New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-02-11
WASHINGTON.
Referm In Congress-

WASHINGTON, Saturday, feD 9, 1901.
whv does not Congress pass those laws which
are required by the public interests
Thu RIFLES OF THE HOUSE are so framed as to
rreveut the transaction OF business Nothing Is
done Z" in order :" TO bring subject before the
House for its action a motion must be made " to
suspend the Rules"
To carry this motion, tioO-tkirds Of the members
must vote in its favor. The motion to suspend the
Rules implies that something is proposed to be
done which is forbidden by the Rules II Is 70 DC
done out of order"
The radical defect in the Rules is that they de-
priye the Majority of the power TO consider or TO
pass any measure. Who framed these Rules
and who inserted the provision that the Minority
sball have more power than the Majority We
know who ought to correct it-and that is, the
Majority Of the House, by abolishing them.
Let us trace the history Of law which mem
Der wishes to introduce at the request OF his con
stituents.
He gives notice of his intention to introduce
bill.
The States are called once IN ttc0 1eeks for hes.
olutons. that is if the SPEAKER can call them all
In one day, which has seldom if ever occured)
he can introduce his bill. 1t is then read by its
title-that is-,ts title is twice. read and, no
one moves to reject it, the bill is then committed
to a Standing or Select Committee.
These Committees appoint one day in each
week on which to hold their meetings TO consider
of the subjects referred to them. But the sub
iects are not taken up in the order in which they
are referred-so, il the Chairman happens to be
unfriendly to proposition, or wishes to avoid it
the time for its investigation never arrives There
are bills now before the Committee on Public
Lands thus introduced at the commencement OF
the Session of 1s49, upon which no report has
been made-and probably none will be made dur
ing this Congress.
These Committees sit only in the morning
usually from ten until twelve. The members OF
Committee are seldom all OF them present. or
they come struggling into the room few mo-
ments only before the bell rings to call them to
the House. And when the Chairman is absent
which often occurs-ior the Chairmen are gener
ally the leading political characters OF the House
the members present often decline 10 take up any
measure, as they do not las they say know
what is the state of the business before the Com
mittee
Nis also uery Convenient place and time to
open and read their letters and papers. which
they have received from the Postmaster upon
whom they have called on their way to the room.
Being often very interesting, this reading is fire.
quently continued while bills and petitions are
being read and discussed by other members.
A majority Of the Committee has at last come
to judgment upon bill. and directed th'
Chairman to report it to the House with recon
mendation that it do or do not pass or with amend
ments He can only make the report Except h
obtains the KR0Rinl0aS consent OF the House.
during the first hour of the session in the morning
when Committees are called for reports. Bu
they not called ii there is a special order, o
if on a previous day report has been made upoI
which debate has arisen and this debate may
be continued during the morning hour every
morning until the close of the session, and the
Committees never called sgaiu unless by uaa~t
nous consent.
But the report is made, and without discussion
il is referred to the Committee of the Whole, as
IL must be if it contains a theme for debate. 1t
takes its place on the Calendar and there may be
five hundred or a thousand bills above it, OF which
not more than five or ten can by any possibility,
he passed during the session. This, 1t is proba'
ble is the last that will be heard OF it. There is
no way to get it from the Committee into the
House again, unless the Committee pass over all
of the proceeding orders to take It up, consider
and report it or the House suspends the Rules
by q vote of ttco thirds to make an order that the
Committee report it back after dispoting OF all
pending amendments!
Thus the measure is lost, and the House has al
no stage of it's progress learned its merits or voted
upon il. n W.