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Show NOT PRACTICAL. Champ Clark's bump of humor is visible again, for tho first time since he made a few pleasant remarks concerning the annexation of Canada which caused so much excitement north of the international inter-national boundary line. The speaker is desirous of speeding up the work of congress in order to clear the legislative legisla-tive slate, and for that purpose be is willing to attempt the elimination oi useless oratory by cutting down gallery space and abolishing the Congrc.siona. Record. He has also gone upon record as favoring tho introduction of voting machines. We do not know that there is so much "playing to the gallery" as there used to be iu the days gone by, for the reason that real orators are scarce in both hous'.1 and senate at the present time. Yet we suppose there are some tiresome and lung-winded talkers who puff themselves up with the idea that they are making a favorable impression on the galleries, and continue to saw the air long after they have exhausted all the information they have upon the subject under discussion. But it is no certain thing they would desist even were the galleries empty, for the ordinary ordi-nary bore needs but few listeners once ho gets started. The abolition of the Congressional Record would hinder rather than help the object Speaker Clark has in view. Under the present arrangements members mem-bers who wish to make an impression upon their constituents ask for "leave to print," which means that their speeches appear upon the pages of the Congressional Record without having been delivered. These speeches are intended in-tended for consumption in the rural districts, dis-tricts, and if the members wore not given leave to print, a great many of ' them would occupy the time of the house in stating their views on the bare chance of getting a line in the press reports.- Speaker Clark also favors fa-vors reducing the membership of the house from 435 to 300, and holding it at the latter number. There might be some advantage in making the reduction, but there is no chance that such a proposition proposi-tion would secure serious consideration at the hands of congress. As a matter of--fact, it is probable that a bitter fight would be made over a proposal to fix the number of representatives at 435, but as the matter will not come up until after the next census is taken, Speaker Clark can very well afford to allow it to rest until that time. |