The Ordway new era., 1922-09-29


he was unique member Of tha hnn.''
In that, during all of thar tIma ha
never let one or his speeches appear In
the Congressional Record. since as.
Stunning leadership and speaking for
the party he lets his speeches % in
The gentleman by his side Is Pinis
Garrett of Tennessee, who acts as as.
sistant minority leader. Mr. Gsrratt
Is In his ninth term. He is a kasn
cutter, and can roast the Repub,ic.ns
ana their measures In more polished
clever and entertaining way tiun any
other member on his side of the house
Only Lady Representative.
Yes, the lady ON the floor Is u mem
ber. That Is Miss Alice NJ. Robertson
OF Oklahoma. the only lady member
ana the second woman to be elected
TO congress. She was born in Okla
homa W years ago. Her father was II
missionary to the Cherokees. Miss
Alice mas been teacher, postmaster
OF hrst-class Office at Muskogee. and
In recent years has conducted very
successfully the largest cafeteria In
pleased to term themselves. new
woman" She Is little old-fashioned
In way, for she stands by her con
victions and Is not easily influenced
by organizations outside of her state.
She was never u suffragist, and 1t may
seem an Irony Of fate that the only
woman In congress did not favor votes
for AIfsS To
member. She accepts things as they
are, asks no favOrs on account of her
sex and has more good horse sense
and Is less afraid to stand by her CON
yictions than are most of her fellow
members.
That old boy up in the press gallery
Is General Sherwood of Ohio. He was
Il member OF the Sixty-sixth congress,
but was retired by the landslide. Gen
eral Sherwood was elected to congress
as Republican In 1872, the year I'M
Gle Joe Cannon first came In. Then
ne came back in the SixtIeth congress
as Democrat and served II years,
The general is elghty-seven years of
age. When retired from congress he
took up newspaper work, his former
profession. When asked the other day
II he would run again he said: mo,
l can't afford 1t. l have got to work
now and lay up something for old age
But late newspaper reports indicate
that he may have changed his mind.
Net the Place for oratory.
Who are the orators of the house?
uoh tI..N t, nd tn NnI
many speeches in the house, but little
Oratory. | know several gentlemen
who are noted orators in their home
states whom l have never heard make
speech In the house. Those who
| have been used to swaylng the multi
tude with their oratory don't get very
| far with 1t In the house and soon be-
come disappointed in their audience
I must say the house Is not very
attentive listener. The members get
| fed up on speeches. They don't care
| for eloquence. What they want are
facts. Order Is not very good. Mem
bers come in and go out; they talk
and read; they listen If something of
Interest Is being said, but they are not
| sitting there for entertainment and
| fiowery speeches do not draw large au-
diences here.
A speaker Is often interrupted by
questions. Any member may rise at
any time and ask if the gentleman Will
Yield for a question. The gentleman
usually does Yield, and he often gets
his set speech badly punctured ana
comes out with fiat tire. Many mem-
bers read their speeches. President
| Wilson and President Harding When
appearing before congress, nave ai-
ways read their speeches, and Secre-
| tary Hughes read his great speech at
| the opening of the Limitation or arms
| conference. SO 1t Is not necessarily
sign of lack Of ability for man 10
read a speech. as 1t Is often done TO
guarantee accuracy. However, we
have plenty of orators for all occa-
sions and can furnish the country
with a good supply for the campaign
Do the men In congress today rank
IN to those Of the congresses or years
ago? Well, yes; think 30. If you
name YOUR ideals of other days your
list covers a hundred years. You are
endeavoring to compare this one con,
qress with fifty others. or course
do not care to back this congress
against the whole of American history
The congress is not made up OF e4-
merits or highbrows or bosses or super
mon We have no breed of ruling men
In this country. 1t Is made up Oh
nrattv good average of the citizenship
it representation who meet .neis !,
folks back home on common grouha
and do not tower too high above theih'