The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-01-31

IL ID statSu ti9I aSObt~ VI tEO AscpuoA
can party from Washington have visited
Columbia for The purpose of recognizing
the party il this State. Their purpose
is to organize Republican Club in every
County in the State. This will be the
hest thing that can be done for the Dem.
ocrats. 1t will remind us of the dangers
of Republican government, and will
unite tho Democratic party in an enthu.
siastic canvass this year.
A Secretary for each United States
Senator 10 luxury which We can we'll
understand is great relief and asuiot.
ance to Senator, for where he properly
attends to his duties they are very bur.
denscms and exscsinE. A secretary
would take the bulk of Senator's cor.
respondence off his hand and attend to
innumerable details, which nov consume
his time without in any way especially
improving his capacity for work. Every
Senator who takes anything like an &C.
tive part in tho work Of the Senate could
hardly get along without secretary,
but it seems to us that he Nnmld employ
and pay for this luxury himself. Tho
resolution, therefore, OF the Senate to
provide each member of that body with
secretary at the government expense,
is o piece of extravaganza which will
scarcely be approved by the people. The
worst feature, too, about tho matter, it
strikes us, is that it has been done by o
simple resolution Of tho Senate instead
of by Act Of Congress. II is, therefore,
not measure put before Congress and
passed as other changes in the law are
made. after deliberate consideration by
the law making body of tho government.
but it is the uso Of an incidental power
Of tho Senate for the benefit of its mem.
bers in way that was never contempla.
ted, and way which, although lawful, is
not legitimate. Already some member
of the House has proposed to provide
secretary likewise for each member of
the House. This would be as legitimate
as to provide one for each Senator. Tho
work of an active member Of the House
being as laborious as that of q Senator,
upon the Same principle ms that acted on
in the Senate, the resolution should pass.
Tho members Of :!;s House, however,
are too near the people, and their elec.
tions come CT too often for the passage
of such resolution in that body. 1t
would add about half million dollars
to the expenses Of the government, with.
out returning any conpensating advan-
tages to tho people who pay the taxes.
The press of the country is at present
deyoting some attention to the discussion
of the evils of committee rulo in our
National and State legislatures. All
agree that it is unfortunate for body to
be governed In important legislation by
committees which act in private, but
unfortunately it 10 difficult to provide
any better system. To abolish tho com.
nlittees would only injure, instead Of
helping the cause of deliberate and In.
telligent legislation. It IL tho duty of
the committees to investigate matters
committed 20 their charge, and report
upon than TO The body wh!eh !. Ten-s-
sents. The original purpose Of com.
mittee was to have Investigation, and In
all cases whore there Was difference of
opinion, to have the conclusion reached
by the committee, and the grounds for It
set forth in the report for the ccnsidera.
tion Of the body which has to act upon
it. These intended reports were very
different from the conventional, convent.
ent reports in which the committees
merely state their conclusions without
reasons. The purpose Of reference to
committees is that the body may be IL.
formed during the discussion as fully 40
possible of the merits of the pending
matter. As g matter Of practice the
members Of the body do place an undue
Importance upon the report of commit.
tee. 1t might be an Improvement to
require all committees to report their
reasonn in full, or to report without re.
-commendation. If reported in full,
every member could Judge deliberately
Of the suficiency of those reasons, and
If reported without Recommendation.
then there would be no prestige OF com.
mittes action for Or against tho pending
measure. Tho members of the commit.
tee would havo the information derived
from the Investigation. and could partlc.;
:fs.s :f i: :i:s debate. Something ought
! to be done 70. place more responsibility
upon every member Of d legislative body.
for It's action. 1t Is not. for the Interest
Of thcpeople that one.ffth Of the n,em.t