The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-02-25
WHEN LOWER HOUSE
HAS A VAUDEVILLE
This Occurs Whenever Pen
sion Legislation Is Up
For Consideration.
sY JONATHAN WINFIELD.


WASHINGTON. Feb. 25.--The House
has arrived at the point where it can
humorously appreciate the vaudeville
performance which occurs whenever
pension legislation is brought up. Last
session and the session before that
the House was irritated and grleVed
by the vaudeville. Now with phllo-
sophie calm it starts the steam roller
and watches the vaudeville acrobatlc-
ally trying to escape it.
The vaudeville artists are Repre-
sentative Tribble, and Roddenbar OF
Georgia. The latter is the star per-
former. Tribble and others lend their
aid from time to time, but they are out
shown by Roddenberry. Tribble PROB
ably Is the best assistant that Rodden-
berry has although Howard and Bart
lett aid much in the time of need.
This vaudeville performance which
never fails is an excellent example
of what little body Of patriots, de-
termine to halt certain legislatlons,
can do when they feel they have
right to- use any weapons. If they
could enlist the services Of Represen-
tative Mann, of Illinois-that past
master of the art of fighting by rules
they could keep the House in agon-
lied suspense for a week while it was
trying to jam through pension leglsla-
ton.
Roddenberry believed honestly and
thoroughly that pension legislation as
at present enacted, is a fraud on the
public He is convinced that men
who are without any right to govern
ment money are continually slipping
In" through the assistance of their po-
litical friends He is, of course, hope
lessly in the minority. Save for the
little band of Georgians, the House is
unitedly in favor of pension legislation
the oftener the better. Thus, there
is no way to fight but to delay every
thing as much as possible. And this
is done to fine finish every time a
pension bill comes up.
Roddenberry has tireless voice. He
starts in debating every item in the
bill The members of the House be-
come bored and insist that at the end
of certain number of hours, debate
be closed Roddenberry makes a call
the agreement has been adopted,
starts to lombard the clerk with the
amendments and delivers a peroration
on each one until the House shuts
him Off By this time the weary mem
bers have wandered out into the cool
er Railways and Roddenberry makes the
point that no quorum is present The
members are all dragged back and
compelled to stay in their places and
listen to the eternal oratory of Rod
denberry firing of this, the Georg-
ian will move that the House ad-
journs and demand a roll call
All this takes up long weary hours
and the bill is dragged along some
times for two or three days before it
is passed
1t seems curious that with such an
overwhelming sentiment in favor of
the pension lists, a little group of men
should be able to tie up business in
the House Yet Roddenberry invar-
iably does it. The Democrats on one
occasion planned to bring in gag rule
against him but he dared them to "in-
troduce tactics which led to the down
fall of Speaker Cannon" and they lost
their nerve.
Since then Roddenbery has filibust-
cred to his hearts content, limited
only by rules terminating debate at
tn end of stated length of time.
All of this makes a great hit with
Roddenberry's constituents in Geor.
gia, said constituents not relishing par
ticularly, the expenditure of govern
ment money to support the decend-
ants of Sherman's army and it doesn't
seem to hurt his standing in the
House. Representative Akin. of New
York tried to filibuster once and the
House made him crawl into line on his
knees. But Roddenbery flibusters
time after time with thorough enjoy.
ment and never seems to suffer be-
cause of it.
When Senator Hoke Smith of Geor.
gia, reached the upper chamber he
tried to follow Roddenbery's tactics
He lasted just two days. Then the
senator's led him gently aside and in
formed him that if he didn't stop his
violation of senatorial courtesy
something like ton of bricks would
descend upon his political head. He
needed the voice and since that time
has not attempted to buck the pension
bills, other than to make short sorrow.
full speeches of the "whither-are-we.
going?" order
The other day Roddenbery was
taught few new wrinkles in a fill.
buster conducted by Representative
Mann, Mann, in order to chastise the
Democrats, delayed the House for