davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The New York herald., 1922-10-01

in both houses would use its strength
for the reconstructive legislation which
the country sorely needs. At any
rate, whatever the reason, he has held
back from urging his own measures
except the subsidy bill, which. poor
child seems TO have q weak heart.
Who can say what might have been
done with so strong Cabinet as his
and such an overwhelming popular
vote behind him In the election Of
1920?
Another terrible weakness Of Con-
gress Is In its procedure and rules
The ordinary stitched number OF the
Congressional Record has In 1t ele-
ments for one of Charlie Chaplin's
elevated and imaginative creations.
One-fourth OF the thousand dollar an
hour sessions is given up TO routine
and scrabbles and fights for the floor.
The Record embalms multitudes Of
"speechless speeches." addressed TO
"Mr. Speaker" and punctuated with
numerous "applauses," which were
never delivered.
Congress passes reams OF bills with
out discussions and often works with
less than a quorum because nobody
calls the attention OF the Speaker. The
sacred chairman sternly represses
members of his own committee or
others who venture to kick over the
traces Congress chews technicalities
like a sweet morsel under the tongue.
It speaks by the volume for Bun
combe. It's great men live on camou-
<te h. 90 "a
work expressed by Mr.. Monden, Re-
publican floor leader. at the end of
the recent special session:
Record Will Look Better
When Fog Clears Away
This splendid record. no better ever
made by a legislative body since time
began, to you will grow brighter and
be more appreciated as time passes.
as the groundfogs and the dust of
conflict that always becloud the day OF
action clear away and this record
shall be read In the unobscured and
unprecedented light of history. cloud
applause on the Republican side)."
Mr.. Mondell and everybody in Con-
gress ought to understand that this
self bestowed diploma does not pass
current in the rest of the country.
Here is no party question. There is
no reason to suppose that the Demo
cratic party would show any greater
competence or understanding of what
the country wants.
Some seer has said that "the proof
of democracy is that 1t democs." The
present Congress, and many of the
State Legislatures, are not democratic
the traditional and common sense
ways of representing the popular will,
because they cut loose from their con-
stituents. They deal in too much
palaver and too little straight talk.
Congress actually seems to think
that It is body Of directors of a cor
poration which owes no account of its
real proceedings TO the stockholders.
1t thinks that the Congress of the
United States of America belongs to
itself and can perform the public bust
ness or lea\ it at skies and sevens
according to how it feels. Congress
acts like a private club in which
diversity of opinions is allowed but
into which magnates from outside are
allowed to express their opinions but
the management of the club and it's
votes are private property.
Nothing of the kind. Congress is
the agent of the nation or it is moth
ing. Congress governs US. Who gov
erns Congress? Let's find out and
duck him.
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Where the American
Party System Fails

In this respect the American legis-
lature and the American political
party system are broken down. There
is no one personality in either house
who starts things. lays out a program,
decides in what order measures shall
be debated. The actual motive force
in Congress is a steering committee,
of which the Speaker and two other
majority members Of the House are
parties and several Senators are also
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
NJ Membership of Fair Quality.
But Terms Too Short

The membership of legislative bodies
legislatures and the constitutional
conventions, which are third kind of
American legislatures, always include
y good proportion of the solid citizens
of the country. In the legislatures
the term is too short-probably the
overage service per person is not much
above four years-so that few have
time to become skilled in legislation,
ana TIE ordinary members are help
'ess clogs in the MILL
In Congress it is just the other way
Service is so long for many members
Of both houses that weak men get to
he top by living and nursing their
constituencies
What about satrap chairmen?
This is perhaps he most serious diff
1culty in American government. ane
It is all tied up with the committe
system Colonial legislatures and tn
first two or three Congresses knew
nothing of standing committees. In
1915 here were only fifteen House
committees. In 1922 there are about
sixty and about as many in the House.
of which about twenty-five in each
house are active and powerful.
Everybody knows that each chair
man of committee (who is never
elected by his own committee) is an
autocrat. If ne refuses to call his COM
mittee together there is no remedy;
nor if the chairman pockets a bill that
is presented to the committee or re-
fuses to have 1t discussed. In the
present Congress a chairman dared to
withhold a bill which his own commit
tee had by a majority approved, with
Il direction that 1t be submitted He
was not even hung, to say nothing OF
not being expelled.
Is II seniority?
Here we strike the bed rock of the
present troubles OF Congress and the
same thing prevails in the State Legis-
latures on a smaller scale because of
the more frequent changes in person.
nell The seniority principle, that the
eldest man must precede the best man,
applies In the United States only in
the army the Senate and House and
the highly organized trade unions. I'm
der that principle. when a man gets on
a good committee he goes up from
Congress 10 Congress, as vacancies ap-
pear, until with the important condi-
ton that he is member of the major
ity) he claims the chaira' nship as his
right
Seniority has a reason in the army.
Without the opportunity of higher pay
and responsibility the good officers
would all resign in middle life and go
into professions or business, but there
is no seniority when It comes to choos-
ing the commander in chief. The
United States in 1912 tried the expert
ment OF putting old Revolutionary Of
ficers at the head of armies. and II
was never repeated. Seniority rule in
a legislative body is rank foolishness.,
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Foremost Men Seldom
Legislative Leaders

