Evening star., 1946-05-19
Capital Sidelights
By Will P. KennedU.

In the early days of Congress, ora.
torical members, especially the brilliant
but long-winded John Randolph of
Roanoke, Va, vexed their colleagues by
frequent and extended speeches. On
March 26, 1920, Randolph spoke more
than four hours on the Missouri bill and
on April % of the same year Represent
atlVe Stevenson Archer of MARYLAND
proposed rule that no member should
speak longer than an hour at time,
ana that no question should be dis
cussed over five days, but this proposed
rule was not acted upon. In 1922 Rep
resentative John Cooke of Tennessee.
again proposed the hour curb, but it
was not adopted. Again, in 1923, Rep
reSentatlve William Halle of Mississippi
reviewed the tediousness of debates but
failed to get limit accepted. On March
l, 1888. Representative Frank E. Plum
mer OF Mississippi so wearied the House
in the closing hours of the Congress that
repeated attempts were made to take
him off the floor and there was serious
disorder.
On the motion of Representa- tive Lott
Warren of Georgia. July 6. 1s41, the first
rule for the purpose was adopted, and
. on June H. l842, on motion of Repre-
sentative Benjamin S. CoWen of Ohio, it
was made one of the standing rules of
the House when unlimited debate
caused the greatest danger to bills in
the Committee of the Whole. This rule
that no member should occupy more
than one hour in debate on any ques-
tion," often has been attacked-notably
by Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri in
his Thirty Years View" and by Repre-
sentative Clement L. Vallandigham of
OHIO at the time of the revision in 1860,
three years before he was arrested by
the Union military authorities for trea-
sonable utterances and was banished to
the Confederate States.
During these wild-cry days of threat
ened imitation and far-fiung propa-
sanda to avert a financial panic with
the Wolf! Wolff" pack in full cry, some
OF the sober men in Congress are coun-
selling their more affrighted colleagues
that often these forecast calamities are
really not so imminent or colossal as
they are imagined to be- Some of the
elder statesmen in Congress are recall
ing two less-than "a -month-apart illus
trations of 33 years ago In March,
1918, great storm had swept the Ohio
Valley, with the city of Dayton special
sufferer. The banks of that community,
after the flood had subsidized, feared to
reopen their doors. On April the Citi-
zens' Relief Committee wired the Treas
ury Department. Within "a hours on
the recommendation of a national bank
examiner the Federal Department des-
ignated every national bank in Dayton
Government depository, with the Gov
ernment ready to ship in S2,000,OO0 Of
Government funds. Confidence was re-
stored, the banks reopened and there
was call for only sl82 900 of the antici-
pated $2,000,000.
When special session of Congress
was convened on April 7, 1913, to con-,
slider currency and tariff reforms, pan
demonium Of unrest pervaded business
circles. To relieve anxiety, to pull the
teeth OF threatened restriction of credit,
to assure the country that there was an
unjustif1able false alarm, the Treasury
announced that there was on hand
$500 900 in new national bank note.
currency to be shipped to any and all
banks complying with the requirements
under the Aldrich-Vreeland Act of May
30, 1so8-and none OF this money was
applied for by the banks.
The wiser heads in Congress are ad-
vising: Don't be stampeded by false
alarms and propaganda"