The House of Representatives occupies a large hall in the south wing of the capitol.  The desks of the members are arranged in a semicircle about that of the speaker, with the Republicans on his left and the Democrats on his right.  When a member gains the floor, he speaks from his own desk or from the space in front of the speaker’s desk.  Unless the question is one of importance, but little attention is paid to the course of debate.  Consequently a visitor can hear only with great effort because of the constant din produced by the shuffling of papers, clapping of hands for pages, etc.  The real work of Congress, as we shall see, is done in committees.  The Senate occupies a hall at the opposite end of the capitol.  It is, of course, much smaller than that occupied by the House, but is similarly arranged.  In general, the proceedings on the floor of the Senate are conducted in a much more orderly manner than is usual in the House.

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SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS AND REFERENCES.

1.  What is the number of the present Congress?  Give the dates for the beginning and end of each session.

2.  In the States which have woman suffrage, may women vote for representatives?

3.  It is not required by law that a representative shall reside in the district that he represents, but it is an established custom.  What are its advantages and disadvantages?  Compare with the English practice.  Bryce, American Commonwealth, I, Chapter 19.

4.  Are the States which allow women the right to vote justified in the enactment of their suffrage laws?

5.  Ought Section 2, Amendment XIV, to be enforced?  Rev. of R’s, 22:273-275, 653, 654; 24:649-651; Forum, 31:225-230; 32:460-465; N. Am.  Rev., 168:285-296; 170:785-801; 175:534-543; Outlook, 69:751.

6.  State the points of likeness and of difference between the House of Representatives and the House of Commons.  N. Am.  Rev., 170:78-86.

7.  Give the number of representatives to which your State is entitled.  Was the number increased in the last apportionment?  How large is your Congressional district?  Population?

8.  Compare the area of your district with that of other districts in your State; also with the population of other districts.  Compare the number of votes cast for representative in your district with the number cast in districts of other States in different sections of the country.  How do you account for the variation?  See New York World Almanac.

9.  Some interesting facts connected with the apportionment of 1901 are given in the Forum, 30:568-577.

10.  For the Reapportionment Law of 1901, see Outlook, 67:136.

11.  For accounts of the methods by which a census is taken, see American Census Methods, Forum, 30:109-119.  Census of 1910, Rev. of R’s, 41:589-596; 404, 405.