Show fi r f Y y f l lY t 0 C CHEERS H E E R SJ f d' d th the J 1 i n y it r lr e W Cf j N i I o II if w y Ln f f o V W C r j f jr i Alt N fj r j M ip t X y i d r S K 4 4 J M 8 sq I IY Y By Speaker Longworth on wort In an Interview BACK in the early days of the Republic lie lic men believed that they inherited two chief responsibilities one toward their families and the other toward their Government They felt that they owed it to their country to serve its best interests in- in f in some official capacity and many of the outstanding names in our history did so at some personal sacrifice The present Speaker of the House of Representatives evidently inherited that tradition along with a goodly amount of the worlds world's goods and an honorable and proud lineage Not having to worry about his daily bread he therefore early in life set to work to serve his country accepting an inconspicuous position in inthe inthe the lower legislative body and filling it faithfully and tirelessly to the satisfaction satisfaction tion of his constituents The most conspicuous conspicuous con con- thing he ever did for a period of years was was to marry a Presidents President's daughter Alice Roosevelt about whom the fragrance of romance has persistently persistently persist persist- clung He was always amiable and elegant wearing spats dressing for dinner every night and cultivating his flair for playing play ing the violin But along with his rise to the highest honor the House of Representatives Representatives Rep Rep- can confer he has developed developed de- de a hobby His hobby is the House itself He is crazy about it In the outer and l larger of the offices in the Capitol assigned to the Speaker of the House there had already ass assembled assem- assem m- m bled a half dozen or more people to see Mr 11 Longworth though Congress was not yet in session Several young ladies were tactfully steering them in and out of the inner office with all courtesy and dispatch Though I 1 had been told that he was leaving by train immediately and though his telephone was persistent he be talked to me unhurriedly YES ES he was enthusiastic about the House of Representatives He knew that the legislative body was unpopular with the American people today just as various Congresses since the beginning of our national history had nad always been lie He realized that it was a favorite in- in don sport with a great many people to criticize and make fun of Congress and andI I flea ten it happened that the critics knew little of either the history or the work or ort the e houses and would be able to offer no concrete suggestions for its improve improve- meat Nevertheless after my twenty years of experience in the lower branch he said I am proud of the House of Representatives Rep Rep- and believe that today it more nearly measures up to the the stand standards stand stand- ards set for it by the makers of the Constitution Constitution Con Con- than at any time since its early history The caliber of the House is just as high today as s it was when I 1 first came cameto cameto to Congress twenty years ago if not higher Furthermore the confidence of the people of the country in the House of Representatives was attested in the thelast last ast election I think that confidence is the reason we showed up so well There were fewer changes in the personnel of the House at that time than ever before so far ar as I 1 can find out In addition n to retaining the respect of the people of the country the House has within re recent ent years come back into possession of its a ancient power power- over revenue and appropriations When the Constitution was written the fathers of our our country gave the power over the P to the House to balance the treaty making power given the Sen- Sen ate T The e Senators were to be Ambassadors Ambassadors dors from their States and the of the House were more accurately the true representatives of the will of the people Though the two branches of Congress Congress Con Con- gress theoretically were intended to have coextensive and equal powers in Y JUST as the American people today reflect thet the in ingredients g which have g go one e T into the melting pot of of a new ra roc e s says ays the Hon Nick Longworth so Congress reflects the soul of the Nation It is is proba- proba I J bly no better and probably no worse than the 1 general run of Americans Its enormous powers over the national revenues controlled by a budget and safeguarded from interference by strict rules has brought it back to a prominence which has made i it t a greater forum for the expression of popular opinion It is a training school for statesmanship in in that leaders for high political economic economic and administrative administrative ad- ad l positions are constantly being recruited recruited re- re from its ranks Despite the Congress collects and expends greater an- an explosIOns of criticism our nual revenues than any Congress leads other business concern the world world as a a lawmaking in inthe the world and there there- body says the President fore it constitutes the t ti worlds world's bu bust bust- i largest t v ness institution w I f t tL I by g I operation the body which supervises supervises super super- vises or controls the collecting and spending spending spend spend- ing of the revenues