New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-01-14

WANT OF OEDER-CAIIyG THC RoLL--CHARACfER
oF THE RULES" UNANIMOUS CONSENT THE
MORNING HOUR.
! To me EdttOr or The Trtburs
SIR: have read with great interest the
communication OF O,lsowV in your issue ~ Friday,
relative e. the<ansaction Of business in Congress.
desire 10 Offer few additional suggestions In connection
with this subject.
The radical vice 81 All ia the want Of ordr IN the
House OF Representatives Men VIII rot take an interest
IN public proceedings II they cannot hear what r. nid
and that j. inuo-.ie IN the confusion ~ the House.
The result E that in the abeuce ~ anything Sensational
tho mliof; OF the mcrbeIs fa into general conyo rsG-
ton write private letters retire 10 the cloak
leaving the pubic business wholly neglected. except
perhaps. Nv dozen MIXERS. II would ne safe Ia SLY
that were 'hc House time dcring ne mere routine
~ business called uron 90 give Intelligent cxplana-
zion of the pending lci.l,tion. not over score Of
members could Ito il. There l. 70 reason why TREE
hundred men. charged with important interests ~
that number of well could be- charged with. should
not Keep order Yet ash any Old member why this dis
nrirr b. permitted, and he will answer II has always
been -o" Create public sentiment among ,mhers,
which shall srountcnaucc loud clnye sat'n during hc
sessions ofthc House, let the speaker bring the bushes,
- halt siand,ti AMI refuse {, 80 on except with
c best Of order prohibit the transaction Of private
business during sessions remove the desks, and provide
each member with chair with broad such as -
used in college recitation give MIN pencil and
whtingpad such newspaper men u.s., AMI
yen have equipped him for attendance MS
public dlii's Then appoint ono dooiEe'pcr
who shall receive al cards addressed to members during
ION and who slaD allow no card 10 pas. except
such ns pertain the business NJ the session. ana You
have removed another great mpelmtut to the ransac
ton ~ the public business. Iou vii be met win The
objection that 10 has always been i,rent " bat when
grcat public be- PASSED. aut u takes ten
years 20 discover whether members knew 90 their
tf..rf oil t ..
tbi- ycncrll, argument loses something of IT, weight.
Ass-n gallery. grand ana Gorgeous II Jon please. ior
tn Use ~ ccrhrlcs hut admit except the mc-
bcrs ~ the tNo hodic, the door daring session.
takes three qirtcr- 81 hour TO call the roll Of
trr House. tc clerk being required to read fui the
uam,. of each member Can mortal man give good
reason Why the ccrk should Pc required 10 call ont
Ehruogor Alexander Dlrins smith 90 instead OF plain
Mr. smith" is dane IA the senate J Yes; two
reasons tor this have assigned ono. that thc full
name nor, d.nihcd. The other taat " d, has always
been So"
What "Orslpw " tdys about the complicated AMI
arbitrary character of Pc. rules h. quite trr get npprc-
bend that these could b, mast. ri and understood hut
for the constant snd heWidorng confusion ~ The
regular order ~ cuisines. by o'taiGin- unanimous
semi" This ought never o. De- permitted. parhdpvical ~
" may The regular order ~ business should meyer
20 suspended except upon two hii vote Of -" House.
Whatever "uuaniu.o1s consent" may De in theory, in
practice 70 throws all TIE .iy o. uhccnc upon
one ,mbcr and n Dc is not how.cd down 90 oH.o s 80
most generally tho case. De br,1mcs marked n.n in q
way which most men dH aspire o.. Hence "uuani-
nous consent" is usually given where twnihirls vote
could not Poe obtained.
LEGISLATION l the morning hoarI frorscry upon tho
name committee have had subject under cons cra-
ton for weeks. perhaps months; they report On the
morning hour 40 report ha, been prlt.i and Lard upon
tie mrmbors' IL III; cNnuluaon ~, been nude OF
the subject by TIE House. hIDu1Dg n thc coIhitcc
speaks for few minutes. pcrlaps u rot heart los once
qua ter Of the members probably tw0iiiris Of thcu
are writing letters engaged In convcr.Atou-th-
"previous question j. moved. and the bill passed
Thus are quietly made into laws 81 the most i'-
portaut measures before Cpngr'.s. TIC uouhie with
tho system il. thai II is neither the one thing
nor the Other. Not mfrqloniiv committee
presents in this way IS most careful aul
conscientious work. In the quiet ndid,rrl Of the
House. some member VIII cood lung. vn- ~ a.H'.
ll about. Nu' ono % ten knows. Commission 'N- -.
end in The general uutorr thc work 81 th" c"nr.i '
thn@ b. oh'on' no important hi. ',oHd pt., uA'l tc
iel ~ a.. The members and They have had a lr1st ore
IL vas said few years ago IN CongT,es that the rulcs
throw the business tto the hands nf rw leading mem
beers. whether thi. bc o. not such the practical
cnrci fcs commii,es. like those Of ways and Means.
Appropriations Judiciary. ctC a-orh tc bus ness aud,
under arbitrary rulcs Of he House. shape AMI con
troll Legislation, leaving majority 81 Tie lnclners with
oul responsibility. power, or much, an thing. to do
Men do not Ike to Tcrhin pliers la legislative
body. and take rvfIl" ia thc Introduction ~
bills others iu uutions o. adjourn, whsle others ui more
pluck and euCrgv indulge IN general guerilla warfare, 10
bow many tunes they get tncf names married Ia
the record Thus members do srcat many frivolous and
riuous things which they would not do the bus
tnc-s ~ the House wcr' more generally distributed
! among committees
Under rules whole day- wasted hy some com
I mttco uu DRAWING cut speech, which cannot CON-
man . hair dozen members and t~ never
debate Ia drlcrtfiHe bodice IA Courts 81
Justice should he for tHr euhgh Bmrut Of those whose
duty 10 il 90 decide. n an d,hatcs IN The U0psc could
h made general ant confined strictly To- ihr pending
question, ana NO member, no matter how disihtrbo
allowed t. speak more than twenty minutes on any one
question win considerable gn ~ that a. voted to
quo-fiuus AID answers, what D. nOu generally known
! q a running d bate more practical b'n'hts would be
/ rived from lc. nal discussion 80 the House.
Ieu l,i saturday of each week. ho devoted exclusively
! Gao general debate Let hst 81 the speaker, ho an
uuIucri anil ,i each on. depend upon ls M . POP an
audience THIS would give cniius iueultrs ample OPP
puruuiiy o. De- heard npou C'n"r> qurStIns OF state
iH.hlp both u.s. tr House and thr country aud rttf
dat msIt tD. become OF tIc most interesting lays
ot thr vcHs. instead 81 being, a. now f. oir 90 lac
] du.'tsl MEMBER or rIE iluJ-i.
| Uosh.i0foa. D. O.. Dec. u. 1871
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