Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-01
s'MONKEY BUSINESS IN
CONGRESS HAS HISTORY
Ceremony Of House Mace Dates Back
Thousands Of Years-Has Prevented
Riots Among Members $4,000 for
"Misters.v
Rr Ew. TowNsENp

Der or an outsider there are many ever
more interesting ways in which precedent
or perhaps in some respects It is more cor
rect to say custom, rules in Congress. I pre-.
sumo more visitors to the House galleries
have asked questions about the performance
of an assistant sergeant -at-arns with the
mace than about any other one thing they
have observed. The House mace, symbol
Of the Speakers authority, differs in form
but little from similar symbols found In
nearly every modern parliament, and they
are ali much like that used in the Senate Of
ancient Rome and even then 1t was an an
Client survival, then, now, a symbol OF
power, Of a very concrete form of power, a
conventionalized form of q club, war club.
Just So and Never Otherwise
| The ebony silver-bound mace Of the House
is surmounted by a globe, upon which is
| perched an eagle with outstretched wings.
When the House is not in session It has a
| place Of honor and safekeeplng in the office
! of the sergeant-at-arms, from which 1t is
borne by assistant into the House Cham
| ber few minutes before the opening Of each
| days session, and deposited by the side of a
marble pedestal. Just the Speaker places
a foot upon the first of the steps leading to
his desk the assistant in charge of the mace
does this because he has been told to do 1t,
and how. Probably he is unconscious Of the
fact that he is doing the same thing In much
the same way other men holding like Of
flee have done for thousands of years with
the same purpose; to proclaim to all con-
cerned the power and authority of pre-
siding officer.
Presently, perhaps in few minutes, the
House goes into the Committee OF the Whole
House. and then the business Is conducted
not by the Speaker but by chairman desig
mated by the Speaker. AS the latter leaves
his desk, and just his foot reaches the
first step in descent the mace Is taken down
to its place by the side of the pedestal.
Business may have proceeded but few
minutes when there appears at the chamber
entrance opposite the Speakers desk a mes
senger from the Senate. He stands at at
tention until he is Joined by the House door
keeper. Then the chairman says: "The com
mittee will rise informally to receive a mes
sage from the Senate"
He motions to some member who takes
the chairman's place but as this member
places his foot upon the first step the as
sistant sergeant-at-arms raises the mace to
it's pedestal. This is momentariy to place
the mantle of speakership authority upon
doorkeeper who announces, "Mr. Speaker, a
message from the Senate" A ...,.,
The Speaker" says "Mr. Secretary"
The Senate messenger says, Mr.. Speaker"
and proceeds with his message
Then the Speaker for minute descends
and with him the mace, too, comes down
again. All of which is because the commit
tee could not receive message from the
Senate; only the House can do that and the
mace must be in place to show that the au-
thority Of the Speaker is exercised-hence
the House, not the committee, is in session.
Serious Monkey Business"
I've heard gallery visitor ask, having
watched this ceremony repeated several
times, whats all that monkey business?"
Well IL one feels about 1t that way, that
is the way one feels about It. Not the mem
bers, though. Once the assistant was mat
tentive and the mace did not go up with
the Speaker, You might suppose that no
member would notice the omission, but in
stantly, and all over the chamber there were
anxious exclamatIons: "The mace! The
mace!" The assistant, aroused, hurriedly
performed his duty
The mace has served a practical purpose
more than once in the history of the House.
There have been times when tempers have
been so wholly lost and passions run SO high
that the mere command Of the Speaker en-
phasized by his banging gavel, has failed to
restore order. failed to quell approaching
riot. Then the Speaker, whoever he may
have been. has ordered the sergeant alarms
to proceed with the mace and compel mem
bers to take their seats IN order Old MEM
bers, who have seen this twice. corroborate
stories of similar ructions running back
pretty nearly through the history Of Con-
gress.
Members fighting mad and trying to fight,
shouting in rage, needless OF the Speakers
threatening voice, have never in any known
instances-and in some instances blows had
already been struck-failed to retreat to their
seats, melt away, as it were. before the sign
OF authority, the mace. Why? Is it heredity:
an Unborn respect for the authority OF rank,
or its symbol? Let the psychologists answer.
President Never Told"
There are many fixed forms OF language
required by precedent. Once a secretary OF
the Senate, having been duly announced. pro-
ceeded with his message to the effect that a
special committee OF the Senate having been
appointed for the purpose, had called upon
the President and told" him that the SEN
ate was ready to proceed with business.
There was an instant litter all through the
House. The President is never officially
told" anything by Congress; he is "in-
formed" The substitution OF one single
word for another in formal message no
one Is supposed to listen to. had struck the
ears OF all like a violent discord strikes q
listener to music, The scarlet ana abashed
secretary retired 10 be numerically. guyed
BY his Fellows He had departed from prece-
dentl
In the Senate the pages, when not IN serv-
lee sit about at the foot Of the presiding Of
hcer'a desk. When Senator wants a page
he summons him BY clapDlns hts hands n
the House the pages are corralied when NOT