New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-27

dian Appropriation bill. and others, ara rspo-.o,
30 "a 10 establish system in respect to the n,,.,
The Committee of Ways snd Means wa. oriy;,.
nlly designed to take charge Of Loan. Tariff ,,1
other revenue bills, aud until 1851 Its dutie. w,rs
restricted by the rules Ia that class OF business 7,
Was then made also its duty ID report the general
appropriation bills, within thirty days from the d,ts
OF its appointment at every session Of Consrs..
which bills are in order in preference to any o,hs,
bills Of public nature. Ii il. therefore. in IA.
power of the Chairman Of that Committee 10 BIOL
the progress of all other business and control .,s
lation ut any time by calling up one of those blIs
hen reported they are consigned az once 10 .h,,
omnum- -gatherum, the Committee of the Who'll, a,
the State of the Union, where anything and ever,
thing is in order in debate. When taken up th...
for consideration, members talk on every conc.,,,
bic subject except the appropriations, and 90 U,
bills DRIFT along until they are hurried 70 p,,a,s
at the close OF the session, undebatcd and alnss
unexamined.
This system is only one Of the features Of A..
increasing centralzation of power in the hand, =.
the Executive and the Departments. The auoa,,,
annually appropriated have now become So MA,
that II Is impossible for 4 single committee 10 AZ.
proper attention 10 the items of all the bills. IN.
result Is that the Committee of Ways and Means
from lack OF time. from pressure of business. and
sometimes for partisan purposes, takes the cruds
estmates Of the Secretaries of Departments for ths
expenses of each coming year. and reports them in
the shape OF appropriation bills unreyised undi.
gested and unconsdered. II makes itself thus the
mere mouthpece of the Administration to .is
House. Under the system proposed by Mr. Sher.
man II VIII become the mouthpiece OF the Depart.
ments to those Committees of the House which Ara
presumed TO bs familiar with the various objects in
support OF which the appropriations are sskeJ
Thus, theoretically, the Military Committee is pre-.
sumed To be thoroughly acquainted with all business
relating 10 the Army down 10 the minutest details
the Committee on the Navy with that relating 10
the Navy: the Committee on Indian Affairs with
that relating to Indian Affairs; and so on. Bnt
practically, these Committees have nothing to con.
slider except private bulls and new schemes of expen
diture. The Committee of Ways snd Means, in
practice, is presumed 10 possess all this varied
knowledge, and the estimates, do mments, etc.
whether relating To Army, Navy or Indians, are ali
referred TO it. Ii its members combined all tho
requirements of the Seven Wise Men of Greece in
their respective heads, they would be unable 20
digest properly within their thirty days, bills 80.
propriating nearly 500, 200, 600 for such various
purposes. The consequence Is, as | have already
said, that they often adopt the recommendations Of
the Departments. m0Sse as matter of course,
and present them to the House in almost the exact
shape in which they have been prepared BY the
Cabinet.
Mr.. Sherman proposes that before they come
before the Committee of the Whole for debate
they shall be submitted to smother ordeal; that they
shall be revised BY those Committees supposed 70 30
infinitely acquainted with the branches OF public
service tor which the appropriations are asked
BY his plan the recommendations OF the Depart
ments will not be precipitated upon the House
liable to no emendaton except such AS members
individually may propose but will come up tor con,
sideration only after receiving stamp OF approval
from Committees which are presumed to DO capable
of an intelligent scrutiny Of their items.
While the change is disapproyed by very few
Republicans it is desired By many influential Dem
ocrats, one of them himself member Of the Com
mittee of Ways and Means. Mr.. Phelps OF Ms.
souri,. the Chairman of tho Committee, opposed
Mr.. Sherman's motion most vehementy, as might
have been expected and the whole matter lies over
TIL the first Thursday in January. The present
Committee of Ways and Means consists Of six
Democrats-Phelps Mo-; Letcher, Va. Dowdell
Ala; Crawford, Ga; Maclay, n. T.; Phillips
Pa. two Repubcans-Howard, Mich; Morrill,,
W.. and one American, Davis, Md.