The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-08-01
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
A CONGRESSIONAL TERM OFTEN
USED LUCIDLY EXPLAINED.
what is Done When the House
Adopts Motion 20 Go Into Com
4. 4 IL. a LlIII

Adopts a Motion 60 Go Into Com
fnttee of the Whole on a Bill.
After the general debate had ended on
the tariff bill, proposition was made,
by the member OF the House Of Repre-
sentatives who had charge Of the meas
ute, to some of the Republican leaders,
TO dispense with the consideration oil
the bill Sin committee of the whole"
Perhaps some of the readers OF the
Conrdnioa do not know what is meant
by this phrase, or If they do know, they
may not be aware what Is the OBJ, ,eet OF
''going into committee" as II Is called,
on a bill. The committee of the whole
is exactly what the term suggests. Its
membership is the same as that OF the
assembly. The British House Of Com
mons calls the committee "a committee
of the whole House." In the United
States House of Representatives 1t is
usually termed "a committee OF tho
whole on the state of the Union" The
Senate considers bills 'as in committee
of the whole" but its system is slightly
different from that of the other House OF
Congress.
When the House Of Representatives
adopts motion to 90 into committee OF
the whole, the Speaker leaves the chair,
which Is taken by some member desig--
mated 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 mentioned. There
is no calling of the roll. All divisions
are taken by rising or by passing be-
tween tellers.
Again. there is entire liberty 10 offer
amendments, which, under the modern
methods in our House of Representatives,
can rarely be offered at all, unless by
consent of the committee which reports
the measure. But speeches on amend
ments are lin ted to five minutes each,
whereas the time allowed to one who gets
the floor when the House Of Representa-
tlves proper is in session, is an hour.
| Most important of all, there is no
"previous question, and the committee
of the whole has no power to shorten
! debate; but when the member having
charge of bill thinks that o certain
clause has been discussed enough, he
moves that the committee rise. If the
motion is carried, the Speaker takes the
| chair, and then the same member moves
that debate on the section or clause un-
der discussion be limited to some time :
one minute, five minutes, or some other
time. If this is voted, the committee
resumes its session, and the Chairman
carries out the order of the House by
stopping debate when the time fixed has
elasped.
Now what is the object of this machin-
ery2 1t is to enable members to con-
slider measures rather more informally
and more expe1itiously than they could
under the rigid rules of the House OF
Representatives; and going into com
mittee also gives them an opportunity to
see the bill as a whole, amended, before
they are obliged to vote on its passage.
For when the bill has been reid
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 10 the House."
The motion is carried, the Speaker
takes the chair again, and the member
who has been presiding as Chairman re-
ports that the committee of the whole
House has had under consideration sucl
and such bill, and reports it back tc
the House with recommendation that il
pass, with sundry amendments, or with
out amendment, as the case may be.
Then the first question is on agreeing
to the amendments made in committee o.
the whole. If no objection is made
they are voted on in lump, but fequent
ly, by agreement, some one or more
amendments are reserved to be voted OF
koI. a,,1 fhar, H..
may be called.
Without any reference 10 the tariff
bill, 1t may be said that the liberty tC
offer amendments is one of the most use
sui of helps to good legislation, and i
has been far too much curtai.ed already
If the House of representatives were tC
go into committee on every bill, as ih'
Senate docs, many crude AMI unworka
BILE sections would be made more intel
ligible and practical Yoath's Companion