The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-12-02
NATIONAL CAPITAL NEWS
Customs Which Regulate the Making
of House and Senate
Committees.
The American Method of Legisla-
ton and How 1t Differs From
Other Nations.
Talk Of New Committee With MIR. Carter
~ Russell Yields
a Point.

WASHINGTON, Dec, Especial. There
are several interesting customs connected
with the opening of a congress that have
nearly the force of law so ancient and well
established are they. They may properly
be said TO belong to the great body of un-
written law incident as well 10 republics
where the people govern themselves by con-
stitutions and written compacts rs to mon
archies where precedents coming down
from time immemorial are respected and
obeyed. These customs are really little
known or understood by the people at largc, |
and they have in some cases great i'm
portance in their effect on legislation, The |
little inland town of metropolitan ambi |
tion hardly realizes that the improvement
of its important waterway or the mainte-
nance of its land office or pension sgencyor
revenue collectorship depends ON process
very much like ''going TO the head IN
district school spelling class. Yet that is
the fact.
Legislation by committee rs peculiar
institution. II is not known in the Eng
lish parliament. II il distinctly an Ameri-
can custom as much as town meetin.
There are in the senate fifty-three commit
tees and in the house sixty. The senate
committees are like the senate itself, con-
tipuinp bodies-that is there is never time
when the committee is not in existence In
the house there are no committees at the
bepininp of each congress until speaker
has been elected and had time 20 make up
his committees. In the senate the commit
tees are ready to 90 10 work the first day OF
the session il necessary. committee IN
either house OF senate Is little congress
of itself. II has its chairman whose powers
i'm the committee room are quite al auto
cratic as far as they 90 as are those OF the
speaker of the house or the president of the
senate Everything is done with complete
respect 10 form. Bills are introduced,
taken up, discussed. voted ON with perfect
regard TO the rules of the committee. There
is clerk who, in most committees, Is
yery important person. lie does for the
committee what the clerk Of the house or
the secretary of the senate with their stan
of helpers do for those bodies The consld-
Grafton of bill in the committee Is more
often Of greater Importance than its treat
ment in the house. The committee III
| tlintF emu ol iilt tNlliol ~ u VI Bp"NA
and it feels its dignity.
The way committees are made up is pccu-
liar and interesting. In the senate II IN all
a matter of progression by priority. The
oldest member of a committee ms rule Is
its chairman. II he is not reelected when
his term expires the man next below him on
the list If members becomes chairman. His
right 20 the craftsmanship n as strong rs If
"A law were passed making IL his inHlienhble
possession He can, of course, relinqulsh
il To the man next below him. and IL Is an
other custom that If he already has chair
manship ON some other committee. he must
choose which he will keep. New senators 90
TO the tail end of the various committees
Changes soon bring them on top. While tbs
senate has been so evenly divided between
the two parties there have been chairman
ships enough to 90 around and more. Eight
democratic senators are chairmen Of COM
Inittees.
Something of the same procession holds
true in the house committees. Members stay
on their respective committeesa and gradually
rise 10 be chairmen. Here, however. poltI-
cal ambition cuts athwart the custom ana
leads sometimes 60 manifold changes and
exceptions. The speaker has his friends 10
honor and advance and strong men in the
party in power make combinations that he
| must respect For weeks the speaker and
his clerk keep a blotter to receive all sorts
of requests and advice in regard TO commit
, tee positions A thorough classification and
digest is made of these suggestions, and
with his own intimate knowledge of the fit
ness of the applicants the speaker is able 10
do his task with close approximation 10
general satisfaction. The average house
member seldom serves on less than three
committees. Most senators are ON seven
committees.
And all this is custom. There is no law
10 govern the making Of committees, none
requiring committees nt all. Legislation by
committee is something for which there is
no sanction in black and white. II is sim
ply because our forcfatheTs appointed COM
mittees 20 petition and remonstrate IN the
times of George the Third, that we have our
laws mnde nowadays by committees in con-
gress This congress could abolish commit
tees altogether il il pleased 90 do 50. Neither
house has any power over the subject be-
vond lis own doors. There ~ no limit to
their power over il so far ps the conduct OF
each fs concerned. The house can have 700
committees all with chairmen having clerks
drawing 5000 year.
Asa rule committees do their work we'll.
il is n republican system. Far play rules
and any good measure will get full consld-
eratiun It's friends Gun talk TO the COM
mittees ms long as they can att0td 20 stay III
Washington and pay board biils-some-
times longer. The worst enemy of good
legislation lies in the custom, which IL truly
American Of letting everybody nHk what he
wants. There were 1900 bills introduced
in the last congress. 10 pass all Of them
not less than eight should have been dis
posed of in each working day Of the two
sessions. There ought 10 be rule Of the
house nj least that bills may be Introduced
only 10y committee. There should be in one
Of the executive departments a bureau of
claims 10 receive testimony and refer bills
for claims To congress.
In tho senate the caucus of the majority,
il held in secret. determines all mattefsper-
taing TO committees and makes all changes
in the rules. In the house the question
comes up at the opening of each congress
on the adoption of the rules Of the preced-
ing house which adopted the rules Of It's
predecessor and so on. There was time
when the house had no rules-simply a
little book containing the rulings of the
chair on disputed points Of procedure.
Now there is a big lot Of rules handed down,
modified and increased by each house for
fifty years past.