St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-18
REVISING THE RULES.
The House Spends Another DayWith
Them without Definite Action.

ERch1 1IhOut DtlIh1tc ACtIOh.
In the house Mr.. Dibble of South Caro-
lima introduced joint resolution proposing
a constitutional amendment concerning the
presidential succession. The subject of the
rules then came up for discussion, Mr.. Nor
rison of Illinois stating that he would try to
close the general debate at O'clock. Mr..
Long thought the appropriation bills should
be left with one committee, which could
'cut the garments according to the cloth. !"
A division of responsibility meant an alb
sence of responsibility. Mr.. McMillin op-
posed the distribution. Mr.. McAdoo said
the appropriations committee was the
WATCHDOG OF THE TREASURY,
and its power should not be taken away.
Mr. Kelly favored the adoption of the re-
port of the committee. If fifteen men
men could do the business of the house,
why not change the laws and save the pay
of the other 80? Mr. Hatch wished to call
Mr.. RandalFS attention to the fact that we
had president now who could not be blind
folded and made to sign away $50. 600. 900
of the peoples money without examination.
Mr.. Caswell favored the report of the Hol-
man amendment, but opposed the rule as it
was reported by the committee. Mr.. Phelps
said fifteen men would make errors, but
these errors would be far less harmful to
the country than those which would grow
out of the change proposed. The amend
ment would increase expenditure. scatter
responsibility and start the country on the
high road to bankruptcy.
MIR. RANDALL,
in closing the debate in opposition to the
majority report, said:
He knew the members who had served upon
in
the effort to resist undue appropriations they
had engaged in q thankless task; but he had
never known that there would be the men in
public station who would rise up and con-
denim a man or a set of men who were en-
gagged in the laudable purpose of saving the
expenditure of the public money. He was
quite aware that the pet measures OF mem
bers had been interfered with by the rigid
necessity of passing appropriation bills before
an adjournment could take place. He had
been criticised for asking the house at the
last session to pass the sundry civil appro-
prlatlon bill under suspension of the rules,
but the issue at that time was whether the
bill should be passed or whether there should
be an extra session of congress The gentle
man from New York (Hiscock) had stated, as
he (RandalD thought to his discredit. that on
one occasion, in order to execute a certain
policy, he found it incumbent on him TO de-
lay appropriation bills. He (RandalO suh-
mitued that as TO the tariff, river and barbor
and interstate commerce bills, the committee
on appropriations never had interposed. ex-
eept when it was
ESsENTIA L THAT CONGRESS
should appropriate bills. During the last
session the river and harbor appropriation
bill had AIKEN one-third as much time in the
house as all the other twelve bills of the ap.
preparations committee. But the appropri.
Etion bill hao the right of way, but it had
not the right of way to the disadvantage OF
revenue measures. The policy which the
committee on appropriations had adopted
when under the control of the Democratic
party had been one of economy. and he failed
10 find anywhere declarations of his party in
convention where that principle was not an
bounced as the one which would be followed
the people intrusted it with power. He
RandalD came here during the war. He was
.ot going to refer to what was his course OF
conduct during that immediate period, but
when that war was over, he had wanted the
country to 60 straight back to a strict con
Itruction of the constitution, reserving and
permitting only that federal exercise Of
power. which was distinctly given to the
Federal government, and reserying in every
particular everything that belonged to the
states. One of the propositions which he ha6
stated then, and which he had often stated
iuce, was that he wanted the federal gov
arnment to do nothing in the way OF legisla
THE STATE AUTHORITIES,
and, if he were addressing body of his fel
low citizens, be would deliberately say thai