Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-08-28

by unanimous consent. Tho list OF
bills on the printed calendars toward
the end of the month filed 100
pages. Tho calendar Of the com
mittce of tho whole on tho state of
the Union took up twenty-thrce; the
House calendar carried nine, and tho
private calendar was spread over
forty-soven pages. There was q
page Of special orders, fivo pages of
unfinished business, and a page of
privileged reports. Over LOO bills
remained upon the calendar, only
237 of which wore private pension
bills.
The iaboring men looking for labor
legislation, the claimants seeking just
dues from the government, and tho
thousands interested in measures
cffccting commerce, agriculture. and
Other business interests of tho coun-
try, a readily understand why
nothing is dono to relieve thcm.
The rules, it was said, were mado to
do business. They do business, but
it is The business designated by the
Committee 0 Rules under the rules.
Privilege business eats up much of
the time. If through importantly a
member ccurc recognition from the
Speaker and asks unanimous consent
for the consideration of a bill which
takes not a dollar from the Treasury,
somebody invariably objects. If by
any accident, the objection is not
heard, somebody is sure to raise The
point of no quorum when a vote is
taken.
Not an hour up to date has been
given by the Committee on Rules,
to the Committee on Labor, to the
Committee on Patents, or to n dozen
other committees equally important.
Indeed, the Committee on Patents
has had n terrible time. 1t got no
day in the Fifticth Congress, and
has had no day in the Fifty-first
Congress. The rules set down Fri
day as a day for the consideration of
private bills; yet under the rules
these bills have been robbed OF their
day for over four months. Strange
anomaly--a net that let's all be big
fish through and catches all the little
ones.
Here is a bill granting fifteen days
leave of absence to per- diem mon in
the custom service. The Secretary
Of the Treasury favors it. 1t takes
not Il cent out Of the Treasury. All
the other employees i'll this service
have leaves of absence for thirty
days with pay. They work eight
hours a day. These per diem mcn
work in relays from sunrise to sun
set and from sunset to sunrise. All
arc compelled to remain upon duty
whether their services are needed or
not. In summer importations arc
not as heavy as in winter. One
fifth of the force might easily be
spared while the other four-fifths did
the work. Yet thrice has unani-
nous consent been asked to consider
this bill, and thrice has objection
been made. a similar bill cffccting
post office employees remained hang
ing by the cyelids for Il month on a
motion to reconsider, entered two
days after its passage. No man can
get consent to bring up the eight
hour back pay law, the bill to restore
the wages in the government print
ing Office, and n score Of similar bills
placed on the calendar by the Com
miLtcc on Labor. 1t is an ill-tcm-
pcrcd House. The Speaker has
made it so. Scnsclcss objections are
made and the point of no quorum
raised apparently with"at reason.
Despite these overloaded calendars
and .hc absunrc of over 1870 members
who arc skirmishing with tho Farm
crs' Alliance and the Lutheran preach
crs, committees are urged to report
bills lately introduced. The com
mittcc rooms, however, are even
more deserted than the chamber of
the House. Effort after effort is
made to secure II quorum in vain.
All see that a measure reported at
this late hour, unless of vital impor-
lance, must fail Of consideration.
At times the clerk Of q committee
spends days in searching for enough
members to make quorum. This
quorum is frequently secured by
bringing their signatures together
upon the back Of the bill to be re-
ported. Many a poor devil seeking
private legislation departs from