The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-30
AMENDMENTS TO APPROPRIATION
pII,IN

Senator Justin s. Morrill,, Friday, report
cd TO the senate, from the standing commit
tee on appropriations, with amendments, the
house bill making appropriations for the
legislative, Judicial and executive expenses
of the government, for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1877. Among these amend
ments was one striking out four entire sec
tons of the bill, on the ground that they
were new legislation and could not, there
fore, he properly tackled to, or enacted with,
an appropriation bill. The sections, 80
stricken out, prohibited political ASSESS
ments; reduced the salaries of the clerks in
the several executive departments ten per
cent required the same reduction to be
made in the pay of officers and employees in
tho customs departments and prohibited
the employment, by the government, of
any person for whom specific oppropria-
tons were not made.
The reason assigned by the committee
that it s new legislation, and could not,
therefore, bc properly enacted with All ap-
preparation bills, perhaps, sound one
but it 10 great pity that. for appearance
sake at least. the discovery was not made
at q time when the republicans controlled
both branches OF congress, instead of being
! postponed until the democrats were in a
| majority In tho house, and had tackled to
an appropriation bill provisions obnoxious
| 10 the majority of the senate The senate
sss no improperly, in March, 1873, in in
| creating their salaries from five thousand
| dollars per sunum to scven thousand five
| hundred dollars, and in voting themselves
| back pay TO the same amount, by means of
au appropriation bill Ii saw no impropri-
ETY. in using an appropriation bill for the
| purpose Of increasing the snlary OF the
| prcsiden! of the United States from twen-
ty-fve thousand to fifty thousand dollars
! per annutn or in increasing, by the same
means, the salaries of the judges of the
| United States supreme court from six
| thousand to ten thousand dollars per an
nun. Il had no scruples in using an ap-
preparation bill to impose upon the people
double rates Of postage on third class mail
| matter, or TO relieve themselves of the bur-
den Of paying postage.
The fact is that tneae appropriation bills
have been used, for yeara, as means OF
procuring new legislation, and OF forcing
upon the people measures which could
never have received executive approval
but for the force of the argument that the
appropriation bill must be taken US 1t is
ur the government would be compelled &c
20 without money, or an extra session OF
congress must be convened TO make neces
.sry appropriations. But appropriation
bills have not been used for this class OF
legislation alone. Prior to the revision Of
he statutes, four years ago, all the lawt
regulating diplomatic intercourse with for
en- nations were contained in amendment
to appropriation bills.
These bills have been used to pass new
laws, and repeal old once. Congress, foul
year9 ago, enacted that, commencing with
the present year, elections for representa-
lives in congress should be held on an uni
torn day--the tuesday after the first Mon
day in throughout the Union
The law was good one the same argu
ments that commend an uniform day TO
the presidential election apply with equs
force TO congressional elections ampl
time was given to the several states T.
make their laws conform with that of con
gress, which ia the supreme law Of tn
land but this ,ackinr-Inf, J,r' Imfuy TO b.
1 resisted, and SO the law was virtually place.
where it was prior TO the attempt to hav,
representatives in congress elected on on,
and the same day throughout the Union
by providing that the clause requiring cleo
tons to be so held should be modified 81
las not to apply to any state that has no
"yet changed its day Of election, ant
"whose constitution must be amended il
order TO effect change in the day Of The
election Of state officers in said state.
Il has become unsafe to believe that which
purports to be law is law, until all the sub
sequent appropriation bills are CAREFUL,
scanned, item by item-and, even then
one cannot be very sure about it. Thi,
'aCking OF amendments TO appropriation
bills is baneful practice, and should bs
tbrogeted; but it would have had little
better lock If the senate had moved in the
matter years ago. But il is better late thar
never.