Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-07-31

hiHN nave HItecn anu tWeCty-lnTec nave
thirteen members. 1t is net surprising
that so little work is accomplished.
Ihh time of the house is taken up in
contests for precedence and business
seems to be getting to be = secondary
matter"
Il there no remedyp"
"Her0ic treatment. But where will
we get the support to enable us to save
the country from, you might almost
say. anarchy through the imbecility Of
its representative legislative body,
caused by growth to cumbersome pro-
portions and inability to act promptly
and efficiently. | have no doubt that
public sentiment will some day take
hold Of this question and it will be-
come an issue. National legislation
can not 90 on this way much longer.
The country does not want too many
laws, but there are some measures for
the direct benefit Of the people which
must be passed, but which can not be
on account of the time frittered away
in committees rivaling each other in
contests for recognition or special or
ders."
What would you call heroic treat
menp"
''Well, first an enlargement Of the
basis OF representation SO rs 10 reduce
the number of members, n ncXt "A
material reduction of the number of
committees and reduction Of the per-
sonnet Of IL number of those retained.
! What ara SfanIinn nnrlpptffnns nnNy
should be reduced to subcommittee of
three and some principal committees
retained. The present confusion seems
to be the essential outcrop of the in
crease in the membership of the house.
Then, the ort a~nization of committees
Is 10 on the basis that each member
of the house must be on at least one
committee. According to this essenti
ally absurd theory, with every decade,
as the membership Of the house in
creases, the committees or their mem
bcrs must be increased so as to make
matters fit. In fourteen years from
now, at the present rate, the house
would be simply IN a moribund state,
incapable of getting out OF its "
way"
Then you favor a reduction Of the
membership Of the house.
''Ihat seems to be the only way out
of the dilemma reduction Of the
membership by charging the popular
basis. You see, every state admitted
adds II member. besides the increase in
the quotas of the old states. The ter
ritories within the next few decades
will be carved into probably fifteen or
twenty states
What would be the effect OF an at
tempt TO reduce the membership of the
hOuse?"
'lt would result in "a great strain
upon the government. Men who hold
seats would not agree to surrender
them, and the old states. like New En-
gland parts Of the south for instance,
where the population is stationary,
would oppose any attempt - lessen
their Importance, which would be the
result of increasing the basis in the
popular branch of congress. The pres
ent congress is a very fair illustration
of the tendency of legislative business
in the house. We are now in the very
heat of summer. Another month would
not suffice to complete legislation which
should be attended To. 1t looks to me
as if matters would grow worse"
lis not part of the delay due to ab
sence of leadership in the majority"
"An unquestioned leadership might
lessen the confusion, as the waste of
time competing for the floor would,
under the direction of q good party
leader, be materially lessened. But
everybody wants to be or imagines
himself leader, aud among them they
consume a great share of the time of
the house competing for a precedence.
The country is between two horns
of a dilemma III regard to the house.
As matters now stand general legisla-
ton, except on appropriation bills, is a
work of extreme difficulty and delay.
To lessen the representation would be
likely 20 lead to = conflict between
state and national authority. AS an
&c. of sovereignty the people might ex-
press their voice in an election on the
ssue Of promoting the efficiency Of the
Io'Sc VI REPRESENTATIVES, III NV
performance of his constitutional
functions. Under such circumstances. il
indorsed by a voice Of the majority of
the states and the people, the result
might be accomplished without any
very serious disturbance of the equili-
brium Of public feeling. While q few
states might lose in the popular branch
the great and small state sovereignties
would have their power in the senate.
That was the spirit Of the constitution
of 1897, and it should bear the same
Interpretation to-day.
ut appears to me that the next great
issue between the states and the nation
al government will come in 1891 or '92,
when the census of the decade of 1890
is made the basis of apportionmentf of
representatives of the states in the pop
ular branch of congress.
The Way Edith Shocked Them.