Connecticut western news., 1880-03-31
COMMITTEES OF THE WHOLE.
What is Meant i'm Congress when the
 Body goes into Committee of the Whole on a Bill-SOme- thing of Interest.

| Vhe WhOle on B1u-SOme- thing of Interest.
 It is one of the rules of the national House of Representatives, that every bill involving the levy of tax, or an ex- penditure of money, shall be first dis cussed in what is called the Committee of the Whole. As committee of the whole is made up of precisely the same persons as the House itself, the reasons for this rule are not apparent to persons who are unacquainted with parliamentary | usuages.
 What is chiefly gained, when the House goes into Committee of the Whole, is that then the rules of the House only ap- ply in part, and those which take their place are more favorable to free discus siop and amendment, and to the rapid transaction of business.
 We can only give one or two illustra- tions to show this. When the House Is transacting business, member may move the previous question, and thus prevent amendments from being offered or voted upon. In the Committee of the Whole, amendments may be offered without limit, and there is only one way of stopping debate, which we shall pre- sently mention.
 Again, in the House, one-fifth of the members may order the yeas and nays to be taken, and this often makes progress very slow. In Committee of the Whole the yeas and nays cannot be taken at all. Votes are taken by rising, or by the mem bers passing between tellers.
 When the House votes to go into Con- mittee-say on an appropriation bill-the Speaker leaves the chair, and calls to it some member who is addressed as "Mr. Chairman" and who usually acts as Chairman when the House is in Commit tee of the Whole on that bill, until it has been disposed of.
 In Committee of the Whole, the mem Der who reports the bill from the Con- mittee on Appropriations, has charge of it, and first makes a speech in explana- tion He is followed by other members who discuss the measure generally, and not in reference to particular items.
 When this general debate is ended, the the bill is taken up in detail. The Clerk reads it, clause by clause. If member wishes to offer an amendment to any clause, he interrupts the reading and pro- poses it. The usual practice is to allow the mover of each amendment, and those who support or oppose 1t, so many min utes each, and to limit the time that can be given in all to one amendment. Some times member will move to strike out the last word of an amendment for the sake of making few remarks.
 The reading of the bill, the moving of amendments, and the voting, continue until the members are tired, when the motion is made that the Committee "rise." When this is carried, the "chairman Leaves the chair, the Speaker of the House takes it, and thus the House resumes its session. The Chairman then says to the House that the committee has come to no resolution, and asks leave to sit again.
 Sometimes, however, it happens that a long time is wasted in talk and in re- peated amendments to the same clause. As the Committee of the Whole have no power to stop the debate, the object is accomplished in this way.
 The member who has charge of the bill first moves that the committee rise. When this is carried, and the Speaker has taken the chair, and the Chairman has reported, as we have stated above, a motion is made that when the Committee resumes it's session, all debate on the pending clause shall be closed in one minute or in five minutes. This motion having been adopted, the House immediately goes into Committee of the Whole again.
 When the consideration of a bill has been finished, the Committee rises. The Chairman then reports the measure an6 amendments to the House, which al once votes on the amendments, either separately op as a whole, and then votes on the passage of the bill.
 In the Senate, bills are considered "a' in Committee of the Whole, but withou so many formalities. The practice il both branches is a very useful and i'm portant one, and the right of member in Committee to full discussion of al bills, especially those that involve taxation or the expenditure of money, is one tha is and should be most jealously guarded