The Washington times., 1915-01-10
THOSE WONDROUS
RULES

Oeu0COr OaNlnSer, WHO kHOWS Inc
rules by heart and understands all
their bearings, startled the Senate
and about everybody else the other
day by making the point Of order
that q Senator might not, in debate,
quote from the discussion o. the
same subject in the House, or refer
to the votes on the question in that
body.
Senator Kenyon was responsible
for the development of this SEEM
ingly remarkable fact. He had been
talking about District fiscal matters,
referring frequently to the state
ments that had been made during
their consideration in the House. It
would seem that the proceedings of
one house, in formulating a piece of
Legislation, ought to be- of the great
est interest and concern in the other
house. Senator Kenyon thought
that, and proceeded accordingly. If
the proceedings Of the House have
no concern for the Senate, what's tho
use printing the Record? As a mat.
ter Of plain common sense, it seems
as plain as daylight that each house
has very particular need to under
stand the reasons why the other
house did various things. To say
that one house must not be influ-
enced in any wise by the transac-
tions Of the other, is to lay down
rule that if carried to its logical con-
clusion would require that each
house must be locked up and iso-
lated from the other; must not be
allowed to see the Record made by
the other; must not, through individ-
ual members, confer with members
Of the other.
The Vice President was in the
chair when Mr.. Gallinger made his
point Of order, and expressed a de-
sire to know about this remarkable
rule; for Senator Gallinger referred
to 1t as q rule. After some thumb
ing, the Senator from New Hamp-
shire produced it, in Jefferson's Man.
ual, which if it is not an embodiment
Of rules Of the Senate, is yet sort
Of sacred parliamentary OK pre-
sumed to be held inviolate unless
somebody wants to violate it. Mr..
Kenyon expressed surprise and OBJ
served that that provision had been
violated practically every day in the
Senate's proceedings; which was
quite true.
The Vice President expressed the
opinion that Jefferson's Manual had
not been adopted as the rules of the
Senate, and said he should leave to
the discretion of Senators whether
they would be bound by the rule
cited.
Nobody appealed, and there was
no proposal to submit the question
to q vote Of the Senate, which is the
ultimate authority that determines
what the Senate's rules are and
mean. But Mr.. Kenyon, confessing
deep humiliation that he should have
transgressed the proprieties, prom
ised to be good in future. There was
= tinge Of sarcasm in his tone which
suggested that he might OCCASION
ally forget about the rule if it
seemed inconvenient; but the vocal
shading didn't find reflection in the
cold type of the printed Record. So
we presume precedent has been
created, in favor of the theory that
the Jefferson's Manual inhibition is
q rule Of the Senate.
Last summer the Senate spent a
long time discussing the rivers and
hsrbors bill, and that discussion was
devoted to a considerable extent to
presenting excerpts from previous
debates in the House pm the same
bill. Senator Kenyon playfully al.
luded to this fact, and slyly observed
that he had recollection of Senator
Gallinger, in that connection, vio-
lating the very rule he was now in
voking.
There are said by scientists to be
only about three billion convolutions
in the human brain-maybe it's five
billions-and each one is supposed to
be capable Of storing an idea or an
impression. If they all get used up
the brain is full and can't for want
Of further warehouse capacity per.
form any more. We assume, then
that if q Senator should live long
enough to learn all there is to know
about the rules, that his head would
in the most literal way, be so full OF
rules that it couldn't take in a new
impression. Some Senatorial heads
at times seem approaching that con
dition Of saturation.
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