There is no denying that legislative
bodies need leaders. 1t is the business
of democracies to develop leaders. JEFF
ferson, Jackson, Lincoln and Roose-
welt all pointed the way to a policy
intended to make the different parts
of the system of government act to-
gether. Congress has tried various
systems. 1t has never been much
under the sway of its greatest men.
John Randolph and Webster and Cal
houn and Seward and John Sherman
were never legislators. They were
arousers, debaters, orators, persuaders.
Clay was the only framer of wondrous
statutes that settled great controver-
sizes.
And Clay was also the first and one
of the greatest, of the Speakers Of the
House of Representatives who from
1911 to 1911 were the chief centers OF
The New York herald., 1922-10-01

Copyright, 1879, by THE NBw YORK HDaAbp.
..~ OvERNMENT Of the people
by the people. for the peo-
- ple." Noblest of sentiments
in twelve words describing the source,
the method and the aim of popular
government!
A Congress OF the United States in
almost continuous session for ten
months, and only one statute of great
national Importance embodying a
policy, as yet inscribed upon the
statute book
What is the matter? Lots of good
folks will say it's no matter; that
there Is too much legislation, too much
debate. too many acts of Congress, and
King Log in the Capitol instead OF
the King Stork that was so liberal
with war measures.
That idea is a part of the criminal
good nature of the American people.
swho have a sneaking belief that weak
tand poor public servants at least do
20 harm. Harm is always done in an
advancing country if nothing is done
by the officials appointed thereto. 1t
you have 4 weak Governor or Mayor
or chairman of the school board
things are done just the same, only
they are done by somebody else than
the official. Bosses do things, private
secretaries do things, office boys stick
the wrong bill under the Mayor'spen.
Weak government is a big. positive
strong Influence. not alone toward in
efficiency but leading straight to the
bold and cynical efficiency of invisible
eoVernment
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Abfest Man Unlikely
To Become Chairman

The only reason for having commit
tee chairmen at all is that you need
the ablest and most wide awake man
to run the business of the committee
and to present its results TO Congress.
The seniority rule makes II next TO
impossible that the ablest man on the
committee would be it's head. Hence
the extraordinary weakness of Con-
gress, particularly in the House, where
some of the most important committee
chairmanshlps are in the hands of
weak men. Whatever the merits or
defects of Mr.. Fordney, for example,
II does not seem likely that the House
as a whole or the Republican majority
of the House would ever have selected
him to engineer a tariff bill. He did
not win the craftsmanship; he stepped
into IL Off his running board
Some publicists have urged that the
way TO give Congress pep" Is to scat
the members of the Presidsnt's Cab
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
President Disiikes
To Disappoint Others

President Harding has had a diff
ferent training. He has been a Sen
ator. He has been a Governor in a
State where the Governor has always
had limited power. He is a kind
hearted man who does not like to hurt
peoples feelings. He has expected
that the rousing Republican majority
The New York herald., 1922-10-01

met as talking guests on the floor OF
one or the other house. Anybody can
foretell the result; it would be a
shindy. For the members of the Cab
met are chosen without any regard
whatever for seniority. Every man
comes in at his own age and on his
own responsibility. What would hap
pen to the Nestors and solons and
Catos of the House and Senate COM
mittees if men like Hughes or Hoover
on Davis had the chance to express
their minds at them right on the ven-
Grated floor of Congress?
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Is 1t the Initiative
And Referendum Threat?

