| Show looking in on congress from the house gallery WHAT THE HOUSE IS LIKE by congressman GUY U HARDY copyright 1922 western newspaper paper union when I 1 was a boy I 1 heard a story of three blind men N who ho were taken to see an elephant they were led up to the animal 1 7 I 1 and each felt the first part lie he came cama in contact J with and went t 1 away in describing it af afterward tenNard one of the blind men said that an elephant was like a rope he having felt the tall another said eald it was more like a L palm leaf fan he having baving felt its ear and the third said saia it did not resemble either but was a big flat object something like a stone wall covered with a leathery skin with some hair on it each was speaking from his own onn point of view ana telling only of 0 what lie had seen or rather felt it is that way with many things in life we see only a very small part parl yet haung haning seen that we think that wo we are competent to judge describe and criticise criticism critic ise an hour or two in the gallery would certainly give one a very lopsided view of congress yet many conic come look on for a few moments and go away to tell of congress as they have seen it a good deal as the blind men told of the elephant and with fully as much accuracy if you were a casual caller in the gallery you might find the alie house full of members or only half full or even een xyth TV ath only a few dozen present you might find it doing routine business and as quiet and placid as a summer calm or excited to fever heat by a partisan discussion between party leaders or in a storm of agitation over a question of personal privilege or the exercise of personal rights the house has haa its ita varying woods moods as human beings have sometimes it works doing business rapidly and as smoothly as clock work and sometimes everything tiling seems to be on edge and everybody ou on his nerves when oue one c could hardly get an amendment through to dot an T 1 or cross a t without a fight and a roll call cannot always 71 ays be on the floor members need not sit on the floor all the time they have much to do besides much of the business of congress Is transacted in the committees the major committees are composed of from 21 to 35 members each some of the committee meetings are as important and formal BS as the ine meeting eting of a state senate and with about equal membership members Mp committees are frequently meeting while the house Is in session there is also much dofice ol 01 ilce work tp be done and members take advantage of every lull in proceedings to catch up with their office work there Is always departmental work to be taken care of but members ns as a rule do not go down town in the afternoon when the house Is in session most members stay within reach of the roll call signals whether your member Is on the floor or not you may depend upon it that lie he knows pretty well what is going on and can easily be reached when lilg his presence Is required the greatest safeguard is thrown about legislation to keep anyone from putting something over much is done by unanimous consent when a single nie member niber can object and stop or stay proceedings A member may at any time question the presence of a quorum and if the speaker does not find a quorum present by actual count the roll Is called signal bells ring in the corridors restaurant and house office building so that members may appear and answer to their names whenever a member Is fearful that something will be done which lie he want done except by consideration of the in whole hole house lie can raise the question of a a quorum anda and a quorum must be secured before business Is further considered A quorum in the house consists of a majority of its membership there are members when all are alive and there are no vacancies althou although gli there are often two or three va vacancies can cles on account of death or resignation so it usually requires or members to make a quorum when the house Is doing business as the committee or the whole members make a quorum rum reasons for demanding a quorum the point of no quorum Is malsed often because a member wants a full attendance when nhen uie tiie question before alic house bouse is 13 considered it Is raised sometimes bec because some one present wants a good audience for an important speech it Is raised occasionally merely in order to delay the gawe and la Is resorted to by the minority to use up the time and postpone or defeat legislation eliat cannot be defeated by a majority vote it Is frequently used when ihen a filibuster is in progress and sometimes the roll Is coved six or eight dines a lay day As it nutres 35 or 10 40 mIj iules to cull call the roll it can be seen liow how a few roll calls will bloc the business of the day occasionally the point of no quorum till ie be raised out of spite A member ney ary desire some time to speak and those in charge of the time may feel that they have none at their disposal or for some reason do not wish to yield the gentleman time the gentleman with a grievance may conclude that lie he will block the business of the house for a time by causing a roll call I 1 have seen a member state frankly on the floor that if he cannot get the time desired he will feel it his duty to raise the question of a quorum some times the gent gentleman lewan la in control of the time will give in and yield the time desired and sometimes he will call the other gent lemans bluff these incidents do not occur very often once la in a while a little filibuster Is resorted to by the minority or by an obstreperous member who wants to force consideration of some special matter then the roll calls come thick and fast one day the committee on oa rules tried to get a rule adopted gly ing four hours for debate on a certain bill the minority took a notion to block the game and it took a day and a halt half of roll calls to get the rule passed some bills are passed by the majority of those present without a roll call but any member can always demand a quorum and it if a quorum Is not present a roll call on the bill automatically mati cally follows and even it if a quorum is present twenty per cent of those present can always demand and secure a roll call on any proposition too much talking of course there Is much unnecessary talking in the house bouse nobody realizes that so much as those who have to be present and listen to much of it the same thing Is true wherever men and women con congregate gregath especially where they meet to consider matters of 0 public concern As a reporter I 1 have sat up past midnight listening to rambling unnecessary talk over some trivial matter at a small town council meeting where only eight or nine members had bad to agree on a policy some freedom must be given to those who want to talk some opportunity must be given for all sides to be heard it requires consideration and explanation and talk sometimes to get many minds to look at the subject la in the same way there is too much unnecessary talk in the house but I 1 do not see how it could be eliminated who Is to say ii cihat hat talk may be made and what ta talk lk shall not be made who Is so wise that he may be set up its as a censor it Is not so bad in the house as in the senate in the senate there Is no limit on debate in the house debate Is always limited usually to one or two hours occasionally to four hours and perhaps twice lit in recent years to 12 hours on very important measures congress is often criticized criticised for being slow in doing business of course it Is blow it is made up of human beings of many minds they come from all parts of a great country stretching from the atlantic to the pacific the representatives represent peoples and communities as diversified and as far apart in thong thoughts lits and interests as aa they are in distance it requires time for these representatives of these vail ow ous minds and interests to weigh and consider and amera and whip into shape and finally agree upon proposed legislation that Is to be written tor for a hundred and ten millions of people and may run tor for all time it necessarily tanes time for a majority of members to be brought to ses see things alike this is one of the necessary results of a republican form forin of government it Is not so in an autocracy it Is not so in russia there you get quick action by a decree from the autocrats the lands are confiscated by a decree an thing can be done quickly but by parliamentary procedure it takes time for just and due con consideration sidel but after all congress Is not so slow as compared with other governing bodies in a republic consider your own city cou council lour on olin board of county commissio commissioners your own state legislature who has not tried for years and years to got get a certain street light placed a street crossing lied fixed up a city street cut through a 11 city park established the city streets paved a count country ry road defined or a bridge built or this or that law amended clinn changed ged repealed or passed let that individual who lias has never seen these song long delays in getting worthy propositions put through the governing body at home where every member knows the conditions like ilke a book throw the first rock nt at congress |
