Washington in Session:

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 698, 24 December 1909, Page 12

Washington in Session:

U THE METHODS OF CONGRESS. .jj As Washington'is the political-centre of the .United States, so the Capitol,' and its immediate Burfoundings, form the natural centre of Washington, for tile six .months or so of eaOll year, while Congress is in session., There are very few more impressive sights to be seen anywhere that are of inan'S making than the Capitol Hill, crowned with its. massive buildings;. and there is none that can boost of a site more fitted to show such buildings to the'best advantage. ;'. / ■;'/'/ ' : The Capitol has some resemblance-. to St. Paul's Cathedral; it has also a cortairi likeness to.St; Peter's, at Komc; but it has quite'enough individuality of its own to render it eminently suitablofor the~temp!o of. the national politics. On. the whole tho interior arrangement of the great building is; remarkably .'well' suited to its purpose;' The legislative /chamber's'. are. spacious, and- impressive;: the halls, and staircases are very line; aad. tho: numerous com : mittee rooms are noble apartments; their only fault, sseiiis to bo that they are a great deal too good -for. the use that is. generally made .of theiu.; .' .- '■/; y -"v.;. ;. ;! " The. methods of carrying .: on the/ nationbusiness in Congress, whilo they havo, a'general resemblance to those of tho, British'i-'arliamerit; to which we are. acCUstOmcd' in this part Of tho world, are in most' respects essentially -."different. Two i thinks lnaiuiy: account for the difference:, One sof these !is -.to,' be- found in the fact that tho upper Chamber; or Senate, is ; hot . only the .more dignified ..of, the two divisions' of /Congress, but is, also the. .mite. powerful of the two; the other; and probably the most • important difference from the .bid linglish 'ideal, • arises, from the complete adoption of the idea of party .rule in the ' proceeding of Congress. ■ 'i'hpv senator's, it ;is -to -be remembered, are elected by tho State. Legislatures for terms of .six-years, while tho- members of tho Kopresehtative ' Chamberai-e only elected for three by tho people, and in > this way. thoj'. have the .advantage which; greator permanency gives to any position. ;• They havo also the advantage-Hf it is, indeed, an. advantage—of being elected by ;a small l elective body iu,.each State, tho members (if .which, are more easily'iniiucnced in many ways than the inass of tho,"'voters in tho State', would be. This enables .'titan to ••■ act.. more :. independently l of public Opinion than they could otherwiso do., A visit ;to tho ' Senate shows- tho' 1 . spec* laole, . under . .any, ordinary . : circumstances, 'of . from fifteen .to ./'twenty-fiv®. elderly gentlemen, scattered over; the Chamber, usually writing l letters,,, or 'papers, as if they were iu the reading-room of a club,, whilo one makes a speech, to. .which ■ hardly anybody listens, ; and:oven. tho .Speaker—who . is .. also :Vice-Presideiit of the. Federation—loans back ■in his easy chair with',bis 'eyes at lleast- half shut;;:, ....' ~ ~ v- ,' ; : Tlie ; 'other.Chamber / presents .in • uoino respects a .Marked contrast to the'Sonrite; but the fact that tho .'niembers ;• do 'not , dream of representing the nation; but ' only their own political/party, 'and' that, they'carry.; out this idea to its logical conclusion . many ways very similar'results. ' .The representative Chamber is. a - very fine ; one, wholly different'in shape, arid apparently very niuch larger than tho House of Commons.litiWestminster, though, the number ,of members to be accommodated at. Washington- is ,little more- than half as groat aa ; it is: in, London; , The,reason of the. difference• is that much: greater- space Js'allotted to each in, America, ■: where they > are provided with comfortable armohaits' and writ- ! ing desks, the' latter being gotierally/inadQ uso of to air extent-, which gives a general air' of., preoccupation -to 'members;-,-not, it -might 1 »supposed,: very./.encouraging'.,.to'-'- the,, speakers.: Strange. to say," ho'wover.'. it-doos not' appeor, .to, ( haye much ..effect; audVit. is--ihforest-' i ing, "if / a"little jiilziling'•to ;ah ; 'bbserver, to and-, hear , impassioned/'(idclresSss delivered; with efforts .of- oratory . hardly\to "be'sieri'iu'l any other Parliamentary assembly in -,'tho world, not, indeed, as -in, the; Senate, : to an , almost empty hiill,: but ;td one in'.