The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-01-29
his back pay and donated 1t to charities in

his back pay and donated 1t to charities in
his own district.
No rule now exists in either house gov
erning and controlling conference commit
tees. A rule drawn by Harry Smith, jour-
nal clerk OF the house In the Forty-sixth
congress, made conference reports highly
privileged. They can take a member from
the floor while addressing the house and
are always in order, while the roll is be-
ing called, or while the house is divided
on any proposition There is a similar rule
In the senate.
Insroduesfon of New Matt
1t is understood that conference commit
tees cannot introduce new matter into a
bill. Yet this has frequently been done 1t
was done just after the war. when the DOM
inant party had q two-thirds majority IN
both houses. An entire section was added
to the federal election bill. When attention
was called to It the speaker overruied the
point of order and the house sustained his
action. Per contra, not long ago the senate
and house disagreed on land bill, appotnt-
ing registrars and receivers in the west.
The eonferees, being unable to come to a
settlement struck out all the original mat
ter and substituted a new bill. When their
return was made to the house a point OF
order was raised against the agreement
and the speaker sustained 1t.
An interesting incident showing the power
the administration of Franklin Pierce. An
act making appropriations for the civil and
diplomatic expenses of the government for
the year ending June 80. 1856, was sent to
conference. The conferees inserted new
section-."That there shall be appointed a
consul general to reside in British North
American provinces, with salary OF
$4,000 per annum. and the sum of $4,000 is
hereby appropriated for that object"
The action of the conferees was approved
without objection by both houses of cnn-
gress, and the bill was signed by thte pres
ident on Marcia, 1855 The ink of the sig
nature was hardly dry before the president
appointed Israel D. Andrews, of Maine.
consul general.
"The Crime of 10"
One conference committee made itself his
toric. 1t was the one that settled some
little differences between the house and
the senate on a bill revising and amend
ing the laws relative to the mints and assay
offices and coinage of the United States"
The conference report was made on Feb
ruary 6, 1873 The conferees were John
Sherman, John Scott and Thomas F. Bay
ard, on the part of the senate, and Samuel
Hooper, William III. Stughton and one
Major McNeely. Both houses agreed to
the conference report. Two years after
ward it leaked out the the bill had demon
etized silver. President Grant declared that
IL IL.
Mr.. Blainne asserted that he did not know
1t when he put his signature to it and near
1y all of the members of the house and SEN
ate who voted on the conference report
were entirely unaware of it This is what
Is known as the Crime of of 1873" 1.-THE
crime was not the decentralization of sill
yer. but the way in which it was done.
There has been a heavy conference COM
mittee at work for the past seven months.
Its sessions would afford mine to a writ
er OF romances. There is material enough
In them for the production of a thousand
novels. The house passed a bill paying
eetain bills reported by the court of claims
under the Bowman act. 1t was sent to the
senate, who, while retaining the enacting
clause, struck out the entire house bill of
eighty-hve pages and substituted bill of
its own, comprising 200 pages. The senate
substitute provided for the payment of
other allowances by the court of claims,
including what are known as the French
spoiiatfon claims amounting to over a mil
lion dollars When the bill left the house II
carried only few hundred thousand dol
lars 1t was returned to the house carry
Ing as n any millions. OF course, the house
refused to assent to the amendments, and
asked for committee of conference. They
got it, and the conferess are still at work.
meantime every claim against the country
Is on the qui vive, and, like the children of
Israel. are camped on the sands of the
desert awaiting shower of mamma There
Is yellow haze on the political horizon,
however, that seems to indicate the APP
proach OF a simeon. The Indications are
that the committee will never reach an
agreement, but they are still hard at work
endeavoring to present some compromise
that Will be acceptable to both houses. If
not to the people.
AMOS J. CUMMINGS.