The Mineral argus. [volume] (Maiden, Mont.) 1883-1886, 1886-05-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent


WAsniNGroS. May 18th. 1>>G.
The present session 81 congress is lar adj
yanced and Thousands OF measures have
BEEN presented that cannot have a chance
of being passed or even considered. still
new bills pour in every week. and Others
will continue to come until the session ex-
pir,s. Among the Latest new entries H. one
for imposing - line OF Sloo on our law
makers for absence ~ roll call without
leave. II has been suggested also that the
fund thus acruine from congressional deril-
ic;ion- shall De- appropriated 10 driray the
eNpensss 81 congressional funerals.
u was E,pr - i,taiiye Beach. of New
York who prupp~ Il this penait, for ali
sencr. II WIS il-, he. vino some weeks ago
introduced PCS ,lntipn To have the rules
oi the house 80 amended that all cuiogias
ri deceased member, should b. delivered IN
the hou~r on sundays. and that on such
occasions TIM public shall br admitted to
the iloor oi the hou-, ~ we'll ~, Ia The gal
lsrie,. This i 10 provide an audience Tor
the culosis'-. Onr uf the features of The
present plan j. that as soon as the meino-
rial services b'-n, the congressman nearly
all desert their seats and leave the ora tor.
T. talk Ia an empty hall.
Speaking OF bills reminds me that up TO
this date 81 80 measures, besides II rts,-
buttons have been Introduced ia the house
Of representatives alone this session. OF
thes" the house has passed | II public and
90, private b,lls. This seems to b. very
slow work. but fr,quenter oi the galleries
who knows that almost every unimporiant
question gives rise to II protract al debate.
does not wonder that legislation lags.
The bills already introduced exceed by
several hundred the whole number present
cd during both sessions Of the last congress-
And do you know what bill goes through?
l mean the routine through which each one
of these thousands of bills passes? The
experience nj house bill is varied. Some
of them have come To b. old veterans by |
serving in many congresses, and are sal
lowed and shrivelel with age.
After bill is introduced i, is read by
til tie AT the clerk : desk 1t then has num-
crous hieroglyphies put in blue pencil upon /
its back to show where il il to beconsigned /
Then il is numbered and registered in u
book and printed. The most active part
OF its existence is being printed. II it has I
IL full run it is printed six times. 1t is /
printed when first introduced, when IL is re-
ported from the committee it is printed, I
when it is passed by the houseif it ever is .
it is again printed. Then the senate /
prints il. When il Is reported by the semitic .
committee it is again printed, and again (
when il becomes "A law. Alter that it ha, \
To he printed in the statute books. Mean
while it has been slowed away in the doru-
ment room and ON the Gala nder OF the
committee, has been discussed and proba-
bly, abused and cut to pieces; has been OBJ
jccted to and threatened in the house, and
solemnly sat npon in the senate. This is
the experience OF the simplest and most
unimportant bin. The appropriation bills
suffer more Mt the hands of the printer than
this. They are first printed as estimates,
then rs unofficial forms of the bill then
the bill as adopted by the committee is
printed, and again when it reaches the
senate II is next printed as it passes the
senate. When il comes out of conference
IL il goes to conierence-it is printed as an
act, and after that il is printed in the sta
tute books.
4 bill that has never been in congress, be-
fore and is fresh and new. has generally I,
come in the pocket Of IL member us fresh
and new itself, or has been written by
some insinnating person outside, and in
troduced by request. The average member
~ congress, although he delights in intro
iucins as many bills ms possible. does not
like Ia writ them. he viii frequently take
u bill that has done sarv Ia many differ
rni cai'-as. and vii chop and siiisl, and in
i"riine it, and patch il together a. IL neH
bill. Many of the private bills have dom
'etyier through many congresses and lor
many persons, merely the name IA il being
an,ed evary tim il was ,itr ,duc.i. II
has been suggested a. II means uf prevent.
ing the housr being honded with 80 many
bills, that every bill introduced must be Ia
he hand writing of the man who offers it.
Y,noeu ~s,rv..~