The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-17
Have Been Decided on in
Rules of the House.
Committee Will Take Final
Action This Evening.
Speaker to Have Power TO Appoint
Pages and DOorkeeper.

The committee on rules of the State
House OF Representatives, OF which As
sem blyman John l.. Remlinger Is chair
man, will meet this evening at the State
House and 1t is expected that hnal vote
will bo taken on the report of the re-
vision OF rules that Is TO be made TO the
Houss during the special session OF the
Legislature on Sept. 20.
The aim OF tho committee Is to remove
all the parliamentary dead wood which
has encumb bered legislation ana resulted
In lot or unnecessary expense in tho
printing of the committee lists for the
manuals.
At the present time there are IA House
committees which never meet and amount
to absolutely nothing. Their only utility
in the last decade has been TO furnish OBJ
scure holes for speakers TO bury unpop-
ulsr me =. bers and political opponents in.
Several OF these anachronistic cemmit-
tees, those on state property and unin-
ished business for instance, are to be
abolished.
Such action would not hurt the feeling
of the members who have been honored
by the appointments made to get rid OF
them.
Another change to be suggested In the
report will more equally distribute the
work among the committees which do
amount to something. 1t Is safe to say
that for the last few years the committee
N N In dtoiaru I'M nj lam IN no
OF all the work on measures referred by
the House. It's filos are never
cleared and the consideration OF import
ant judicial legislation Is often hiDdered
by the consideration of other matters,
which might properly bv handled by tho
legislation. This defect has not been
overlooked by the committee on rules.
Heretofore the 90 nmittee on special
legislation has been underrated and
used principally as Repository for the
ories of Utopian gladness and for the
Garv.niaD measures.
1t is proposed to give this committee
the responsibility and privilege OF con-
sidering some really sane bills IN the fu-
ture. This Will please it's chairman,
George A. Littlefield, who was trans
;erred from the committee on corporations
at the last May session and looked upon
the change as rather a doubtful compli.
ment.
Another innovation to be recommended
at the special session Is the daily cal
endar OF business, sonnet hing similar to
the docket adopted by the present Conn
mon Council OF Providence. All meas
ures must be recorded on this calendar
before they can be taken up for action,
and will then be considered in the order
OF their announcement. No one will
hail this system with more delight than
the clerks Of the House and the news
paper reporters. 1t will do away with
surprises IL carried out.
The farcical method OF suspending
rules which has been in vogue for SO
long Is to be done away with.
under the present system the suspen-
sion Of rules by unanimous consent is
an empty form. The committee on rules
will recommend that 1t should require
rs high and dignified a proceeding to
suspend a rule as the rule is itself. In
other words, It should be necessary 10
take the sane preliminary action for
the suspens sion Of rule OF the House as
4, required for its amendment or annul-
ment. Therefore the committee Will
recommend that mo tion TO suspend
must be made In writing and that
two thirds vote oe necessary to carry
il.
The most radical change that is TO be
recommended has to do with the APP
pointments of House attendantS IL
is proposed tia. hereafter the Speaker
will appoint the doorkeeper ana pages,
instead of lcaving~it for deals am ong
the mem bcrs.