Some people think that legislators
and regular legislative work are break
ing down under the influence of the
initiative and referendum. The many
States of the Union that have never
introduced that method cannot show
a better, wiser, or buster legislature
than the referendum States. Nor have
those latter States been demoralized
by the /. and r. Oregon and Call
fornia are as pleasant to live in, as
free from oppression, and no more
prolific of taxes, than the rest of the
Union.
In Massachusetts, where the initia-
tive and referendum has been in force
FOR four years, it's principal service is
t. shake up the legislature with a
sense of what will happen if it does
not get busy, or gets too busy. In
general the 1. and r. is a rod in the
closet. If the Legislature is a good
boy it is not called into service.
The great complaint the country
over is not that the legislatures do too
little but that they do too much.
There is such an appalling food of
bills. bills, bills, and annual statutes,
volume after volume, and Qualifications
ard now s+o',rt "'hen on the top of
ali, Congress. pouring out laws like
straw blown 'ro'~ 'h~eshir~ wa
chine: and yet insanely economical of
laws that the whole community wants.
He'e is a county with, in States
and nation, 9S legislative houses, OF
which on the average at least so are
IT, session in any particular year. Not
one OF those great legislative bodies
is organized to be prompt and efficient.
The state lerislatures run from n lower
house of over 300 in New Hampshire
Zone of the smallest States in the
Union) to a Senate of 81 in New York
Congress has 435 Representatives and
96 Senator's II Is tremendous legis-
lation factory which feels that it's busi-
ness reputation depends on turning
out a big product.
All the state legislatures and city
councils are working on maximum
product also. The ordinary individual
Is governed by the laws of the United
States and the laws of his own State
and the laws Of his city and. of course.
by natural law and international law
and the moral law and the official golf
rules. OF almost none of these is he
aware. and some he is certain to break
knowingly or unknowingly. Hardly
grown man or woman in the land who
has not at some time violated some
Jaw the penalty OF which may be
Jail sentence.
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Blaine. Morton. Conkiing.
Among the Candidates

At the Republican National Con-
vention held in Cincinnati in June,
1870. the principal candidates for the
nomination for the Presidency we're
James G.. Blaine, Oliver p. Morton,
BENJAMIN II Bristow, Roscoe Conk-
ling and John +. Hartranft. It was
4 on this occasion that Col. Robert
G. Ingersoll, In presenting the name
Of James G.. Blaine. referred TO the
statesman from Maine as "a plumed
knight" In asking the convention
to confer the nomination upon the
Governor of Ohio Gen. Edward f.
Noyes spoke of certain aspirants as
"invincible in peace and invisible in
war" saying that Gen. Hayes not
only had no enemies but possessed
tho qualities calculated to compro-
mise all difficulties and to soften all
antaEonism." On the seventh ballot
Hayes received 3S4 votes to Blaine's
S5I. and Hayess nomination was
made unanimous.
Gen. Hayes stood feet inches
in height, and when nominated for
tho Presidency weighed between $50
and 100 pounds. His friends declared
at that time that he could jump
any fence upon which he could lay his
hands, that he was a splendid horse
man and good shot and that he
could cut a good swath In any
granger's meadow Roscoe Conkling
said that Gen. Hayes was a man Of
very estimable character, n man Of
the finest domestic relations and So
cal qualities. of unblemished record,
spotless In his integrity. modest. reti-
cent and quiet. but for all that a man
Of great flrmness." Charles A. Dana
Of THE New YoRK Sun conceded that
Hsyes's record as Governor Of Ohio
was without flaw or spot
In his letter of acceptance Gen.
Hayes declared In favor Of a single
Presidential term, urged resumption
OF specie payments and expressed the
hope that It would be practicable to
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Two House System Not
A Success in the States

