mber (generally the chairman of the committee
reporting the bill) who is particularly interested in seeing it enacted
into law. In the House of Representatives this important matter is most
often decided by the Committee on Rules, which is composed of ten
members, six being of the party that has a majority in the House. In
most cases this committee decides which bills shall be considered, and
how much time shall be given to the discussion of each one. So it is
necessary for the chairman of a committee to make a previous arrangement
with the speaker to be recognized before he can bring up his bill. But
on Wednesday of each week the chairmen of committees may call up their
bills in the order in which they secure recognition. And the Committee
on Rules does not control the bills which the House takes out of the
hands of committees.

II. _The Power of the Speaker._--The speaker is the executive officer
who sees that the decisions of the Committee on Rules are carried out.
In most important matters it is necessary for a member to make an
arrangement with the speaker in order to secure recognition when he
wishes to address the House.

In exercising the power of _recognition_, the speaker will, of course,
give both the sides a fair opportunity to debate upon important
measures. He will not permit members to make motions or lengthy speeches
merely for the sake of delaying some action to which they are opposed.
Such actions are called _obstructive tactics_, or _filibustering_.

The Lobby, Log-rolling, and Patronage.--Not all the bills that
come before Congress are passed or rejected because they are wise
or unwise. The influences that determine the course of legislation
at Washington are very numerous and complicated. Some of these
influences are to a greater or less extent legitimate, and others
are totally bad. The _lobby_, in its broadest sense, is composed of
all those persons who go to Washington in order to exert pressure
upon Congressmen in favor of or against certain measures. Some of
the best laws and some of the worst are enacted through the
influence of the lobbyist. _Log-rolling_ is an important influence
in determining legislation; a member votes for the pet measure of
his fellow Congressman on condition that the latter will vote for
the bill in which he is particularly interested. Political
_patronage_ is a great factor in determining votes i