The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-05-20
\ RECKLESS hot 81.
Representatives and the New Order
at the Capitol in Washington.

The house of representatives pre-
sents a changed appearance by reason
of the removal Of tho 393 little desks
used by the siXty-second congress and
the substitution therefor of nearly 450
semi-detached chairs as a substitute,
in order to accommodate the great in
crease in numbers of the sixty-third
over the sixty-second congress. This
change in the formal arrangements of
the house was necessitated, primarily,
by the increased number Of sittings,
but nevertheless there was a second
ary reason on which the change was
based, and that was the expediency of
shortening the periods Of speachmak-
ing and thereby facilitating action up
on, rather than talk.
Anglophiles in Washington are dis
posed now to refer to the new seats in
the house as 'the benches" This is
very English and tremendously par
liamentary, but it isn't true. They are
to all intents and purposes chairs, only
they are stationary, fixed and immov-
able, a distinct advantage to certain
members who have been in the habit
of endeavoring to convert the old-time
swivel chairs so-long used in the house
into reclining chairs, with the result
of frequent and noisy precipitations to
the floor The chairs in the house to-
day are arranged in blocks Of four or
five, never less than three, and to tip
one over would require the concerted
effort of all the members occupying
the block. By means Of this innova-
tion the dignity of the house, as we'll
as the equilibrium of it's members is
preserved.
In the days of the old swivel chairs,
tumbles were frequent. There was a
spring in the back Of the old-fash-
ioned chairs, which, when subjected
to too great strains, was apt to snap
with a sharp rel Art, whereupon the
chair keeled over, sometimes landing
its occupant on the carpet. The heav-
ier the congressman, the greater the
strain on the chair and the oftener
the collapse.
So much for the physical advantages
of the new system. The benefit to the
administration of business in the
house is figured in this wise. The only
chance for a member to lug into the
chamber reams of substantiating doc
uments for his arguments, is for him
to make advance arrangements, either
with the majority or the minority
leader, for space at one or the other
of the tables which are set in the body
of the house. There are but two Of
these tables and each accommodates
but four men. Failing to effect this
arrangement, the member with the
much to say is compelled to distribute
his documentary crutches in various
nearby chairs or upon the floor. 1t is
expected that this arrangement will
serve to subdue tendencies to verbos-
ity
It was different in the old days. One
of the desks then in use could accom-
date a dozen or more volumes. Two
hour speeches in which the member
talked for twenty minutes and read
for the remaining hundred of his al
lotment were not infrequent. General
debate, that twilight zone between the
Introduction of an important measure
and the actual conversion of the house
into a real business-like body-the
committee of the whole house on the
State of the Union-had become more
or less a nuisance. Under the new
system there will be no chance, or at
least small chance, tor the congress
man with nothing to say to waste the
time of the house. This change
marks an approach, at least the first
step, in the direction of the more bus
inesslike procedure employed in the
British mouse of commons. There
speeches are presumed to be the ex-
temporaneous productions of the mem
bers. 1t is against custom to read
speech in the house Of commons. If
the member desires to inject statisti-
cal matter into his argument or to
make a verbatim quotation in brief /
support of his contention, he may re-
fer to memoranda; otherwise he talks