of a Nation as wealthy and powerful as the United States is wielding tremendous power power- more perhaps than is couched in any anyone one other single privilege that could be conferred conferred con con- by the Constitution The country country coun- coun try is spending about four billions of dollars annually you know on departmental departmental depart depart- mental matters The treaty making power Ver is a tremendous tremendous tre- tre responsibility also and therefore therefore there there- fore the Senate has as was originally intended come to have more to do with the external or international relations of the country while the House has become become be- be come more nearly the arbiter of its internal internal in- in affairs When all is said and done as President President dent Coolidge has said in spite of all the criticism which often falls to the lot lotof lotof of Congress there is no more effective legislative body in in the world cc NOW OW the bright star of the House is L. L I in the The ascendancy body is ison ison on the threshold of a new era in which it is becoming the popular legislative branch of the Republic Its enormous powers over the national revenues controlled controlled con con- trolled by a budget system and safeguarded safeguarded safe safe- guarded from interference nce by strict rules has brought it back to a prominence prominence nence which has made it a greater forum for the expression of popular opinion Back ack in the early days men ambitious ambitious am- am for public service sought seats in the House because it afforded them opportunities of attaining public prominence prominence nence not afforded by the Senate James Madison said when he was a young man he could not afford to seek a seat in the Senate as he still had his hia reputation to tomake tomake make and nd he therefore came to the lower body of f Congress The history of our American governmental governmental gov- gov institutions shows that all the changes which have taken place in our political institutions have come about very slowly and the return of the House to its constitutional place though it has taken many years has kept pace with the desire of the public for it to hold that position But this should be said If our by g w. w J d t.- t. S k kt f W t s M I Mrs 1 Longworth had a thorough schooling as Alice Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose- Roose velt and she is reputed to be one of the most astute of raen political observers and Baby Paulina comes comes comes' along w to carry carry out family traditions public life has a foundation in the sovereignty of the people Y as as' as the makers of the Constitution originally intended it is right both psychologically and physically cally that the whole emphasis of power and prestige should be on the l lawmaking body of the Federal Government Govern Govern- Government ment and especially upon upon that branch of it which is composed compos d o of the direct representatives r pr of the people What types of men men compose the House of Representatives he was asked Why naturally th the same types of men one meets everywhere some everywhere some of them with excellent minds some of them mediocre in ability so some ne of them with vision others reflecting prejudices and animosities some of them dreamers and others othe s 's practical business men some with an American merican background and some s nc newcomers new new- comers COInerS to our shores B But t just as the American people today reflect t the e ingredients which have gone into the melting po pot of a new race so Congress reflects the soul oJ of the Nation It is probably rn no better and probably no worse than the tho general run of Americans Its intellectual and spiritual level is probably neither above nor below the level of the c constituents who sent them to the the legislative body In this respect ct it is s truly a reflection n of the composite mind of the people of the country Mr 11 of South Dakota Dakota Da- Da kota had a ready and apt ret the critic of C Congress which shows shows' that he too too feels feels' that reflections reflections of their th r Mr Citizen Citizen Citi- Citi zen he said if you you want to see who is responsible for what you consider your your legislative tive ills ills you o l dont don't have to come cometo cometo to W Washington ashington You can see him in y your ur mirror when you shave The House Hous has always been a living t thing ing a vital body changing with the tide of public sentiment expanding e intellectually intellectually in- in with the growth and development development develop develop- ment of the countr country It should be rem remembered too that despite the fact that there have always been members of mediocre ability in the House it has included in its membership some of the most mosE brilliant political politic in the history of the country and from its ranks today are const constantly being recruited recruited re- re men needed for high political economic and administrative positions It was in the House of Led by NICHOLAS LONGWORTH Speaker Speaker- o of f th the Mouse House o of f Representatives J t. r of Congress tives that Clay Calhoun and Webster found an outlet for their capabilities And the Congresses which knew Lincoln James G. G Blaine Reed Carlisle Randall and