The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-03-22
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j.. HASKIN. Director.
Washington, d. c..
LITTLE CoNGREss.


When congress closes on Saturday
nights. and our august lawmakers de-
part for home. their secretaries now
/ get together and hold Little Congress
u their own. little Congress is a new
organization, just three months old,
but already it has solved, to its own
satisfaction, the peace treaty question,
the Irish question, the national ship
ping policy. and few other matters
which the big congress is still worry
/ ing over.
/ Little Congress has it's speaker. SER
geant-at-arms and its clerk. By spe-
cial permission of Speaker Gil1ett, it
meets in the caucus room of the house
of representatives office building. The
caucus room, where the Republicans
or Democrats gather when they wish
to discuss party affairs, is one OF the
most beautiful halls in the city, and
is only little less dignified than the
real house ofrepresentatives chamber.
Floor and ceiling are white marble,
and the walls are white, decorated with
| pillars. Brown velvet window hang
ings a long green topped table and
rows of chairs are the main furnishA
ings. When it is arranged like the
! house chamber. with a speakers desk
and the chairs in a big semi-circle. and
the glittering chandeliers are all light
ed it is a room to inspire young Sec
rotary to heights of eloquence his con-
gresham might easily envy.
! At eight o'clock sharp, on Saturday
night, the speaker of Little Congress
bangs on the big table with his gavel,
\ and the members come to order.
| The subject for discussion before
Little Congress tonight" drawls the
| speaker in his best public voice, lis
that of soldiers bonuses. Most OF us
realize\ that the nation owes some
token of appreciation to the men who
so ably served it in the war. Tonight
| !, n
will place the phases of the question
| before us
! The debate follows, with speeches
| by four members designated before
] hand. Later. however, all join in the
scrimage, and before midnight Little
Congress resembles closely big con-
gress on an intense day.
| The meetings of ttese young polit-
| ical enthusiasts are not entirely seri-
Gus, any more than the real congress
| is always as solemn as it likes to be
| pictured After the main subject of
the evening is settled to the liking of
| the majority of SECRETARIES, a petition.
| from the Sweet Pea club of Rockville,
Md. is usually presented before the
body for consideration. The Sweet
Pea Club. we hasten TO explain, il a
Fictitious organization which is
ardently interested in reform. Con-
gress has SO many reform organiza-
lions to deal with seriously that the
| secretaries decided to have one of their
own which they could be facetious
about. So petitions are introduced
from the Sweet Pea club asking that
the germs be- legislated out of exis-
tence. or that mems clothes be STAN
dardized, and then Little Congress
proceeds to consider in mock elo-
quence the Instability of these meas
ures.
| Members of Little Congress copy
] the house and senate only in so far
as they approve, and when they disap-
| prove 1t is in no uncertain language.
The question early arose as to whether
! or not the body should be non-par-
usan. This was quickly settledzno
political parties in Little Congress, and
no division of Republicans on one side
OF the hall and Democrats on the
other. The secretaries decided that
they would lie guided by principle
| before politics (tho whether the secre-
tary of John Cabot Lodge would rise
to defend the League of Nations is
doubtful to our mind.)
Another point of tradition came
/ up. According to the constitution of
| the organization, a speaker holds Of
flee two months. When the first
| speakers term ended, he stated firmly
that ne would not consider another
| term as she had always believed in
| one term for executives and now he
would put his principle into practice.
! This is probably the first case on rec
| ord where man refused a nominal
ton for second term on the strength
! of his past remarks.
| This first speaker of the congress
| of secretaries was Ned Baldwin, secre-
tary of Representative Sinnott of Ore
gon. Besides knowing all the tricks
or the secretary trade, Mr.. Baldwin
| is newspaper man and has been
/
ing chairman of the Oregon state Re-
! publican committee.
! Mr.. Baldwin is responsible for the
name-Littfe Congress.
Il just always thought of it as a
Little Congress and referred to it that
way" he says, land most of the boys
| liked it. We had a hot debate over
the name. tho, and considered Con-
gress Junior and a number of other
! names. But Little Congress WON
The object of Little Congress. Mr..
Baldwin explains, is to promote good
fellowship. and for the members to
gain knowledge of parliamentary pro-
secretaries, and to improve the art OF
| public speaking.
Any secretary to a senator or rep
resentative or any other attache of the
capitol can apply for membership. So
! far none of the woman secretaries
have asked admission. but Mr. Bald
win says they have the same oppor-
tunities to run for Little Congress as
the men. Lack of interest on the part
| of the women he attributed to the fact
that after keeping a congressman
dates and correspondence straight all
| the week most woman secretaries pre-
fer musical comedy to political debate.
! The men, however, are extremely in
terested in the new organization and
i it has already grown from the four
organizers to a membership of sixty.
The members say that they are gain
ing a great deal of valuable informa-
ton and experience from the meetings
of Little Congress A secretary at the
capitol has to know as much as pos
sible about the business of lawmaking
Callers stream in and out of his con-
CHEESEMAN'S office all day. the thickness
of the streamt depending on the impor-
stance of the name on the door. Nine