Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-16


mlttees, the average annual Appropriation had
jumped up to Sl3,59l, 900. This statement he
thought would bear him out in the assertion
that separation of the appropriation bills
would largely increase the expenditures.
ARTHUR's RECOMMENDATION.
Mr.. Randall sent to the clerks desk and
had read an extract from the annual message
or President Arthur TO the 47th Congress, re-
commencing that no appropriation be made
Tor internal Improvements, and informing
Congress that sufficient amount remained
from the appropriations OF the previous year
to carry on all the necessary works
of Improvement yet in the face of this mes
sage and in the face OF the further
fact that no estimates had been submitted the
Forty seventh Congress had demanded esti-
mates and had actually pa ssed bill involving
an expenditure OF nearly IS, 000, COO.
With this statement of fact he was quite
content 10 leave to the House and country the
| question whether there had not been ten
dency to increase expenditures under the
plan OF distributing the appropriation bills.
MR.. HAMMOND's OPPOSITION.
Mr.. Hammond, Of Georgia. promised his re-
marks with statement that he would try to
get away from the alteration about Presi-
| dent Arthur. 1t was very plain that Presl-
| dent Arthur had no friends here now He
| submitted strong argument In antagonism
! to the scheme OF distributing the appropria-
| tl0n bills, pointing out the dangers which
| would result therefrom, and quoting from the
| remarks made by President Garfield and 9TH
! ers to support his opinions, be predicted that
| II lDe distribution TOOK place great COM ublOn
| would ensue while much time would be
| wasted in the contest of the various appropri-
| alton committees.
TARIFF AGITATION A GOOD THING.
In the course of his remarks he referred in
! cidentally to the Committee on Ways and
| Means, and touching upon the tariff question,
| he declared that every attempt made by the
| Democratic party to revise the tariff had been
! followed by a Democratic victory at the polls.
| "Mr. Morrison he exclaimed, was Char
| n and Mp2ng Com
Mr.. Tilden was elected President, and Chair
man Of the Ways and Means Committee when
| Laughter and applause He was afraid TO
| try this experiment when the Democratic
| party had been posing for years as the party
of reform, as the party Of economy.
POSING is GOOD.
"Posing is good" suggested a Republican
member.
"Yes," replied Mr.. Hammond; 81 said pos
ing, and the country has been looking at our
| posture. and learning TO admire us, until II
has driven you out of power" Laughter and
Returning to the subject of the debate, he
| stated that he had seen no evil resulting from
| trusting in the committees which spent the
| public money. and he was not ready to try an
! experiment that so many great men and so
many serious votes had pronounced against.
NEW ERA.
The President was a new era in the political
| history Of the country. For quarter of
century the hepuDlledD party 0du Debu IN
| power. The Democratic party had just come
! into the ascendaney, and was on trial. IL
| occurred to him that there were men on the
| other side of the House who would carelessly
| say; "If this experiment is likely to hurt the
| Democratic party let it be tried" But he
warned those gentlemen when they came
again into power, which God grant might be
| long time, they would be faced with the
same trouble.
NOT POLITICAL DEBATE.
There ought to be no political significance
in anything that was sAid in this debate.
The question before the House was one Of as
| certaning the best way OF doing the best
| thing for the country. If it were right that
| there should be one head and one purpose 10
control these appropriations let 1t remain so. II
| it were right to aggrandize the other commit
tees do 80. not be taking away from the APP
| preparation Committee what belonged TO 1t To-
| gically as matter of right but by taking away
from It only power TO legislate, and leaving
| the committees to advance TO their proper
| level. Then the House would have theoreti-
cany and he believed practically good gov
| ernment.
THE COMMITTEE OVERBURDENED.
Mr. Singleton, OF Mississippi, former
| member of the Appropriations Committee,
bore testimony TO the statement that the COM
| mittee was overburdened with labor, and he
| asked the members no longer to sit like dunn
| mics and listen to what legislation members
of that committee brought in, but to vote for
| a revision of the rules and distribute the
WORK and responsibility of the House.
| The debate was further continued by Messrs.
| Reagan, Willis, Scott of Pennsylvania, Glib
| son Of West Virginia, Cannon OF Illinois, and
Reed of Maine.
THE ORIGINAL BLUNDER.
Mr.. Cannon. Of Illinois, made a strong argu-
| ment in opposition to the distribution OF the
| appropriation bills, and attributed the dls-
| satisfaction which was felt with the Appro-
| priations Committee to the bad working of
the rule which permitted that committee to
! tack legislation on sheir bills If 1t IN any way
fbQ los Qf ha
| gentlemen from Indiana (Mr. Holmanl the
| Democrats bad committed grave blunder in
adopting this rule, and now they sought to
| correct this blunder, and in so doing
they were falling into still
| graver blunder. The true remedy y
| for the evil which had grown up in delaying
the reporting Of appropriation bills was to let
the Committee on Appropriaticns make all
! the appropriations. and TO take from 10 the
! power Of originating legislation.
AN AUDITING COMMITTEE.
Then it would become what it should al
ways have been, mere auditing committee
/ From mere temporary and partizan stand
point he would prefer tnat the rules should be
amended as proposed. because he believed
il would lead to increased expenditures.
| He did not believe that the different commit
tees would be dishonest. He believed there
was far more hontsty and integrity in the
House than some people throughout the coun-
try profess 10 DeiieYe. put WINE ne belefea
they would be honest, he believed that each
| committee would protect its specially, ana
that the expenditures would run away beyond
what anybody expected.
THE PARTY ADVANTAGE.
While it might be party advantage TO have
these rules adopted, he did not think the Re
publicans could afford TO help
| Inc other side adopt them.
when the Republican party came into power
! again. ana he hoped and expected u soon
would. II would find 10 hard TO make one COM
mittee where there had been eight or nine be-
( fore. n the rules were amended they would
I stand for a century 20 curse all the parties
who had power n the House and to work
I permanent damage TO The country.
! Mr.. Morrison gave notice that ho would en-
deayOr 10 close the general debate tomorrow
afternoon, ard then the House adjourned.
IRELAND,s AMBITION.