Uncle Joe Cannon for such a long period had their mediocre members But it was his work upon a tariff measure which he drafted in the House of Representatives Representatives Rep Rep- that put President McKinley McKinley McKin- McKin ley in the White House The members of the House looking at the body in its entire aspect though the individuals som sometimes times feel that some of their pet ideas and wants are sidetracked sidetracked side side- tracked in the great mass of legislation which comes before the body have confidence confidence con con- in themselves and pride in the importance of the measures which they must formulate And they take to heart seriously and earnestly the fact that in their hands rests the constitutional liberty liberty lib lib- erty of the country Does the House work efficiently he was asked Yes the House is businesslike business business- like in its methods of handling the work before it despite the many criticisms hurled at its head It collects and expends expends ex- ex greater annual revenues than any business concern in the world and therefore therefore there there- fore it constitutes the worlds world's largest business institution In a way it is quite comparable to the board of directors of a giant corporation corporation cor- cor in which every everyman man and woman in the country holds voting stock stock-a very large board it is true and perhaps a somewhat unwieldy one And its very size to some extent accounts for the various delays and minor inefficiencies of which we are so often accused We Weno Weno no longer smoke on the floor of the House or park our feet high in the air as it has been said that we once did THE HE House as a whole has many of the duties and of a aboard aboard board of directors of a corporation in addition addition ad- ad to many duties which never fall to totne the lot of the directors When one stops to realize the magnitude of questions involving such enormous expenditures as the soldiers soldiers' bonus the refunding refunding refund refund- ing ot of foreign war l loans ans internal taxation and the refunding of railroad railroad rail rail- road indebtedness one gets some idea of the stupendous issues which this national board of directors must pass pass upon Congress is of course not so flexible as a board of directors which might be reorganized at a flurry in the stock market its machinery of reorganization reorganization is complex and the worth of its members cannot be gauged by a flurry to in material values q 4 It might be possible to organize the House on a more efficient basis but that would require a great deal of work That excuse does not suffice perhaps but the inertia is natural Possibly we are following a few lew antiquated practices practice or we may even be said to have have our vices but who has not We Ve cannot meet our our- administration tion problems by thumb rule methods but we must act through the slow and cumbersome means of legisla- legisla tion This very slow motion in itself is a safeguard against hasty and unwarranted unwarranted un- un warranted action The House cannot issue orders as an executive does but must administer by statutes enacted once a year Its most potent stick with which to break the back of opposition to its laws is the check it holds on the purse purse- strings If an executive has in his organization organization or- or an incompetent tent or corrupt official he is at liberty to replace that official at a mom nt's notice Congress can only investigate and sometimes resort resort re- re sort to the slow and cumbersome machinery machin- machin cry ery of impeachment A BELIEF anal anU trust in the governing body of the Nation will do much to restore it to its old place of security while unjust and injudicious criticism strikes fundamentally at one of the basic principles of our our that Government of the people to choos the men who shall make the laws which govern them AsI As I have said the House is a true reflection of the American people not wholly good and not wholly bad sometimes sometimes some some- times weak and foolish and ing It reflects our national passions and sometimes our local prejudices as aswell aswell well as our virtues and ideals Much 1 might be said for the integrity of these men who have constantly to listen to clever agents of various individuals or groups More 1 than organizations have representatives in to Washington whose business it is to tempt Congress in various ways sometimes to do v what hat is worthy sometimes to do what is wrong And after all Congress is of the Fame came weak human flesh of which all of us are made As for myself I feel that it if itis is my first duty as presiding officer to induce the House so far as is possible to transact transact trans trans- act its business as promptly and efficiently efficiently effi- effi as possible I should like it to be beas beas as genuinely efficient an legislative organization or- or as it would be possible to tomake tomake make it Any improvement in the personnel of the House of Representatives or for that matter in public office anywhere can only come when able men show a willingness to work to endure hardships hardships hard hard- ships as well as the drudgery and unc uncertainty un- un I c certainty of campaigning and possibly to serve their country at t a |