Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-03-24
Those Senatorial Variations.
George Fitch in Collier,s Weeklv

IsDrRe tltch III Golfers Weekly.
Numerous attempts have been made in
10 rise at Up. m. and offer a few re
marks extending to the close of the fiscal
cal methods, such as chloroforming the
speaker or MASKING him into his seat
with a pile driver. but in various ways
the Senate has edged impatiently upou
the right of a member to obtain the floor
as a vested interest and to bequeath ii
to his heirs and assigns when he himself
is through with it.
The spectacle of a 7~S-year-old senator
concluding. a few diffuse statements at
the end of seven and Il half hours with
VINE ns he basan a 1ha' viii III r IS as fresh ,bs s, a.
ject later would be magnificent If it We're
not so alarming.
y senate should not be abused TO such
a point that it is likely to declare war on
the world in the midst of a chronic ora
ton and march to battle with a loud sob
of relief.
Vice presidentine has always been a
hard and hankless task. but at present
1t Is terrifying. Mr.. Marshall has been
union labor he will only listen TO eight
hours of speech u day. and he knocks off
m r99ula'iE Tw "a. . p ,,d m. I'd Eve do,, tnat Is xt too q
and saraS bills for listening to Colonel
du. Pont reading unlimited figures in a
voice thar sounds like a dried leaf in d
wash boiler is pitsable pay.
Something must be done. There have
been many suggestions. one is that the
speaker must contine himself strictly to
the subject.
Senator Sherman showed ny. this sug-
gestion. however, very painfully when he
read the postmaster seneral,s report in
leading up to the argument that the gov
eminent couldn't run a line of ships sue
cessfully. They couldn't stop hin, be-
cause he had n Constitutional right to
lead up to his subject. 1t has been sug-
sested that senators be required to pro-
duce, at least 100 cords a minute while
got down To four words u minute. and
not very long words at that-and that
three repetitions of ideas be considered
out.
1t seems probable that when the Senate
has sufficiently recovered to discuss the
situation calmly ii will insist that the
rule of senatorial courtesy should be
made reciprocal, and that any senator
acquiring the floor shall not schedule it
In his list of personal property. but shall
return it at the end of three hours.
Some rank outsider has attempted to
introduce a CLEAN of intelligence into the
whole business by holding that an adj
5ournment should not wipe out the speak
should he allowed on any one motion. re-
CARELESS of adjournments. AT present.
when the Senate adjourns and goes home
to bed 1t cancels a rhetorical charges
against It's members. Each senator be-
gins the morrow with a clean slate and
another 1872 speeches are allowed on the
same subject. Consequently Thursday
frequently ran over to Saturday or sun
day. Senators would arise from a dinner
party on Tuesday and totter down to the
capitol to listen to a ebate on the pre-
ceding Saturday. 1t was very confusing.
At one time old Senator Tillman, who is
very feeble and had a large soft bed set
up in a room outside the Senate cham
Der. retired to it and slept three days one
afternoon.
Whatever the outcome of the rule dis
pute, it is hardly likely that the world
will asai see such an exhibition of free
handed. openfaced, catch-as-catch-can.
night blooming. perennial, fadeless.
deathless n t~houghtless e~loquence.
There have been supreme efforts of en-
durance before in the sacred hall. but
they don't measure up.