Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-14
MAKERS ;s0F TARIFFS
The Ways and Means Committee
and ITS History.
PRESIDENTS ASoTO ITS CONSTITUTION
An Interesting Review Of the Rec
ord Of Fifty:three Congresses.
ABOUT THE GUARDIANSHIP

ABOUT THE GUARDIANSHIP
Written for The Evening Star
In an interesting paper on 1.-The Origin
of the Standing Committee System in
American Legislative Bodies" published in
the annual report of the American Histor-
ical Association for 1893, Prof. ]. Franklin
Johnson directs attention to the fact that
the transaction of business through stand
ing committees is one of the leading pecu-
! liarities of American legislative bodies, as
compared with the English legislative.
The First Congress Of the United States,
which convened in New York on March 4,
1850. had but two standing committees
both in the House of Rspresentatives-viZ. ::
Elections, appointed April 13, and ways
| and means, on July "a. 1850. no standing
| committee being appointed by the Senate
until the Sixth Congress $500, when the
committee on privileges was appointed.
The several committees on ways and
means of the House of Representatives
have raised, and-until the Thirty-nnth
Consress-appropriated the revenues for the
support Of the government since its foun-
dation-from their first establishment as
standing committees to the present time.
preparations for the support of the govern
ment. save certain permanent and indefln-
lite appropria tons, such as interest on the
public debt, &C., were made in gross sums
in one bill-to be expended by the several
executive departments-and reported by
the committee on ways and means. In
that Congress the committee on appropria-
tfons-created in the preceding Congress
was first appointed and assigned the duty
of reporting the general appropriation bills
then ten in number. In subsequent Con-
crosses various appropriation bills were
distributed among other committees.
OF especial interest now, perhaps, Is the
history Of the ways and means committee
since the time when the republicans took
control Of the House just before the war,
as 1t has brought forth the tariff legisla-
ton that has become such an important
element in modern American politics.
During and Since the War.
John Sherman of Ohio. republican, was
chairman Of the ways and means committee
of the Thirty-sixth Congress that reported
the bill which became the Morrill, tariff act
of March 2 1851. In the subsequent Con-
crosses the following served successfully
as chairman of the committee: Thirty-sev-
enth and Thirty-eighth Congresses. Thad-
deus Stevens of Pennsylvania, republican,
Thirty-ninth, Justin S. Morrill, of Vermont.
republican; Fortieth and Forty-first, Robert
c. Schenck Of Ohio,republican; Forty-second
and Forty-third, Henry L. Dawes of Mas
sachusetts. republican,; Forty-fourth, VIM.
r. Morrison of Illinois. democrat; Forty.
fifth and Forty-sixth, Fernando Wood OF
New York. democrat: Forty-seventh, VIM.
d. Kelley of Pennsylvania. republican; For
ty-eighth and Forty ninth. VIM. r. Nor
r,son democrat; rfftieth. Roger Q: Mills of
Texas, democrat; Eifty-flrst, VIM. Mckinley
Of Ohio. republican, Fifty VIM. NJ.
Springer of Illinois,. democrat; Fifty-third,
VIM. L. Wilson Of West Virginia, democrat
In the Forty-fourth Congress Mr.. Nor
riscn's committee reported the bill known
as the Morrison horizontal reduction bill, -
which was never considered but one day.
In the Forty-seventh Congress Mr.. Kelleys
bill, but was obliged to abandon it and ac-
cept the Senate amendments to an internal
revenue bill. In the Forty eighth Congress
Mr.. Morrison reported a bill to reduce i'm
port duties and war tariff taxes, that fail
ed to pass the House. Again in the Forty
ninth Congress Mr. Morrison reported
similar BILL which met a similar fate. In
the Fiftieth Congress Mr.. Mills reported
and the House passed the bill known as the
Mills bill" but it failed to pass the Sen
ate. The Fifty-first Congress passed the
so-called Mckinley" bill, framed by Mr..
Mckinley's committee. In the Fifty-second
Congress Mr.. Springer's committee re-
ported and the House passed several bills,
popularity known as ''pop-gun" tariff bills,
but none of them passed the Senate In the
Fifty-third Congress Mr. Wilson reported
and the House passed the wilson bill.
the character of which was changed by
Senate amendments, finally accepted by the
House. The bill became a law without the
Presidents approval.
The Constitution of the Committee.
A careful examination of the record dis
closes some interesting facts. First. 1t ap-
pears that in the early Congresses the COM
mittee was first formed of representatives
from each state, and that, subsequently,
for many years, when the committee was
limited to seven, and then to nine members,
only the leading revenue-producing states
so to speak-were represented. AS the
country developed and new states were ad-
mitted, the membership of the House stead
lily increased. and that Of the committee
kept pace with it-not fully-but in a large
degree. 1t is also made evident by the
record that no fixed rule of membership of
the committee has ever been observed or
followed. save that in the Congresses where
the democratic party. held the House. the
majority of the membership of the ways
and means committee came from southern
states. In the days Of whig supremacy it
was more evenly divided. while since the
Thirty-Seventh Congress QS60), during the
periods when the republican party held the
House, the majority of the membership has
been from northern states. In the Sixteenth
Congress, for instance. five of the seven
members were from the SOUTH viz, Mary
land, Kentucky. Georgia and two from Vir-
ginia In the following Congress all save
one were from the south, while in the Fiji
tieth Congress six of the eight democratic
members were from southern states, viz,
Texas. Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky,
Georgia and West Virginia. Another notice.
able fact is that the three states of Penn
sylvania, New York and Massachusetts
have almost uniformly been represented on
this committee, Pennsylvania sometimes
having two and in one Congress Forty-sev-
enth) three members.
The Rule of Seniority.
Another noticeable fact is that the rule
of seniority which exists in the Senate has
never prevailed in the Hbuse as an estab-
lished rule or principle. To follow it
strictly would leave thee Speaker without
discretion. The Speaker has always Sc
lected chairmen upon lines or principles of
his own, which must necessarily be OPP
posed to those Of hts predecessor of oppo-
site political faith, or even on the lines of
his predecessor of his own party. In emer-
gencies, or under unusual conditions, he
has chosen entirely new men without pre-
yiOuS service on tho couffnttee az in tho