Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-05-29
WASHINGTON 7
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. Nav ii, SO


The presant session of congress is
far advanced and thousands Of meas
ures have been presented that cannot
have a chance CT being passed or even
considered. Still new bills pour in
every week, aad others will continue
to come until the session expires.
Among the latest new entries is one
for imposing a fine of 800 on our law
makers for absence at roll call with
out leave. It has been suggested
also that the fund thus ACQUIRING from
congressional deriIictions shall be APP
propriated to defray the expenses Of
congressional funerals.
It was representative Beach Of New
York who proposed this penalty for
s1lasEaeea It was also he, who, some
NaU, introduced a resolution to
IlheInles Of the house SO amend
IaHeulogies Of deceased mem
oan be delivered in the house
Oh Sundays, and that OF such occas-
ions the public shall be admitted to
the floor Of the house as well as the
galleries. This is to provide an aud
fence for the eulogists. One Of the
features of the present plan is, that as
soon as the memorial services begin,
the congressman nearly all desert
their seats and leave the orators to
talk in an empty hall.
Speaking Of bills reminds me that
mp to this dates, 74Dmeasures, besides
III resolutions have been introduced
iaahe house Of representatives alone
This session. Of these, the house has
PASSED 164 public, and 755 private
bills. This seems. to be very slow
work, but a frequenter Of the gal
leries who knows that almost every
unimportant question gives rise to a
protracted debate, does not wonder
that Legislation lags.
The bills already introduced exceed
by several hundred the whole number
presented during both sessions of the
last congress. And do YOU know what
a bill goes through? [ mean the
routine through which each one Of
these thousands of bills passes2 The
experience Of a bouss.bill is varied.
Some Of them have come to be old
veterans by serving in many con
crosses, and are sallowed and shrivel-
ed with age.
After bill is introduced it is read
by title at the clerks desk. It then
has numerous hieroglyphies put in
blue pencil upon its back to show
where it is to be consigned. Then
it is numbered and registered in a
book and printed. The most active
part of its existence is being printed.
If it has a full run it is printed six
times. Tt is printed when first in
trodueed, when it is reported 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 the
senate committee it's again printed,
and again when it becomes a law.
After that it has to be printed in the
statute books. Meanwhile it has
been slowed away IN the document
oom and 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
eff the simplest and most unimportant
bib. The appropriation bills suffer
more al the hands ofthe printer than
this. They arc first printed as esti-
mates, then as official forms Of the
bill, then the bill as adopted by the
committeesis printed When it passes
the house it is printed, and again
-. -.- .#& Il. 49,