n SuCCeSS IN fne StdrcS
The national two house system is
Well built, because the power in the
Senate is so distributed geographically
through the equality of the small
States with the large that the Senate
cannot be stampeded by the votes of
any section, or of a group of a large
State. The two houses of the State
Legislatures are made up of the same
kind of men coming from the same
areas representing the same voters.
Ten good bills are killed by disagree
ment of the two houses to one bad bill
that is hung up. Yet you might as
we'll try to dry up Niagara Falls by a
canal across Illinois as to put an end
to the two house system. 1t is part of
our heritage.
We speak of the House of Repre-
sentatives as though it were one body
in which measures were introduced,
discussed or their merits, and voted
according to the best judgment of the
majority The House and the Senate
are in fact both loose federations of
two political parties with few inde-
pendent and fragmentary parties.
Congress Is ike Two uOuDle stars,
each with satellite Or rather, the
majority in each Is star around
which the minority party has to re-
volve.
Doubtless many bills, especially
private bills, go through Congress on
the influence of the members who
stand sponsor for them. On many
unimportant bills and also many very
important measures. there is no record
Of any decision other than a voice
vote. Probably three-fourths of the
bills that get through Congress could
be stopped at some stage by the OBJ
lection of one man; but woe to him
who makes himself the unlicensed
agent of the Almighty by objecting
right and left!
The New York herald., 1922-10-01

speeches in that notable body, which
then included such men as Thaddeus
Stevens and John A. Bingham. He
was elected Governor of Ohio in 1867.
In 1869 he was reelected, and in 1875
he won for the third time the Guber-
material contest. scoring a great vic
tory for hard money. His chief rivals
for the Governorship OF his native
State were the great Democratic lead
ers Allen G. Thurman, George II. PEN
dleton and William Allen. While
chief executive Of the State Cen.
Hayes made reductions In the debt
of the commonwealth. lowered the
rate of taxation, established impor-
tant State institutions and fostered
such as were already functioning.
The New York herald., 1922-10-01

parties. Shall we say Senator Lodge,
Senator Smoot and Senator Who?
This committee has no official
status, keeps no records and you can
only guess its existence as you would
guess submarine on the bottom by
the oil bubbles coming up. The real
work of Congress is done-we will not
say in secret--let US use the less dis
agreeable words, "in private" The
great decisions are not really made
by majoritles voting on the floor of
the two houses. but by understand
ings and agreements and combines
made by a few members Of the two
houses who do not give out their
names for publication.
The people of the United States,
like other intelligent people, want to
know who their great men are and
what they are doing. Also, like other
active folks. they enjoy good
fight, particularly between intellect
ual champions. They want real de-
bate, not a lot Of obscure political
deals made in sealed committee rooms
and thrown into Congress as the only
way of reaching results.
That is why great numbers OF peo-
pie who no personal affection
for Senator Borah and Senator Hiram
Johnson and Senator La Toilette, do
greatly enjoy 1t when those states
men slam their opponent. Who would
pay money for a fight where all
that you saw or heard was scuffling
behind the scenes, till somebody comes
out and announces that he has licked
his opponent to finish?
Public Seeks Eagerly
Men of Roosevelt Type
Be not deceived, The wanted so
luton Of democracy In a great world
state is to give the people a chance
TO find a big man. They want some
body of the Roosevelt type and don't
care whether he came from the stoke
hole or the purser's office or the Of
ficers' wardroom, and put him on the
bridge and bid him steer.
II you can't have Speaker or
committee chairmen who can make
other people at least consider them,
you always have a President. There
have been some weak executives, such
as President Pierce, who used to take
a poll of his Cabinet and govern him
self according to the majority. The
country has known some typical rep
resentative go ahead, follow-me-boys
Presidents.
Jefferson made no public speeches,
but somehow Congress never but once
refused to pass into law what his in
innate friends suggested. Andrew
Jackson defed a hostile Congress for
six years and finally got one that
would take his leadership. Lincoln
was one of the consummate masters
of managing Congress. Grover Cleve-
land in his first Administration put
himself at the head of Congress as he
did at the head of the nation. Four
successive Presidents. Mckinley,
Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson, drew up
measures which Congress reluctantly
enacted: and the last three of them
were not afraid to sound their trum-
pets over the heads of Congress into
the ears of the people at large.
President Disiikes
To Disappoint Others
President Harding has had diff
ferent training. He has been a SEN
ator. He has been a Governor in a
State where the Governor has always
had limited power. He is kind
hearted man who does not like to hurt
paopla'o faa1tpua TJe has exnecfed
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Planned TO Diminish
The Scramble for Office

