Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1922-09-01
Looking In on Congress From
the House Gallery
FIRST VIEW OF CONGRESS
BY CONGRESSMAN GUY u HARDY
FIRST VIEW OF CONGRESS
BY CONGRESSMAN GUY u. HARDY


fact that one of them who died recent
~ left 100000 to him. 100000 Ia his
wife and IN equal amount to each Of
his two daughters.
AT Mr.. Gillett's left stands a Young
man who is official timek,pper.
Whenever member is recognized To-
speak he has definite amount O!
time. Rarely II Is an hour occaSinli-
all! II Is 30 minutes. hat usually il j.
only five or ten minutes. The time.
Keeper notifies tn" speaker and tie
speaker calls the member down ut the
end of his allotted time. Hy uuani-
nous consent the member is some
times permitted to proceed for five ar
ten minutes longer. and | have seer.
members plead ANA beg the house for
five minutes. or two minutes or one
minute more. like II Methodist preach
or pleading for money to pay of the
church debt. Sometimes it Is grant
ed, but often n member says IL oh
ject." and that settles II.
ParliamentarIsn Is Important.
AT the right Of the speaker stands
another young man who is the par
Humanitarian. This young man is SUP
posed to be thoroughly posted and
trained In the rules and precedentS
Of the house. He has various books
OF rules and precedents at hand, and
advises with the speaker when any
knotty points of order are to be de,
cided.
The house has been run mostly by
lawyers for q hundred years or more.
and It Is not difficult matter for
some lawyer menber TO dig up prer-
edent on either side of any purlia-
mentary question brought up. The
house had a speaker one time OF the
name Of Crisp. His son Charles be
came the parIianentarian for Speaker
Clark. Charles is now a valued mem.
Der of the house. In the last congress
We had both ex-Speaker Cannon and
ex-Speaker Clark or the fioor, but they
all differ some times Oh points of or
der. II was one Of the pleasures Of
Republicans to refer occasionally TO
the fact that Speaker Clark ruled
thus and So at some time In the past.
and Speaker Clark announced several
times in his facetious way: LAS a
member on the floor Of the house. !
do not propose to ne bound by any rul-
ings l made from the speakers chair"
So you can see that with couple OF
hundred lawyers in the house there is
AT times much argument and jangling
over points of order and modes Of pro
cedlue.
Mann Knows All the Rules.
However, Wien James H. Mann is
on the floor the chair soon gets some
advice that he can depend upon.
think that Mr.. Mann knows more about
the rules and precedrntS of the house
than all the other members combined
and he usually has his way. because
the man i'll the chair knows that he
knows what he is talking about.
In front and below the speaker ut
another marble desk are the reading
clerks, me-: have to he men of con>id-
cradle ability.
Below and In front are the Congress
sional Record clerk and the official re-
porters. Every word that is spoken in
the house Is taken down by an official
stenographer. There are five or six
OF them. They work in shifts of about
~ n''i"'es '",h as sum "s STE
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