Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-01-03
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

n
the new chairman of the COMMITTEES OF ways
and Means is exerting himself to modify the
manner of conducting the business OF the House
in particulars of great Importance to the Puohc
interest, as we'll as to the members themselves
That is. he aims to do away entirely with the
custom of defeating measures by preventing
their consideration. That thing is commonly
done by Directing to taking them up whenever
the words Il object" uttered by q single
member. will, under their rules, prevent the
consideration of any bill proposed to be taken
M that a single member in the whole House
may not wish to have considered at that time.
Such an objection sends any measure Except
a regular appropriation bilD "over to its place
on the calendar" where the chances are nearly
hundred to one that it cannot be reached in
the lifetime of a single Congress in the ordi-
nary course Of business. If taken up at all,
that must be effected by a two-thirds vote on
the single day Of each week when a two-thirds
vote will Suspend the rule" and thus permit
a motion to take up any bill to be "ruled in
order"
On the day of each week referred to, Mon
day. it is always the case that at least half
resolution, the immediate consideration of
which they earnestly desire. So to increase
the chances of having their own paintings
| taken up, the custom is to vote against "sus-
pending the rule for the accommodation of
others. When the House happens to be in a
very good humor, or measure happens to be
| of great Importance, or when its consideration
| is not likely to occupy more than a very few
minutes of the time of the House, it not unfre-
quently happens that motions to suspend the
rules, prevail on Mondays; though most of
those days are dies non in legislation, as all
experienced members know; being devoted to
taking unfavorable votes for the most part on
such motions. Thus, not only is it next to i'm
possible for members all to get their PROPOSE
tons considered, but perhaps quite one entire
sixth Of every session of Congress is wasted lin
the House, on abortive efforts to get cup
bills, resolutions, DC, as explained above.
One great source Of this crying evil in the
| current system of the House is the prevalence
of the custom of permitting the delivery Of
| speeches in Committee of the Whole irrelevant
to the bject- tier formally before the body.
| Ordinarily, at least one-thrd of the time of
every session is wasted after that fashion. The
custom is useful only as affording gentlemen
in public life opportunities to strengthen them
| selves in their respective districts-to make
personal capital for themselves at home-at
| enormous cost to the Federal Treasury, or to
obtain newspaper nOtoriety elsewhere on the
same terms. The existence of this custom, and
the present Thanking system, together, cost the
people of the United States millions of dollars
| annually, while they are productive of no other
results than to interfere with the transaction of
real business in the House hall, and to en-
courage the election to Congress OF gentlemen
more remarkable for capacity to hunifuggle tho
I" dear people" and to make long winded
speeches at the cost of the Matt onal Treasury,
than for really valuable qualities as business
men and legislative statesmen. While, as all
know, many Of the latter always grace the House
hall, there are, unfortunately, some also of the
other description whose number must continue
to increase to the grievous injury of the public
interest under the encouraging operation OF the
two glaring defects in the House rules ex-
planned above.
The country will, therefore, be extremely
graf fed to learn that it is said to be the inten
ton of the experienced, energetic and inteli-
gent chairman of the Committee of Ways and
Means, Mr.. Phelps, of Missouri who, by cus-
tom, is now regarded as being, in great mea-
sure, responsible for the manner in which the
business of the sessions is conducted to insist
hereafter, il the House will sustain him, in as
far as possible, combining the debates to the
subjects actually up for consideration In this
way three-fourths of the speeches delivered
will occupy but from five to twenty minutes
each, instead of an hour, to the minute by the
clock and Chairman's mallet, as at present !;
and the provOcatiyes to overspeechifying will be
cured; while there will then be ample time for
the due consideration of every thing worthy of
occupying the time of the House and further
the pernicious and enormously expensive Gus
tom of loading appropriation bills, Sc, with
unlicensed extravagant axe-grinding amend
ments by no means german to them, will grad
nslly fall into disuse.
We trust Mr.. Phelps, of Missouri, will ESSAY
bis expected reform with as little delay as DOS
sible, and that it will be as promptly as properly
seconded by the House.
ARIzONA.-It is sincerely to be hoped that
Congress will at once make a Territorial Gov
eminent for the Arizona country. There can
be no doubt that the present population of the
region is quite large enough to justify its estab-
llshment. Congress has already attempted to
provide for the due government of Arizona we
know, by attaching it to New Mexico. But
New Mexico, acting without knowledge of
what Congress were doing in the premises
through her Territorial Legislature, entirely
ignored the existence of Arizona, providing no
local government or legislation for it what
ever The consequence is, that at this time
the people there are utterly without the au-
thority or protection of any law whatever.
The existence of valuable gold and silver mines
Thereon at least the general belief of the ex.
istence of such mines there, generated by the
system of putting in vogue in and from this
city in connection with the affairs of Arizona.
cannot fail to precipitate into the Territory
shortly some thousands of additional popula-
ton, most Of which will be of character re.
n lea at he