The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-06-05
CHANGING FRONT IN ACTION.
The New Plan of the Democrats In Con
EresS.
WASHINGTON. Nav 3.

WASHINGTON, May 81.
The two advisory committees of the
House and Senate Democratic caucuses
held joint meeting to-day, and reached
a substantially unanimous agreement as
to the course of action that should be
adopted by the dominant party with re-
gard to the appropriation bills. After
very full interchange of views and an
especially minute examination of the
Presidents veto messages in connection
with sundry existing statutes prohibiting
interference by the army with elections,
it was decided to recommend the imme-
diate passage of bill making the usual
appropriations for the support of the
army throughout the fiscal year, but con-
tanning proviso that no portion of the
money therein appropriated shall be used
for the pay, transportation, equipment, or
subsistence of any troops used for police
purposes to keep peace at polls. 1t was
further decided to recommend the passage
of the legislative, executive and judicial
appropriation bill in substantially the
same terms as last years bill, and for the
same amounts, except that they shall be
more minutely specified, and except also
that it shall not make any provision
for the pay of supervisors or deputy
marshals of elections.
The new bill will, however, contain a
clause proving that no Office shall be ap-
pointed, or obligation incurred, for any
object for which specific appropriation
shall not have been made by Congress.
This clause is already on the statute
book, with the exception of the words
cor obligation incurred" and there is
also law existing which prohibits the
division of any appropriation to any
other purpose than that for which it has
been specifically made. The committees
agreed to recommend the passage of a
separate measure embodying those Sec
tions of the vetoed bills which provide
for amendments of the law concerning
the method of drawing juries, and for the
total abolition of the Jurors test oath.
In view of the fact that the President, in
his veto message, makes no comment on
these, it is believed that he will prompt
ly approve them when presented in an
independent bill.
1t was also argued to-day, in behalf of
the adoption of the programe above out
lined, that the President cannot justi6a.
bly, withhold his signature from an ap-
preparation bill merely because it omits
to make provision for particular object,
and that, in the anticipated event of his
approving the present bills, the Demo-
crat will have accomplished for the next
year exactly what they would have ac-
conplished for an indefinite period of
time by the former bills, and what they
may continue to accomplish by similar
legislation as they remain in power.
The joint meeting was adjourned until
Monday, by which time the recommen-
dations agreed upon will have been pro-
mulgated in appropriate phraseology by
subcommittee, consisting OF Senators
Thurman, Eaton, Vance and Bailey, and
Representatives Chalmers, Springer, Ew-
ing and Reagan, and submitted for final
approval preparatory to their presenta.
tion to the joint caucus Of the Democratic
members of both Houses, which will
probably be held on Monday evening.
In response to objections raised by a
few of those who participated in the
meeting that the adoption of this policy
would be construed as backing down on
the part of the Democracy, its advocates
made the point that, although there have
been individual utterances in favor of
Withholding supplies in the event of
failure to secure the enactment of the
political clauses originally embodied in
the appropriation bills, it is not true that
any such stand has ever been taken by
authority of the party. On the contrary
the question whether such stand should
be taken has never been acted upon by
Democratic caucus of either branch of
Congress, or by caucus committee until
this afternoon.