Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-06-11
RIDERS.
MIR. MORRISON'S POINT OF Or
DER SUSTAINED.
Now LegIslation Not to be Allowed ID


New Legislation Not TO be Allowed to
Handicap General Appropriation
Bils-HOlman brought to Terms by
His Own Ameudment-The Chair Ex-
plains the POints Involved.
WASHINGTON, June 10.-The House to-
day went into committee of the whole on
the Legislative appropriation bill. The
pending question was on the point Of order
made by Mr.. Morrison, OF Illinois, against
the words sin full compensation" where
they occur in the general appropriating
clause OF the bill.
Mr.. Holman argued against the point,
and called attention to the fact that for
the past ten years these words had been
Incorporated in every legislative apprO-
priation bill. The question presented was
whether the House could, under It's rules,
impose Limitation on the expenditure of
public money. II it could not, il had al
most abandoned the power TO control the
expenditure of public money.
MIR. Morrison said that the gentleman's
argument WSs based on an old rule Of the
House. A ditfereat rnle had been made,
and rule to which the (" nLiGH.2n from
Indiana was under obligation to pay some
respect.
THE NEW RULE.
The House had declared in that rule
that when in any branch of the public
service compensation of officers is fixed
by law, the law could not be changed on
an appropriation bill. The rule said to
the gentleman that 1t was his duJy
to appropriate the money which the law
had determined should be appropriated
for the purpose, aud If any gentleman be-
lieVed that too much or too little was be-
ing appropriated, he had nothing to do
but to introduce and pass bill reducing
or increasing salaries.
Mr.. MOrrisOn's view was sustained by
Messrs. Hammond, Randall and Cannon,
while Messrs. Reagan, Ryan, TOwnshend
and Lowry argued against the point of
order.
THE DECISION.
In rendering his decision the chairman
reviewed the provisions of the rule
adopted at the FOrty-fourth Congress, and
Of the rule adopted at the FOrty-siXth
Congress-, and known as the Holman
amendment. He compared them with the
existing rules to show that the present
House had stripped the rule OF any ver-
biage which could possibly be construed
as permitting Legislation on appropriation
bills. He also called attention to the
fact that when the House was discussing
the rules it had voted down, by 60 yeas to
205 NAYS, the proposition to allow reduc-
tiOns of salaries to be provided for on
appropriation bills. The chair had, there
fore, no difficulty in coming to the con-
clusiOn, in the light of the preceding rules
ana in the light of the action of the pres
ent House, that it was not in order to pro-
vide for reduction of salary when it mad
been fixed by law.
NICE POINT.
1t had been claimed by some gentlemen
that the words against which the point OF
order was made were Limitation on the
appropriation. Ii reduction of salary
furnished an illustration of what the word
elimination" meant, it was quite easy to
see what the present House had intended
to dO-tO exclude what was termed ''limi-
tatlOn" from appropriation bills. 1t
was argued that this did not repeal
the law. The language of the rule was
''change the existing law" without the
the words 'in full compensation" in the
bill. If the general law fixed salary the
officer would be entitled 10 the full
amount of that salary. The officer would
be entitled to the salary by force of statute
but this provision changed the law and
was therefore out of order. He sustained
the point of order.
TRYING TO BULLDoZE THE SENATE.
When the clause appropriatiDg for the
pay Of Senators had been read, MIR. Il. b.
Taylor, of Ohio, offered an amendment
providing that none of the money should
be paid until the Senate had confirmed the
appointment OF Matthews for Register Of
Deeds of the District of Columbia. He
wished, he said, to bring out the latent
power of the House to supervise all
branches of the government, as it pro-
posed to supervise the conduct OF the
Civil Service Commission. The amend
ment baving been ruled out on point OF
order. Mr.. Taylor thanked the chair tor
his decision. After completing consid-
Grafton of out of the 106 pages OF the
bill, the committee rose and the House
adjourned.