The New York herald., 1922-10-01
Political and Social Rank
BY w. TOWNSEND.

lates precedents which have almost the
force of rules adopted by resolution and
printed in a book That can be Illustrated
by an unimportant incident which occurred
in the House one day over which members
afterward laughted, but in itself it pre-
sented puzzle in mental phenomena
which members afterward discussed with
serious interest.
Understanding of the drama will be aided
by a rough sketch of the stage setting;
The House was in Committee of the Whole,
a parliamentary status so nearly like ses-
sion of the House that during committee
sessions many gallery visitors suppose that
they are witnessing regular session.
rule of the House requires that certain
classes of bills, chiefly tax and appropria-
ton bills, shall have consideration by the
Committee of the Whole. After a motion
has been adopted to go into such com
mittee the Speaker designates member
to preside as chairman and then for hours
the proceedings appear to be session OF
the House, except that there is no vote by
ayes and nays and that a chairman in
stead of the Speaker presdes. There is
lates to stage setting. AS the Speaker de-
scends the steps of the rostrum an assist
ant sergeant -at-arms lifts the mace from
it's pedestal and stands it on the floor by
the side of a chair he occupies at the
foot of the rostrum steps. Messages from
the President of the United States and
from the Senate can be received only by
the House in session, and these messages
are sent at the convenience of the senders,
not of the addressee-the House. There
fore. while the House is in Committee of
the Whole it frequently happens that a
messenger, say from the White House, ap-
pears at the north door of the chamber
opposite the Speakers desk. AS he does
so an official touches an electric push but
ton which notifies the Speaker; the door
keeper advances up the center aisle ana
stands by the messengers side; the CHAIR
man announces, "The committee Will rise
to hermit the House to receive message
from the President" The Speaker enters
the chamber and as the chairman descends
the steps from the rostrum the Speaker
ascends and stands at his desk as the as
sistant sergeant-at-arms replaces the mace
on it's pedestal. The doorkeeper then an
nounces. Mr.. Speaker, message from the
President of the United States
The messenger says. Mr.. Speaker
The Speaker says. Mr.. Secretary"
Then the messenger drones his message.
that the President has signed bills num-
Der so and so. and so and so-or what
ever he may have to communicate, bows
and departs.
Now all this is a routine with which the
members are familiar in which they have
no interest. which gives them few min
utes in which to look over newspapers or
letters. or to gossip; a welcome breathing
spell interjected, perhaps, into warm de-
bate. The whole formality goes through.
one supposes, without thought Of or notice
by members; but one day the assistant
sergeant-at- arms, his mind engulfed in
sport news page, neglected to raise the
mace. the outward and visible sign that
the Speaker presides, the House is in ses-
sion.
Suddenly there arose from a dozen parts
of the chamber startled whispers, THE
macei The mace," Then from every part
of the floor the cry rose, and in it one
could detect the accent of alarm: The
mace. The mace is not up"
Now. observe; those men, the score. the
hundred. who joined in that cry were not
interested in the formality - were, one
might think unconscious of it, they were
gossiping, reading, whatnot, but sudden
uneasy consciousness that the mace,
two thousand year old symbol of legisla-
tive authority little changed in form since