St. Landry democrat., 1888-07-21
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE,
What This Phrase Means When Used In
Conuectiar will, the I,oyEer Housas

What This Phrase Means When Used In
Connection with the Lower House.
After the general debate had ended
on the Tariff bill, a proposition was
made, by the member of the House OF
Representative who had charge of the
measure, to some of the Republican
leaders, to dispense with the considera-
ton of the bill sin committee on the
whole"
Perhaps some of the readers do not
know what is meant by this phrase, OR
if they do know, they may not be aware
what is the object of ''going into COM
mittee," as it is called, on bill. The
committee of the whole issexectly what
the term suggests. Its membership is
the same as that of the assembly. The
British House of Commons calls the
committee "a committee of the whole
House." In the United States House
of Representative it is usually termed
''a committee of the whole on the state
of the Union" The Senate considers
bills 'as in the committee of the
WHOLE" but its system is slightly differ
ent from that of the other House of
Congress.
When the House of Representatives
adopts motion to go into committee
of the whole, the Speaker leaves the
chair, which is taken by some member
designated by the Speaker. A new set
of rules comes into operation, much
simpler than those of the House itself.
Some of the changes should be men
toned. There is no calling of the roll.
All divisions are taken by rising or by
passing between tellers. Again, there
is entire liberty to offer amendments,
which, under the modern methods in
our House of Representatives, can
rarely be offered at all, unless by con-
sent of the committee which reports
the measure But speeches en- amend
ments are limited to five minutes each,
whereas the time allowed to one who
gets the floor when the House of Rep
resentatives proper is in session, is an
hour.
Most important of all, there is no
"previous question:" and the commit
tee of the whole has no power to
shorten the debate; but when the mem
Der having charge of the bill thinks
that certain clause has been dis
cussed enough, he moves that the COM
mittee rise. If the motion is carried,
the Speaker takes the chair, and then
the same member moves that debate
on the section or clause under discus
sion be limited to some time-one
minute, five minutes, or some other
time. If this is voted, the committee
resumes it's session, and the chairman
carries out the order of the House by
stopping debate when the time fixed
has elapsed.
Now what is the object of that ma
chinery? 1t is to enable members to
consider measures rather more in
formally and more expeditiously than
they could under the rigid rules of the
House of Representatives; and going
into committee also gives them an OPP
portunity to see the bill as a whole,
amended. before they are obliged to
vote on its passage. For when the
bill has been read through, section by
section-the clerk pausing when an
amendment is proposed, and resuming
the reading when all amendments to
the clause have been acted on-the
member in charge moves 'that the
committee rise and report the bill to
the House.
The motion is carried the Speaker
takes the chair again, and the member
who has been presiding as chairman
reports that the committee of the whole
House has had under consideration
such and such bill, and reports it
back to the House with recommends
ton that it pass, with sundry amend
ments, or without amendment, as the
case may be. Then the first question
is on agreeing to the amendments
made in committee of the whole. If
no objection is made, they are voted on
in a lump, but frequently, by agree
ment, some one or more amendments
are reserved to be voted on separately,
and then the yeas and nays may be
called.
Without any reference to the Tariff
bill, it may be said that the liberty to
offer amendments is one of the most
useful of helps to good legislation, and
it has been far too much curtailed
already. If the House of Representa-
tives were to go into committee on
every bill, as the Senate does, many
crude and unavoidable sections would be
made more Ineligible and practical.
-Youtb's Companion.