The Detroit times., 1915-03-05
Statesmen, Real and Near
~ FRED C. KELLY
Copyright. 1915. by Fred G. Kelly)

WASHINGTON, March 5.-With the
exception of James r. Mann. the minor
ity floor leader, scarcely a member OF
congress has the remotest idea how long
it will take him 10 make speech. A
member will ask for five minutes or 20
minutes in which TO say what is on his
mind, and when his time is up he is only
getting started. Instead of putting the
gist Of what ne has to say in the open
ing paragraph, he saves il for the last
paragraph. and unless his time were ex-
tended, would not get il said at all. What
the average congressman thinks he can
say in five minutes will ordinarily take
him half an hour. James r. Mann,
though, is the chap who knows just how
long il will take him to have his say.
When Mann sets out To talk five minutes,
he sits down at the end of five minutes
right TO the second. II is not unusual
his final sentence just as the speakers
gavel falls TO mark the expiration of his
time. Not once a year-not once In two
years-does Mann ask to have his speak
ing time extended. He knows in advance
exactly how much he will need.
Speaker Clark's official timer. by the
way. is lifelong Democrat by the name
of Warren G.. Hatch. He stands close at
hand with dotted line running con-
stantly from his eye TO stop watch, and
whispers TO Clark when the time is ripe
TO wallop the desk with the gavel. Now,
being lifelong and highly enthusiastic
Democrat. it is with a sore twinge that
Hatch calls time on a man speaking from
the Democratic side Of the house, par
ticularly if the man is in the midst Of a
lovely fight Of oratory.
Isn't that fellows time up?" asked
Clark Of his timer one day.
YES" admitted the timer. but he
was just rounding out such fine period
that it seemed like shame to interrupt
him."
And here's funny thing: No matter
how experienced the speaker may be, he
never seems to grow calloused to the fall
of the gavel. Take, for example, julius
Kahn of California, for many years an
actor before he entered congress. Kahn
has doubtless done as much public speak
ing as almost any man in the house. but
the other day the gavel cut one Of his
best sentences right in two in the middle.
Experienced speaker that he is, Kahn
stammered as he asked for more time,
and for a moment did not know whether
he was going up or down, this way or
that.
Alfalfa Bill Murray of Oklahoma d.
vides all congressional work into two
parts-that which you do toward your
defeat and that which you do toward
reelection.
Nearly everything man does on the
floor of the House." declares Murray,
tends TO defeat him. He makes speech
or casts his vote on a question, and no
matter how good the speech or how right
the vote, there will be many people who
will disagree with him. But over in his
office-there is where a congressman
overcomes the harm he does himself on
the floor. He writes pleasant letters and
sends out seeds, and ingratiates himself
on his constituents. II it were not for
the work a man does in his Office to Offset
the things he does on the floor nobody
could be reelected to congress"
Whenever he starts toward his office,
Murray remarks:
well, / guess I'll go over now and
work for a while on my reelection"
- II n.