The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-05-19
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE.

The present session of Congress is far
advanced 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-
pires. Among the latest new entries is one
for imposing fine of 500 on our law-lnal-
erS for absence at roll yall without leave
It has been suggested also that the fund
thus acrulng from Congressional derelic-
tons shall be appropriated to defray the
expense Of Congressional funerals.
It was Representative Beach Of New York
who proposed this penalty for absence. 1t
was also he, who, some weeks ago introduc-
ed resolution to have the rules of the
House so amended that all eulogies of de-
ceased members should be delivered in the
House on Sundays, and that on such occa-
sions the public shall be admitted to the
floor of the House as well as to the galleries.
This Is to provide an audience for the eu-
logists One OF the features of the present
plan is as soon as the memorial services be-
gin, the Congressman nearly al desert their
seats and leave the orators to talk in an
empty hall.
Speaking of bills reminds me that up to
this date s, 740 measures besides I'll reso-
lutions have been introduced in the House
of Representatives. alone this session. OF
these the House has passed 174 public, and
655 private bills. This seems to be very
SLOW work, but q frequenter of the galleries
who knows that almost every unlmportant
question gives rise to & protracted debate,
does not wonder that legislation lags.
The bills already introduced exceed by
several hundred the whole number present
ed during both sessions of the last Con-
gress And do you know what bill goes
through? mean the routine through which
each one of these thousands Of bills passes?
The experience of House bill is varied.
Some Of them have come to BE- old veterans
by serving in many Congresses, and are sal
lowed and shriveled with age.
After bill is introduced it is read by IT,
tie at the clerks desk 1t then has numer.
Gus hieroglyphics put in blue pencil upon
its back to show where it is to be consigned.
Then it is numbered and registered in q
book and printed The most active part of
its existence is being printed. fit has a
full run 1t is printed six times. 1t is prin-
ted when first introduced, when it is report
ed from the committee it is printed, when
it is passed by the House-if it ever is-it
is again printed. Then the Senate prints
it, When it IS reported by tha@Senate COM
mittee it IS again printed, and again when
it becomes law. After that it has to be
printed in the statute books. Meanwhile it
has been slowed away in the document
room aud on the calendar of the committee,
has been discussed and probably abused and
cut to pieces; has been objected to and
threatened in the House. and solemnly sat
upon in the Senate This is the experience
of the simplest and most unimportant bill.
The appropriation bills suffer more at the
hands of the printer than this. They are
first printed as estimates. then as unofical
forms of bill, then the bill as adopted by
the committee is printed. When it passes
the House it is printed, and again when it
reaches the Senate It is next printed as it
passes the Senate. When it comes out of
conference-if it goes to conference-it is
printed as an act and after that it is print
ed in the statute books.
A bill that has never been in Congress
before and is fresh aud new, has generally
come in the pocket Of member as fresh
and new as ITSELF or has been written by
some insinuating person outside, and intro
duced by request. The average member Of
Congress, although he delights in introduc-
ing as many bills as possible, does not like
to write them He will frequently take a
bill that has done service in many different
causes, and will chop and slash and inter
line it, and patch it together as a new bill.
Many of the private bills have done service
through many Congresses and for many
persons, merely name in it being changed
every time it was introduced. 1t had been
suggested as means Of preventing the
House being flooded with 50 many bills
that every bill introduced must be in the
handwriting Of the man who offers it.