Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-23
NEW HOUSE SEATS;
OLD ORDER PASSES
With Time-H0nored Swivel
Chairs Go Many Tradi-
tions of Past.
EACH DAY TO BRING
NEW ORDER OF SEATING
First Come First Served Will Be the
Rule When Congress Con-
venes Again.

The benches are in at the House of
Representatives and the old-time swivel
chairs and desks are out, and many and
various are the comments made by visit
ors guides members and employees of
the House as they gaze upon the theatre
cal auditorium for such it looks like)
which greets the eye. Every one tries to
find out first if the new benches are hard,
and then whether they can be sat upon
without danger OF falling out when asleep.
The term benches is a misleading one,
for In reality they are more like theater
chairs than anything else, and are rang
ed in semi-circular fashion about the hall
Of the House.
They have easy backs and well padded
arms and cane seats and are large enough
for Senator Ollie James when he goes back
to visit the familiar scenes which he left
when elevated to the upper body.
Along with the new seats will come
change from time-honored custom in that
the representatives will not draw for
seats. The first men In the chamber win
get the best seats, If they want them.
Hitherto about twelve men appeared in
the House to hear prayers and after the
journal was read the crowd wandered in
from the cloakrooms offices Here
after IL any member wants front seat
on an exciting day he will have to come
early and avoid the rush.
Mann May Have to Fight.
Just what this custom is going to do
TO that great rock Of republicanism,
James Mann of Illinois. is matter of
conjecture. He has had a chair in the
middle of the House. on the center aisle.
from which battlements he has hurled
his singing arrows of parliamentary prac-
tice at the majority to the intense confu-
sion, frequently. of the ruling power.
Some of the members seem to believe
that the House will be SO scared OF him
that no one will dare to deny him the
seat he wants, and it is quite possible
that he Is equal to the emergency if he
should be denied. He has it in his power
to empty and fill the House with his
tricks Of the floor, so that If he saw a
member OCCUPYING his seat he would be
able to find something in Kinds prece-
dents to chase the offending person away.
Will the great Cooper of Wisconsin.
with his glistening square white beard,
crate from the rear row any more. dr.
will he take a front seat like a prize
schoolboy on the days when he intends
to make a speech? Would Aiken of
Aiken, y. Y, the man without, a party,
have 10 come down front TO deliver his
TRADES against the Department of Agri-
culture? That can never be answered,
for Aiken went giimmering before the
change In the seats was made. VIII the
active Lenroot make his one-armed ges-
lures from the last seat. the one nearest
the center door, or Will he. too run to
the House early to get in the front row,
where he will be under the Speakers
eye? And will Fowler of Illinois, uphold
er of the principle that all charwomen
should be paid high wages. be allowed to
sit in the front row, as he has all the
past session?
Possibilities of Conflict.
And where will Representative Serene
Payne nod in sleepy acquiescence> of all
things about him? Will Farr of Pennsyl-
vana and his dear friend, A. Mitchell
Palmer. occupy the same large chair be-
fore they begin to defy each other? AS
for Lewis OF Maryland and Burnett of
Alabama, short IN stature but mighty in
counsel, there will be more chance of see
ing them as they sit in their places
There will be no swinging round of
swivel chairs and telling OF yarns with
the feet on the desks. The members
who have seen the new seats believe there
viii be less noise and more ORDERLY pro-
cedure in the House Jerry South. -Sow-
ever, believes that there will be fights
over the jurisdiction of the padded arm
rests. Jerry sat in one OF the seats yes
terday and gave an imitation. according
TO his own view. of what will happen
when northern republican sits down
next 10 a southern democrat with arms
spread out all over the rests
Take your arms down. said Jerry.
Give me some room What? Your
chair? Nothing of the sort. First come,
first served, and besides I've been sitting
here all session. That's my arm rest 1t
is? 1t Is. Yes, I say ii is. AID IL you'll
come out here In the cloakroom I'll prove
II. That's just like you southerners. Come
up here, gobble up all the committee
chairmanships. get all the pork in the
barrel. and then want to use both arm
rests"
Committee chairmen with bills in prog
ress through the House will have q table
brought in and set down in front of
them and to do this three chairs will
have 10 he removed The minority MEM
bers OF tho committee win have table
on their side aIsa.
Benjamin Reed of near Gre"ft29rtt NsS~.
Is a patient at the German Hospital, ELK