Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-04
HASKLN'S
LETTER
a CONGRESSIONAL KINDER
GARTEN
Nv HFradnpic HaGI.in

ing features atJenudnI upon tHe De-
| ginning of the new congress. OF
course 1t was not called by such an
undignified name. On the contrary
it was designated by the impressive
and sonorous title of symposium" "
However, it was in reality nothing
more nor less than a Kindergarten
a school for beginners-where the
new members received instruction in
the rudiments of being national leg
islators.
There are more than a hundred
noyitiates in the new House. These
are members who have not served in
previous congresses. and who, pre-
sumptively, are not thoroughly in
formed as to what is expected of
them in their new jobs. what they
can do. and how to set about doing
it. They could learn all this by ex-
perienoe in the course of few weeks
or months, but William Tyler Page.
clerk of the House, offered them a
short cut to knowledge. In a let
ter addressed to all of them he said:
More or less correspondence dur
ing the recess with newly elected
members, who were not members of
a previous congress, concerning their
privileges and prerogatiyes. suggests
that 1t might be helpful II they could
meet me and hold an informal SYM
postum before congress eonvenes.
"Such an occasion would also
afford an early opportunity to be-
come better acquainted, and there
fore extend to you very cordial in
vitation to meet your fellow new
members of the sixty-eight con-
gress.'
The meeting was held I'm the hear
ing room of the house Office build
ing the night before the party eau
cusses or conferences were called
and was largely attended. The new
members had learned that q similar
symposium held prior 20 the open
ing Of the sixty-sersnth ecn gTeSs had +
proved decidedly helpful - 1Es os-
girners N that House ard Ihsy ,1sl
70 time In enrolling Themselves Il
Mr rAEe-s Sr1c1t- Sc1s - than
were 3 81. GzEEs-. a. 6r1 zEs
others manifested rF1ac51Ect Ehc1s
admitting that TIER -ss,6st azsgrzt-
.l1E. eas as-sz = E5Vlc=A4ze sxrlAz-
a.cEr stz-s fran Mr- Fzre rktr -
tsre1 salc The xrzr51 az ~ r.el1szrlz
and proceeded = make .hs must -
the r7rs1-1uEizF - ger z1szAlz1s,z.
1o5 n-1F z-1h eAeh r1Ast. RI IN 7hs
1e1AL1z g 1As-E REV .cAS
ZAtF foU-t III Page n exrez-
sinuaslF sfft5srf 4rsz-latzSr- lie h1f
hFen identified 15.h shs Er-ass -
gA Il-zsz l3or fer u1us 1Aaz fsrgT TsErs
having started Is nIEz = zhs 1zlet
az The clerk lz 1881 ard WhEz ~
does znz krcW 111u1 lEss zrzAas. -rzsa-
la75rns- 5u1ias- and raszssr1satilz.l -
o. . suessuu2z = uct Ec--1a WossT-
Ing about
MAnF rtrp7exlzE Qasssz9ns ra1-
front a 1sw uatunaEr q ihs EoEss
ore q ths FIRST ot thsss : as 10 huW
ne nay obtain fhR 6cuE % make :
suearh. for the 1rst-rerruer inVErzz-
hly has ~ le2sz ene h3E s2sszH TIA.
he wants to Sc of hss chest A.
ihe earliest opportunity he Naafs
10 demonstrate 70 his Constituents
that he Is or the 100 azE re has
some views on public ques.suls Lhat
he thinks should be heraIded e.
the country. To MS surprise he DIS
covers ina. no matter how much re
may want 10 make = speech he can
not do 50 unless the powers that bs
are willing. He may clamor for
recognition until he IS hoarse. bur
Il he has rot arranged with the pre-
siding officer. with the fioo- leader
of his parry, or with the committee
chairman n cha re OF wha-aVer leg-
tslatiVe matter lnlaE be 5et1rs the
House, ihat he l. o have a certain
allotted time, he will clamor in vain.
Indeed, he can not even get leave
to print" which means having
speech published in the Congress
sional Record without having acru-
ally delivered it on the floor of the
House, unless he has arranged TO be
recognized just long enough to make
his formal request and unless there
is unanimous consent that that poor
boon be granted him.
As a matter ef fact there is 4 sort
of unwritten rule on Cal itol Hill To
the effect that new representatives
should be seen and not heard. and
the sooner the newcomers learn
that and decide to conform 10 It the
easier they find it to get along and
accomplish modicum of what they
came to Washington TO do.
Other questions thac bothered Mr..
Pages kindergarten class were as 10
how much patronage each member
is allowed and how to get it, and
how committee assignments are se-
cured, Some of them even had to be
told how to address the presiding
officer of the Houss---that is, when
he is to be addressed as MIR.
Speaker and when as MIR. Chair
man. for the House. sitting as the
House, and sitting as a committee
of the whole" are two entirely diff
ferent propositions.
Champ Clark, of Missouri, who
had the distinction OF being elected
to the speakership in four success
sive congresses, a record which has
been equalled only by Uncle Joe
Cannon. of Illinois, and Andrew
Stevenson, of Virginia, in an address
to the new members of the sixty
third congress on 1.-The Making of a
Representative" told them that I
man has to learn to be a representa-
tive, just as he must learn to be a
blacksmith. a carpenter, a farmer,
an engineer. a lawyer, or doc;or
"A congressman must begin at the
foot of the class and spell up" said
Mr.. Clark. "of course, the more
brains, tact, energy, courage, and in
dustry he has the quicker he will
get up. If he possesses these quail
ties, and if his constituents will keep
him in the House, he is as certain
to rise as the sparks are TO fly up
ward. No human power can keep
him down"
Mr.. Clark also had a message of
hope and encouragement TO new
members who do not get the conf