Now for civil service reform"
wrote the President in his diary April
%, 1877. Legislation must be pre-
The New York herald., 1922-10-01

State and Marty" WEIGH on the night
Of the big dinner in Gloucester after
we got home.
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Professor Hart Points to the Ineffi-
cheney Of Legislative Bodies, With
Their Flood of Bills, and Thinks
Members Are No Longer Demo-
cratic in Spirit
BY ALBERT BUSHNELL HART,
Professor of Government in Harvard University.

cause most of the colonies had kline
of upper house; and also because the
trainers of the first State Constitutions
thought small State Senates would be
likely to feel more regard for prop.
erty and precedent than, a popularly
elected Assembly.
The New York herald., 1922-10-01
By WILLIAM B. THOM.

IN Wednesday October 4. will be
celebrated the one hundredth
anniversary of the birth of
The New York herald., 1922-10-01

"WO years ago the city of Hall
fax. seeking big feature for
- their carnival week, invited
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-05-04

past sisvsni the inquest vas Al
twelve.
lie was able 70 notice thinxa For
years turning tho handle and enter
ing this house had been like entering
an empty habitation. IL struck cold
now. IL was like entering a tomb.
lie went into the morning room. No
one was there. Hs went into the
kitchen. No one was there. He stood
stu and tried TO think OF course
no ons was here. Effis had killed
herself. lie climbed TO his room. stiil
awkward on stairs with his leg and
stick, and went in and stood before
his books and stared at them. He
was still staring when II occurred 90
him that II had grown dusk since he
first entered and stared. Effis had
killed herself. lilo went out and
along tho passage 20 her room and
entered and stared upon tho bed. Ef-
fls had been found dead. This was
where they had found hsr--daaf.
No. II was gone; he could not get
hold OF Il. Ito turned and stared
about tho room. Things seemed TO
nave B<<u thkrU out u INV tVVht-
The man had said something about
a glass and q bottle. But there was
no glass or bottle hero. They had
taken things out OF the room. And
they had taken Effie out Of the room
picked up Effie and carried her out
ilks Am orgesm OF terrible emo
ton sursed enormously within him;
. hnrotino thinn was In hIa throat
No. II was gone. What phenomenon
had suddenly possessed him7 What
was tho mstter7 Effis had killed
herself. No. he could not get hold
OF Il. He turned away and began TO
wander from room TO room. In some
he III lights because you naturally
III lights when II was dark. All night
he wandered from room to room.
rarely sitting down. All night his
mind CROPPED with outstretched hands
for that which all night eluded II.
CONTINUED Tomorrow
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-05-04

fWtf P,VPfcs
YES" answered the dove IN a
voice 80 low they could scarcely
h~ar.
Funny people begnn to appear on
the road--sii OF them sturing hard
AZ the strangers. with queer. green.
ish eyes, and having boards ss green
as wire. grass.
"WiIl you tell us which OF tho
buildings II King verdo's palace?"
Nick asked one OF the queer people.
TITS ths bandsomest house on
tho abandonment street in the hand.
soonest city Of the handsomesi coun.
try In the world" was the modest
reply. go right ahead. You can't
mistake H."
80 the three Of them kept on.
Beauty is all n matter Of opinion
but II any one had asked tho Twins
what they thought Of ver,iure vile
when they came 10 a.. ts.ey would
have said II was the ugliost city I'm
the world and that King verdo'a
palace was the ugiieat house In n.
ITO Iie Continued
Copyright 1922. by Seattle Star,
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-05-04

Jack was due for dinner. looked
down the street. hoping 10 rec him
turn the corner. then 10 wave to
him M usual. then % run TO my 1T.
tie kitchen and put thu finishins
touches TO the meal.
A city mixture OF rain and smoks
spoiled my view. But the Opaque
spring fog could not dopress me.
Nothing could make me gloomy. I
had not finished my first month OF
wtfehood. My three weeks honey.
moon was over. but my first week AS
a bousekeeper was not ended.
! turned from the gathering gloom