accessible as ever. but petu-
int and pictorial in a measure his
friends do not like to see. He is impa-
Htient and disconsOlate about conditions
that have grown up as a result of the
time and gives many the impression that
4 he has not been awarded his lust deserts.
This is unfortunate for so good a
man as Mr.. Clark really is. He has been
a capable speaker but will not 90 down
in history as a great speaker. There
are reasons for this. The democratic
house of representatives stripped the
speaker Of much of his power, but his
/ was no particular discuortcsy to the
present encumbent. 1t was rather a re-
buke to Mr.. Cannon, who had exercised
! the power arbitrarily and a recognition
! Of the demands Of individual members
that they be allowed more authority in
the government of the popular lcgisla-
tive branch. As speaker, Mr.. Clark has
made himself a factor in the manage
I9ent of the house. One hears it said
pOWadays by people who are trying to
set bills through: We'll, the speaker is
a. our side and Mr.. Underwood is on
our side, and that should help us to get
along"
Men with bills to pass may be able to
set these up without consulting the
speaker, which was impossible in the
eden days but it is another question to
ct them enacted into law if the speaker
il opposed. All of which goes to prove
that the speaker has not been entirely
stripped of his power and that he is not
simply a presiding officer, as is the case
With the speaker of the British house
rf commons. But Speaker Clark is I'M
Coubtedly sharing hOnors in house man
agement with Chairman Underwood,
here in the old days the speaker was
the "whOle show"
This probably contributes to his
grouchy attitude and to his particular
e~ssertiveness. And vet be be it said to
his credit he gets along Splendidly with
Nir. Underwood. All the efforts Of foe
'ccn and critics to stir up trouble be-
tween those two gentry have been of no
:vail. Clark and Underwood plOd right
along in double harness, where other
ISIS tolerant men would have kicked over
ho traces and made a lot of trouble be-
r-re moving the load. And when it is
remembered that each of these two men
AS an active candidate for the presi-
iacy, and that each would naturally
| 7Cel gratified at being the unGiSputpd
nader Of the house. this outcome is real
II remarkable. Double headed leader
't,D does not often succeed but it has
44r.Nn1aI 1tpipn tho 1ifn Af H. o.