The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-05-08


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| The public opinion OF the country is agains
| it. The States which bave recently adopted
Constitutions have generally provided
| remedy for the evil by enacting that n,
law snail contain more than one subject
which shall be plsinly expressed in its title
The Constitutions of mere than half Of TIN
| States contain substantially this provision
The public welfare will be promoted il
many ways by q return to the early practic'
Of the Government, and to che true princi-
pie of.legislation,, which requires that every
measure shall stand or fall according to it.
own merits. II it were understood tha
to attach to appropriation measure irrele
vart to the general object of the bill would
imperl and probably prevent its final pas
sage and approval, valuable reform In the
parliamentary practice OF Congress woulG
be ACCOMPLISHED.
The nest Justification that has been offered
for attaching Irrelevant riders to a2propria
ton bills Is that it is done for convenience
sake to facilitate the passage of measure.
which are deemed expedient BY all the
branches OF Government which participate
in legislation. 1t cannot be claimed that
there is any such reason for attaching this
amendment OF the Election laws to the
Army Appropriation bill. The history oil
the measure contradcts this assumption.
A majority OF the House OF Representatives
In the last Congress was In favor OF section
3 OF this bill. 1t was known that majority
OF the Senate was opposed to it, and that,
as separate measure, 1t could not be adopt
ed. 1t was attached to the Army Appro-
priation bill TO compel the Senate to a. sent
IL. IL was plainly announced TO Inc oen,
ate tnaI Tue army appropriation Dill woul,
Nv. ud - ns Eot;on ~" Il p pop uero
adnntad ,n;,b II Tha samata ref,,so5 ~ 90 :.
CONT to tno Xiii IN occo,,nt ~ th;s ;rra,eva nt
sect;on ConSress theronnon od;nnrnaJ
w;,hont ross;nr On INSTRUMENTATION Hi for
rho a INV ond tho rrasant axtra.session ~
Tho Forry's;x.h Cop"ross bocon, necessarv
~ f,rn;sb ,ha ,,oons W 10 r.w m tho Gnv.
o. -. ,.'s'' '"e "ea''' w o"'i1 y" 'n' oo''
The ground upon which the action of the
House OF Representatives is defended has
been distinctly stated bv MANY Of its adyo-
cafes. A week before the close of the last
session of Congress the doctrine in question
was stated by one Of its ablest defenders as
follows:
SIT is our duty to repeaf these. It is not
worth while 10 attempt the repeal, except
unon an augmentation hill. The Renublican
Senate would not agree to nor would the r..
publican President SIGN. bill for such re-
neal. Whatever affections To legislation
mon annronristion hills NAV he made in an
ordinary case do not applv where free cleo
lions and the liberty Of the citizen are con.
cerned. We have the mower to vote Nancy
let ma annex cond,tions to il and insist unon
the redress Of orievances.
pu,no.ho, d,.+;,.,;,hod o,hou -, +ho
py aao1nel su'sneo nelnoei VI 'no
'Aouee IL was s"'u
"ihe right OF the representatives OF the
people to withhold supplies is as Old as Eng
lsn liberty. History records numerous in
stances where the Houseof Commons feeling
that the people we've oppressed by laws that
the Lords would not consent to repeal DY the
ordinary methods of legislation obtained re-
dress at last by refusing appropriations I'M
less accompanied Oy RELIEF measures"
That question OF the yravest magnitude
and new in this country was raised by this
course of proceeding was fully recognizes
also by its defenders in the Senate. It was
said by a distinguished Senator:
uperhans M oraoter orast,on in tho form
u,a q re hr,,,,oht =, consider II was aver con-
siderad hv th.. Amerc.n Congress in time
NJ neace for T. involves MT merelv the mer-
Tia ar demer;ts ~ the laws which the Hanse
hin nronnsos n renaal h,,t involves the
riohts The nrivileoas tha mowers. the du,ies
IT rhe two branches NJ Conyress and Of
the President NJ rhe Irnited States. r. ia y
vast nnestion II ia q onestion whose i'm
nortanca can Scarcely he estimated Il
Is nuesrion that never We: has been
Convress and The American neonle as
il NAV he now n ia a nnestion which
sooner or later must he decided. and the d. :
cision must determine what are the powers
Of the Heuse Of REPRESENTATIVES under the
Constitution. and what is the duty Of thai
House in the view of tile trainers of that
Constitution. according to its letter and it,
shirt. Mr. President. I should approach
this nuest,on. IL I were in the hest possihle
condition TO speak and to argu it, with very
grave ,iffidence. and certainly with the nj
most anxietv far no one can think Of II rs
long and as carefully as have thought of it
without seeing that we are at the beginning,
perhaps, Of a struggle that NAV last as long
in this country as similar struggle lasted
in what we are accustomed to call the moth
er land. There the struggle lasted for two
centuries before it WIS ultimately decided
1t is not likely to last so long here, but it
may last until every man in this chamber is
in his grave. 1t is the question whether or
not the House of Representatives has right
to say: awe will grant supplies only upon
condition that grievances are redresaed. We
are the Representatives OF the tax payers Of
the Republic. We, the House of Represent
atives, alone have the right to originate mon.
ey bills. We, the House of Represent
atives, alone have the right to originate bills
which grant the money OF the people thr
Senate represents States, we represent
the tax payers of the Republic. We, there.
fore, by the very terms of the Constitution,
are charged with the duty of originating the
bills which grant the money OF the people.
We claim the right, which the House OF
oouinions ~ H"s'a"u ee."o,.sneo "... va, IVY
grant the money Of the people unless there
is redress Of grievances"
Upon the assembling of this Congress, in
pursuance Of call for an extra session,
which was made n cessary by the failure OF
the Forty-fiith Congress to make the needful
appropriations for the support Of the Gov
eminent, the question WAS presented wheth-
er the attempt made in the last Congress to
engraft by construction new principle upon
the Constitution should be persisted in OF