Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-02
HALF A HUNDRED AND MORE WHEELS

HALF A HUNDRED AND MORE WHEELS
IL within a WHEEL This is what the House
of Representatives is, and the Speaker has no,
only set them going. but has put together the
various wheels, big and small, in the brief in
terval since his election There are just nifty
six committees of the House, and each is a
miniature congress in ITSELF 1t Is fortified
with hundreds Of powers OF all degree OF i'm
portance. Some OF these powers are fixed by
the Revised Statutes. the big law book OF the
land, and many by the rules of the House,
which il a peculiar little volume Of precepts
gathered from the experience Of over a century
of legislation and expanded and enlarged TO
meet the constantly growing needs OF such
large body as the House. Each committee has
Its chairman, who acts as a speaker. pre-
siding at the sessions OF the committee,
directing its business, appointing Its cIerk tas-
ing charge OF its records and representing 1t IN
general way OF the floor OF the House. There
are also subcommittee OF these various stand
Ing commit-ees-lesser wheels within wheels.
Thus the whole machinery OF legislation IN the
HOuse-and 10 Is practically the same IN the
Seuate-cousists Of committees. 1t is legisla-
ton by committee. The word and the thing
have in our Congress n new and a larger mean
Ing than before III the history OF any govern
rleut on earth. II is a division of labor and OF
one American citizen in ten realizes OF even
know, what the system il or how II operates
That is a broad statement. but 1t can be verified
easily by asking the FIRST man you meet on the
neat stree. corner to tell you the history OF q
bill before II becomes q law.
THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE.
The most important of the committees is that
on ways and means, which has been increased
in number from thirteen to fifteen, the
Al. n.
When this committee was first Established by
resolution its membership was five; few Con-
crosses later IL was fixed at seven In lol4 II was
increased to eleven. where II remained for
slxtv wears in 1873 two more members were
added. In the British house of commons this
Committee consists Of the bouse itself, or as
n.any OF its members as may be present when
ever a motion prevails resolving the house into
g Committee on ways and means. The duties
OF this body in the commons are practically
unlimited except by the British constitution.
Those OF our WAYS and means IN the hrst half
century were almost as extensive.
Why is the WAYS and means committee SO
important in the organization OF the House!
II Is not because II Is the oldest Of the commit
tees for that on elections Is the first that was
esiaoiis he'd when Congress met in 1889 There
temporary ways and means committee in
tue same Congress. but IT was discharged after
o brief service. and 1t was not until lSO2 that
this very important wheel within wheel was
made regular standing committee. At that
time. as for years afterward, the committee on
foreign relations was most important in the
business of the House and the chairman of that
Committee was the acknowledged leader OF the
majority on the floor. The unsettled relations
between the United States and other powers
during the earlier Congresses naturally gave to
the individual who shaped legislation affecting
our foreign relations great prominence. The
political issues of the day conferred largely
upon the action OF this chairman and his COM
mittee. 1t was not until the influence of Henry
Clay upon il Sislatiou began to be felt that the
questions of revenue and Of its source (the
tariff passed exclusively to the committee on
WAYS and means and gradually enlarged its
powers Until the Ihirty-ninth Congress ways
ami means had full charge of all appropriation
bills 5. 3 Cox on March 20, 1865, in the
closing hours of the last session of that Con-
gress rer ortel from the committee on rules
resolution establishing three new committee
appropriations. banking and currency and Pa
cine RAILROADS. The duties Of the first two had
up 20 that time devOlyed ON the ways and
means.
IT HAD TIE APPROPRIATION BILLS.
Under the cid rules of the House il was the
duty OF the ways and means, within thirty days
after their appointment, at every session of
Congress. 10 report the general appropriation
birs-fOr the civil and diplomatic expenses Of
the government for the army and navy, for
the Indian department and Indian annuities."
DefOr the committees on public expenditures
were created II was also the duty of WAYS and
means Ito examine into the state Of the several
public departments and report whatever
MONEYS have been discussed according to law"
The reports Of the Treasury Department and
all propositions relative to the revenue, the
public debt and all public expenditures were