That would be the Mace, the ebony and silver rod with a silver eagle on top, that is the traditional symbol of authority in many legislative assemblies. As its official caretaker, the Sgt-at-Arms ceremoniously carries the Mace when he leads the Speaker and the rostrum employees into the chamber as the House of Representatives convenes each day. He places it on a green marble pedestal at the highest level of the rostrum to the right of the Speaker’s chair. The practice of keeping a mace comes to us from Great Britain which used a ceremonial mace to symbolize the authority of the House of Commons.

House precedents state: “Extreme disorder arising on the floor, the Speaker shall direct the Sergeant-at-arms to enforce order with the Mace.” Although it would strike us as very odd today, the Mace was used earlier in House history to restore order in an unruly chamber. The Chair would [and still could] instruct the Sgt-at-Arms to parade up and down the aisles of the House floor with the Mace held high, or to stand directly in front of a disruptive Member with the Mace. The sight of this symbol of authority was to remind the Members of their duty to uphold the dignity of the House of Representatives, and behave better.

In recent years, the closest the House has come to using the Mace was on July 29, 1994. Rep. Maxine Waters [D-CA] was challenged for making inappropriate remarks during her one-minute speech. She then ignored the Chair’s request to suspend speaking until the point of order was settled. Rep. Robert Walker [R-PA] rose and called out “get the Mace,” to restore order. The Chair kept pounding the gavel and finally stated, “the Chair is about to direct the Sgt-at-Arms to present the Mace!” Rep. Waters then suspended, and the Chair was able to rule on the point of order without having to resort to the Mace.

In its more routine use, the Sgt-at-Arms moves the Mace onto the lower tier of the rostrum to signal that the House has gone into a committee session. This is done when the House transforms itself [officially, “resolves”] into the Committee of the Whole House to debate and amend legislation. When Members come into the chamber they often pause and ask the doorkeepers “Is the bird up or down?” The answer tells them quickly whether to address the Chair as “Mr. Speaker” [if in the House] or “Mr. Chairman” [if in Committee of the Whole].

The original Mace of the House was destroyed when the Capitol was burned by British soldiers in 1814. The current Mace, a replica of the original, was manufactured in 1841 by a New York silversmith. It is 46 inches long and has 13 separate ebony rods, symbolizing the original 13 states. They are bound together by bands of sterling silver. There is a silver orb on top of the rod which is engraved with a map of the world. On top of the orb is a silver eagle with wings stretched out for flight.

When the House commemorated the 150th anniversary of the present Mace in 1992, Minority Leader Robert Michel [R-IL] said, “Amidst the swirl of events, amidst the tumult and change, we can look to the right of the Speaker’s chair and see the Mace of the House of Representatives. It reminds us of the . . . history and the permanence of the House and of our Republic. If any of us ever gets the idea that he or she is irreplaceable, the Mace tells us by its silent but eloquent presence that what matters is not the individual but the institution itself.”