The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1892-06-09
ABOUT PRIVATE BILLS.
How They Are Engineered Through
tho Senate and House.
Considerable Diplomacy Necessary to Sc
cure q Favorable Report from the
Committee on Claims-An Unpleas-
ant Feature of Legislative Life.
Especial WASHINGTON Letter.l

lSPSSiuA " ooAiuStoh AOIpSi'l
How many people, if asked offhand,
could give the full and correct history
Of a private bill or claim? Everyone
could tell you that such a bill was in
troduced, passed by both houses of con-
gress and signed by the president,
thereby becoming law. And that is
about all that the average man or wom
an, even in Washington, knows con-
corning the history of a private bill.
They know nothing of it's conception
by an interested party on the out
side;" of it's preparation and correction
by men skilled in such business, nor of
the subsequent methods employed in
bringing it before the notice of SEN
ators and representatives. Some of
these methods are very interesting and
often amusing.
For instance, a man discovers that he
has apparent grounds for claim
against the government which, if
granted, will give him fair share of
this worlds goods. He Immediately
proceeds to let people know of it. The
first thing to be done is to gather
all the data and arrange everything in
concise and readable shape. All the
facts and figures pertaining to
the case are compiled and boiled
down and a typewriter employed to
make several good copies for use in pre-
pairing reports upon the bill. This done,a
bill is prepared authorizing and directing
the secretary of the treasury to pay to
the proposed beneficiary the amount of
money which he claims is due him.
Then our claimant meanders up to the
big marble building and calls out the
senator from his own state who is most
likely to interest himself in the case
He tells the senator that he has "a lit,
tie bill" which he would like to have
him introduce in the senate, and goes
into detailed history of his claim, Civ
ing the various reasons why it should
be allowed. If the claimant is poll
tician and it is presidential year it is
pretty certain that the bill will be in
PRODUCED at the next meeting of the
senate. While our claimant is laying
the matter before the senator some one
employed by him for the purpose is do
ing the same thing at the other end of
easy to approach than senators, and
perhaps the friend simply invites his
member to take lunch with him, and
during the course, or rather courses, of
the meal, casually remarks that he
wants to have introduced little relief
bill after lunch.
Thus the bill is simultaneously intro
duced in both houses of congress and the
work is fairly started. So far so good
Upon it's introduction in the senate the
vice president announces that 1.-The bill
will be referred to the committee on
Claims" and the speaker of the house
makes similar announcement Then
the matter is referred to sub-commit-
tee consisting generally of three men,
bers of the committee, and these three
embers at once constitute the lcgisla-
tive deity in the eyes of the anxious
claimant. 1t Immediately becomes his
business, and the business of his friends,
who are now full-fedged lobbyists, to
have many personal interviews with the
three members of that subcommittee in
each house. Our claimant manages to
meet them in all sorts of out of the way
places. He will run across them, quite
by accident of course, as they are COM
ing to the capitol in the morning and
will walk with them up the broad mar
BILE steps, all the while chatting about