The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-01-10
WITHOUT "THROTTLING THE MINORITY
Some Ways in Which the Nations
Business Maybe Expedited,
Leaving the FiIibusters No Chance
for rheir Favorlte Performances.
The Tariff Hearing and Other WASH
lngton Matters of Interest.

WASHINGTON, January SIT is probable
that the House committee on rules will be
ready to report early next week code of
rules to govern the proceedings of that body.
The report, it is expected, will embody the
rules of the last House, with some substan-
tial amendments and notifications designed
to facilitate the transaction of the public
business. While the committee has not as
yet. held any formal meeting to consider the
subject, the changes suggested have been
informally discussed by the members; and
there is some reason to believe that some of
the amendments. at least, will receive the
support of the minority of the committee. as
we'll as of many conservative Democrats in
the House, who. in the last Congress, had
reason to become thoroughly disgusted with
the code of rules then in force. This report
probably, will be surprise to eX-Premier
Mills and other fiery emocrats-incuding
the belligerent McAdoo, that gallant cham
pion of constitutional liberty, who wants the
Democrats to stand together assone man, un-
til the end of the session, in defence of the
right OF the minority to obstruct the public
business.
There are several ways in which time may
be saved and business expedited withO ut
throttling the minority" For example,
under the old rules about one-half of every
Mondays session was occupied in calling the
roll of states for the introduction of bills, the
titles of which were read by the clerk-a
process as tedious as it was unnecessary. be-
cause the titles were Incorporated In the
journal and read at the beginning of the next
days session. If all the bills should be
handed to the speaker and referred by him
to the appropriate committees much time
would be saved in the first instance; and,
upon the reading OF the journal on the fol-
lowing day, erroneous references, if any,
could be corrected. This reform would save
two or three hours on each suspension
Monday" which comes twice a month, and
the same amount of time on each of the two
Mondays of every month which are allotted
to the consideration of District of Columbia
business. In the last Congress the doing of
any business on suspension Monday" was
almost impossible. Any member might de-
mand the reading of any and every bill Of
fered, and on more than one occasion the old
hles were ransacked for voluminous bills
which were offered and the reading demand
ed In this way, a single statesman like
Weaver of Iowa, frequently blocked the pub
lie business which tbree-fourths of the mem
bers desired to transact.
Under the old rule there were two morn
ing hours" one of which was devoted to re-
ceiving reports of committees, and the other
to the consideration of business on the calen-
dar. In that hour each committee, in rota-
tion, was entitled to call up for action any
measure reported by it, but if the same was
not disposed of at the expiration of 60 miD-
utes 1t would not be again considered in a
morning hour until after all the other CON-
mittees had received like privilege. The re-
suit of the dual morning hour was, first, to
make a big calendar of bills which never
were acted upon and, in the second place..
virtually to waste 60 minutes more, because
it was impossible to get through with any
business to which six members or less were
opposed.
II both these morning hours should be
abolished, and morning hour substituted
in which committee might bring up meas
ure with the power, if sustained by major
ity of the House, to press it to final vote
before dropping it, even If the 60 minutes
should be exhausted, the business would be
greatly facilitated.
Under the old rules, three dilatory motions
which might be indefinitely repeated, were
privileged: First, motion to fix a day to
which the House should adjourn; secondly,
motion to adjourn and. thirdly, a motion
to take recess. In the last Congress day
after day was wasted by two or three 0bstin-
ate men who could repeat these motions in-
definitely and prevent 800 men from doing
business. By striking from the rules two Of
these motions-a motion to fix day to which
the House should adjourn, and motion to
take recesS-nO legitimate right of the min
ority would be endangered, while the trans.
action of public business would be greatly
facilitated. There would still remain the
privileged motion to adjourn, which could be
repeated as often as might be thought eX-
pedient, the only Limitation upon it being
that some business must be transacted be-
tween the different motions to adjourn.