14. Ought the qualifications for voting for representatives in Congress to be determined by national authority instead of by the states?
15. Ought a representative to be required to be a resident of the district from which he is elected?
16. Do you think the states should be equally represented in the senate?
CHAPTER XI
ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURE OF CONGRESS
Organization of the Two Houses.—Officers.—Each house of Congress is free to organize itself in such a manner as it pleases, and to choose its own officers, except that the Vice President of the United States is, by the Constitution, made the presiding officer of the senate. The presiding officer of the house of representatives is called the speaker; that of the senate, the president. Each house has one or more clerks who keep the journals, call rolls, read bills, and have custody of all bills, resolutions, petitions, and memorials; a sergeant-at-arms who preserves order, has charge of the halls, pays members their salaries, and performs various other duties[31]; a postmaster; a doorkeeper; a chaplain; and other minor officials.
Opening of a New Congress.—When a new Congress assembles, the house of representatives is called to order by the clerk of the preceding house. He then calls the roll of the members whose credentials or certificates of election have been filed with him, and if a quorum is present the house proceeds to the election of a speaker. The members of each political party represented in the house have already in caucus agreed upon their candidates, and they are now put in nomination before the house by some member representing each party. Usually the action of the caucus of the majority party is equivalent to an election, and the house has only to ratify its choice. In several instances, however, the election of the speaker involved long and bitter contests. Thus in 1849, 63 ballots were taken, and again in 1855-1856, 133 ballots were necessary, and in each case a special rule was adopted permitting a plurality to elect.
The senate, on the other hand, is always an organized body. The presiding officer—the Vice President—at the opening of a new Congress calls the senate to order, and the other officers, who hold during the pleasure of the senate, resume their duties. The senate elects one of its own members as president pro tempore to preside over its deliberations during the absence of the Vice President or in case there is no Vice President, as has often happened.