The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-03-24
The Formation Of the House
Committees.
HOW THE WORK is DIVIDED.
Movement for the Abolition of Elk
ecutive Sessions.
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.

influential ana well informed Represent 'tives and
Senators ohboth parties think it probable this even
ing that there Will be friendly settlement of the
differences on the Supervisors and aIarsha.s' law;
that Congress will not go into general business and
that it will adjourn within three weeks from this date
1t is understood that the Army bill will be reported
with the clause appended ut the last session repeal
ing the clause OF the statutes hch allows troops to
be kept at the polls with addition that troops
within two neG of any polling place shall be kept
within their barracks on election day. To this. it
is understood. the republicans do not object.
During the exciting Presidential election of 1864
General Butler, who then commanded i'll New York,
and who had been instructed to take the utmost pre-
cautions against disorders and promptly put down
riots. managed carefully that not soldier was
seen in either New York or Brooklyn on election
day. 1t was then understood that he had consid-
cradle bodies of troops disposed to DE able to
concentrate rapidly at any necessary point, but it
was not thought proper to allow troops in
sight OF the polls ami they carefully kept inside
of their quarters.
The clause repeating the test oath will be in the
same form before, and will follow the appropria-
ions for the expenses of courts in the Legislative and
Judicial BILL and there will follow u clause repeating
the laws authorizing the appointment Of chief
supervisors and of deputy marshals of cleo
tions. The local supervisors continued,
but the law will be changed to make the report
to the Circuit or District courts. Deputy marshals
of elections are. the law now stands allowed to
be appointed only in cities of 10000 inhabitants
over. and it is believed that the republicans will
Gratis propose.
1t Is understood that the President does
not whether the repeating clauses come
to him in separate bills appended to
the Appropriation bills; he will examine them
in either case and sign or veto according to his
judgment of their merits. There is fair chance OF
an agreement and carly adjournment, but it remains
to be seen what number OF democrats and
republicans will endeavor by dilatory motions
and Otherwise to defeat the object of the
moderate men of both parties. Amendments and
repeating clauses are now being drawn by member
of the subcommittee of the committee and
will be submitted tomorrow to the committee, and
whatever that body may agree will be laid before
joint democratic caucus on Tuesday.
FORMATION OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEES M
PoRTANT CHANGES PROPOSED THE WORK
HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED IN THE PAST
The Speaker needs time to form the committees.
and it is not probable that they will be an
nounced under two weeks. The House contains
an unusual number OF new members, and
las lost considerable number OF members
of the more important committees. Some
of the old members also desire to be changed to
other committees. and all these circumstances taken
together make the task of forming the forty-seven
or forty-eight committees of uncommon labor
and responsibility the more the democrats
now control both houses and directly and solely
responsible for legislation.
There are two important propositions before the
Speaker and the House for changing the duties of
some of the committees One of these proposes to
enlarge the Appropriations Committee from eleven
to twenty members. that it may be divided
into subcommittee for the special consideration
OF various branches of the expenditures.
In defcnce of this proposition it is urged
that the work of the committee is too great for
eleven to do; that with twcntyono members
no one will need to two subcommittee,
and that the expenditures be thus carefully
guarded and the bills prepared and reported at an
earlier period in the session.
The other proposition is by Mr.. Springer, and was
submitted to the House the opening day 1t
proposes to refer the appropriation to the committees
having charge the different departments. Thus
the Army bill would be prepared by the Military
Committee. the Naval bill by the Naval Committee.
the Indian bill by the Committee Indian Alirs the
Appropriations Committee being left in charge only
OF the Legislative, Executive AMI Judicial ami the
Sundry Civil Omnibus bills 1t is objected this
that the change would increase in the expcn
diures because each committee. having only its
department in view. would be apt to provide hand
somely for that without regard to the others. econ
omy being like bcnevolencc a virtue most easily
practised at the expense of others
The change proposed by Mr.. Springer would only
be return to the former custom of the House. and it
has long been urged that the Appropriations Com
mittco was ovcrworkcd. end that it dwarscd the
other committees by assuming their most i'm
portant duties. At present the Appropriations
Committee considers tho estimates Of expendi-
lures presented by the departments, and
frames all the bills granting money except the River
and Harbor bill. which for some unkn ,wn reason
has been kept within the control of the Committee
on Commerce. and the Ways and Means Committee
frames the revenue bills. Originally the Ways and
Means Committee performed both these functions
aud until the year 1902 this committee con-
sisted of one member for each State. II
was then reduced to members, but parts Of its
former duties were divided among four other COM
mittecs. The Ways and Means Committee. however,
grew in Importance until in 1865 the Appropriations
created. also the Committee
ON Banking and Currency. These two COM
mittces relieved tho Ways aud Means
of many of its duties and deprived
IL or some OF It's Importance anu since tncn the Ap
Committee has gradually become the
most important in the House, although the Chair
man of Ways and Means still keeps his traditional
place as leader of the House.
The character of the committees 80 largely con-
trolls the action OF the House that in his selection of
them this time Speaker Randall will in effect prescribe
policy for his party for the next two years. For
this reason the list is looked for with great curiosity
the question whether the Ways and Means will be
formed in the interest of extreme protection OF
NOR liberal tariff, and whether the Banking and cur
rcncy Committee will be for hard or soft money.
being the most attractive subjects of dis
cusson. The Banking and Currency Commit
tee of tho last House contained, besides
it's chairman, Mr.. Blu ,kncr. who was a silver
man. but opposed in mild way to legal tenders.
four soft money democrats and two soft money