Evening star., 1951-10-21
Nicely Lombusts Verbosity in Senate IN

ISVSSs/ -~sss~~
The tollowing is the lecture
on uerbosity and loquacity aDliich
Senator Nicely, Democrat OF
West Virginia. deliuered to the
Senate yesterday:
Mr.. President, I want to invite
the attention of those present who
are not too thoroughly intoxicated
with their own verbosity to try
to protect themselves in the next
session of Congress from the hope
less affliction which we have been
suffering since the 31St day of
July, when we should have ad-
journed, under the law, and 60
home to ascertain what our con-
stituents wanted us to do and
to have an opportunity to absorb
some Of their wisdom and prud-
ence and to learn how we can
best serve them after the third
day of next January. r
On the famous trial of the great
Semitic issue, IF a man die shall
he live again." one of Jobs friends,
Gopher, on his cross examination
lof the afflicted patriarch. asked
this question: Should a man full
of talk be justified?
1t is an interesting reflection to
consider what a modern Gopher
would say if he had heard the
United States Senate since the
third day of last January, while
lit was constructing this hideous
edition of the Tower of Babel. I
think the judgment would have
been just as it was in the case of
Job, first by man, and then by
the Almighty Himself. The an
swer was no; a man should not
Ibe justified by talk.
79 Pages Per Senator.
Let me say, Mr.. President, that
while I, shall point out in a mo-
Iment the average number of pages
consumed in this monster with
the three hideous heads. irrele-
vance, loquacity and verboSity, the
average Senator has consumed
II79.1 pages. have consumed about
,I15h pages, so I am not going to
apologize for taking a few min
IuteS' time in suggesting that be-
tween now and next January we
declare a war against the wind
bags of the Senate.
Mr.. President, I hold in my
hand a copy of the Holy Bible.
1t is Gods description Of the
creation of the whole vast uni
verse. There is everything in it
from the tinieSt grain of sand to
the most stupendous star. 1t lays
down code of ethics not only for
the government of the 1SraeliteS,
but for the whole human race
until the end of time. This copy
is Winston's lawyers edition of
the Bible. I use the lawyers
edition because a large number
of members of the Senate are
lawyers.
Compares Bible Totals.
The total number of pages in
this Bible is 1,143. What do
Senators suppose is the number
of pages that informed us of the
wisdom and the opinions of the
Senators since the 3rd day of last
January? 1t is not thousand or
two thousand. I am referring,
now, only to pages which have
been consumed by Senators. I
have also subtracted the number
Of pages consumed by the calling
of rolls and quorums. The Senate
has not consumed 1.143 pages,
as the Almighty did when he laid
down his government for the
whole world. Senators have con-
sumed 1920. Their verbosity has
kept the Senate chained like
PrometheuS to the rock since
July, because in January we talked
and talked, in February we talked
and talked. In March and April
we did the same, and in May and
June we did the same. We did
not start to work until in the
middle of June. With the excep-
| ton of the committee presided
over by the distinguished and able
statesman from Georgia (Mr.
George, that of his colleague
(Mr, RusselD. the Armed Services
Committee, and the Committee
presided over by the Senator from
Tennessee (Mr. McKellar), with
the extraordinary work we all
know they had to do. there is not
committee which could not have
had all it's work done by the first
day Of May.
There is no reason on this earth
excepting the application of ver-
bosity and loquacity from morning
to night by men who are infatu-
ated with the sound of their own
voices. Narcissus was in love with
himself, and he looked at himself
until he died of starvation.
ScandalOus Abuse.
I have told the Senate what the
average number of pages of the
average Senator is: it Is over 70.
But there are members of the
Senate-and I mention no names.
and I want expressly to exclude
both the majority leader and the
minority leader, because there are
reasons why they must talk. They
are dragged into debates whether
they want to be or not. But there