\vhich,-.as a r,ule,' hardly ; , anybody raises his head from- hiisreading or letter-writing'to.>' 1 •'.•'- r j;o 'iwrk Of ,Cpngross:ii ;not' ; do'ne in either, of -its Chambers. - but- in' its committee rooms, JJJMkotr.coursb.'.to .so'moleitent in.- tho'-lobbies. I This' is a state of thirigs; J by'iio : nieans un-" known- in other " lep'slativo assemblies, -.both in' European -countries' and colonies ; 1 tho. dif-1 ference is that- it; is- carried; out' more! tlior-' I oughly m America than' elsewhere. Having myself, .given.- 1 '; eyidenco ; -twioo v at,, Wash-, lngton, !I ' : can/ speak / with confidence 011 , , 6u .j 60 :-' Every question . that comes before cither Chamber' Or ?Coiigrcss is, as a matter-bf course, referred to a committee tor consideration and report. ' The committees' are appointed,.'.in. all-coses;, by; tho.Speaker,'of the-.Chamber -ill; which the question: arises; un-less-in the caso':of : a joint . committee'*of. both Chambers, in' which Case - the members are nominated by: the President-, of the Senate and tho Speaker of/the Representatives jointly. It 1 need ..not be - said,;. that : the committees: always contain' a very/substantial- majority-6f aembers belonging; to' the - party in: 'power.': ■ The; committees arc .'supposed ; to: sit and : dencej. as a-taatter- of ..fact .'they it all. ''Anybody..who' has, be6h ,'summoned'' to 1 give evidence is looked after'.by the that wishes to. nave Ins ■ evidence, placed; on . record a -■ w ,warned/.to 'attend at :sorho particular committee room at a given lime. On his' ar-' nval he find 4) the. room provided with-,a, doorkoeßeri Who. admits him, and irtside lio< finds a gentleman; seated at one end' ;ola long tablo,; with-.ft shorthand; reporter'-,at'/the-other, and ??■ ' A representative of the : sidetor winch ho - appears asMtness is k aso present, who, acts 'as/ couiwl?. to'- exattiiiio. the.' witnesses,: wid that is all. -The .chairman- of the ' 1 ' y -- 1 .«'>y member: who attends, nnd_/he/. takes ho part .'in /the .questioning .-of. the . \yitnesses, and,' to. all-'apuedr-When' 'i w^ OS i ' n is jsine' ori.' \\hen tho evidence has been given, and taken h,Tc n ™ VS™ 1 ' r ? nn y^VDs,','stretches, himself, i' a (»'W Wn^emen; that' ; is all, „ tht) book—frequohtlv : ® ns beta be suilm{t tho. '^ tn f, hlmcnif ► ■ 1 1 ? • and. finds ans wer—but, after till, would Mri,'iA, S! i? ple enb °sh. t .a: Congressman / "'l',, 7,": hl . m: 't; saves time, which' would 1 be tVnlif l! ad W - men , "ere taken away from then other , engagements,/ instead of morelv getting ' .the printed avideiice ,' plated in their ? 1 £f W - I dfl yf T lhto r-. Eyen this is S u pe ?fliiou e ? i to;be,fo u na,.du , teg' : the.ste l (a. \° , vi v e - , or lt: - m ay he. to direct, the mtl S--m ' .who art,' after all,'.little 11 "j 6ll, delegates. / -7 .. ihe . Americans are' at presbnt' the worlri'R r '' S (. er ' S ' t; ' 10 eonimittce ■ system, out 1 , ln ' C onffress, is,simply, a great JhJli 5 r ; iic ' l llas tlle advantage , ? ii CO „ n ? UOted en fe??s' at^h ®. national 01- ;$ rn! 5 - e T eryj Bill-.that; is proposed in either Chamber is of.special interest to some nnlitfpni ai iif p "p 0 1 0 !■ and., tho each i momber .largely, depends, on, what .he does, . either ,for or offaiitst the measure.., The. member,. of course,, Ifno'vs thht "I s ,party ls.in power, and ovon then-, unless . he can luflucnco tho.Speaker' arid'party leaders• suflieientljv.he ..'has not. a. ghost of a ohanco of carrying the iiieasure in-which his- - constitiiency is particularly-interested (oven as far as being reported on to the Eouse). The electors, however,"are not equally well .informed.;; Tho. Reporting Committeo system, lit least relieves, the ■ situation. ' Every riiember can obtain as many copies of tlm printed-evidence he has had taken in the committeo room "as lie wants, gratis; and; if JlO chooses to do so, -he can tend. a copy, through tho mail,:, to each of his constituents; "on Public Service," to showthem how actively he is promoting their interests. It.is not surprising /that the■■ Federal' Printing aud Stationery Department is costly; or that-the heavy annual deficit on -the national postal service is largely duo to the: constant stream of documents "On Public Servico'' that would never be heard of or read but for the desire of some, four hundred and fifty members of Congress to stand well with their distant constituents..'/ / .