Semi-weekly herald., 1913-06-19
WASHINGTON DoINGS OF DAY

WASHINGTON, d. c., June 49,
The senate is getting the first taste
of scientific management in politics.
The Democratic majority is applying
the now efficiency methods to smooth
out the way for the Wilson, Under
wood tariff bill.
In the first place, the Democrats
now have a whip" James Hamilton
Lewis, senator from Illinois. No
body ever heard of a whip in the SEN
ate before. 1t was an outgrowth of
unyieldly majorities in the house,
where the speaker used to appoint an
assistant floor leader whose Job was
to hurry the "boys" on to the floor
at times when the party needed their
votes. Jim" Watson of Indiana, when
he was whip made the job a real
one. Watson was renowned as never
having lost vote while he was in
congress. That was in the old Can
non days. Watson used to stand at
the entrance to the house, and as the
members trooped in would say "vote
aye" or "vote no" and the statesmen
would so answer to their Names A
majority of 'em did not know what
they were voting on, but they were
certain that Jim Watson always had
the right dope and they couldn't be
recorded against their party.
Lewis appointment is further il
lustration of the Democratic "sci-
entific management" program for the
senate. In businesslike manner the
new majority has already done away
with the furnishing of mineral water
to solons; discharged all the masseurs,
bath attendants and servants in the
fine senate bath rooms; cut down on
the number of clerks and "speeded'
upon routine of senate procedure by
change in the rules. 1t will be Lewis
duty to speed up" the work on the
senate floor.
1t is quite a tribute to the Illinois
senator that he should be chosen for
his difficult post. Moreover his ap-
pointment is another breaking of
precedents. Lewis came to the senate
on March and three months later
he was made assistant majority lead
er. In the old days it took ten years
for a senator to "arrive" in the up
per house. Moreover, custom pro-
scribed that during the new sena-
tors first year of office, he should
not open his mouth in debate. Lewis,
however, has impressed his colleagues
in the senate inside of three months
that he is lawyer of remarkable at
tainments, a speaker of polish and
charm, and one who has a most per-
suasive manner
President Wilson is understood fully
to approve of the plan to reduce CON
troll of the senate floor by the Demo-
Gratis to a science. While granting
the minority full exercise of its right
OF debate, it is said to be the admin
istration view that henceforth the ma
Jority must hold the discussion down
as closely as possible to actual bust
ness.
"Harry,"-that's his name, and he's
probably the greatest, unthinking, al
ways smiling, politest, most useful
Ethiopian in captivity today. For
some seventeen years he has stood
guard over the entrance to the office
of the chairman of the ways and
means committee, shooing off unwel.
come visitors with bland smiles, and
with pig headed silence, when that
smile failed.
Harry" sits all day long outside
Chairman Underwood's office. Not
even an active fly could slip by
him. He never reads, or does any.
thing. He just sits. That's his job
He says hundred times day, "No
sab; no sab. He's not in, sab. I'm
sorry sab. Yes sah-Thank you, sab.
sor"lbsea got to, be polite to EN-" he
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