The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-01-29
MUCH WORK
Tn CONFERENCE
Committees That Are the Motors oil
Legislation.
MAY ENTIRELY ALTER BILLS
Measures Completely Changed in Confer
enCe, and Sometimes
A Wholly Different Bill Substituted
Senate's Large Control Over Sup
ply Legislation Originating
in the House.

The greatest motors of legislation in con-
gress are conference committees. They US
ually consist of six members, three from
the senate and three from the house. Inc
house conferees are appointed by the speak
er under the rules; the senate conferees by
the vice president on motion. Under the
constitution all appropriation and revenue
bills originate in the house. The house
committees are circumscribed in making
ND the bills. When a bill is reported from
a committee charged with its preparation,
some experienced legislator, or in his ap-
sence some legislator who thinks himself
experienced, invariably reserves points or
order. These points are frequently made
when the bill is being considered. para
graph may be stricken out on point OIL
order because there is no existing law au-
thorzing it. Another paragraph might go
out because it changed existing law, and
any clause not germane to the subject I'M
der discussion would be dropped on point
of order. When the bill has reached the
senate, however, the action of the senate
committee is not circumscribed. 1t has
open field for its operations. 1t can change
the bill entirely, lop off, attach clauses not
germane and do it pleases If the sem
ate sanctions the work of its committee,
the bill sometimes get back to the house
so changed that its sponsors might fail to
recognize it. On motion of the chairman
of the comittee who originally reported the
BILL the house disagrees to the senate
amendments in toto and asks for confer
ence The speaker names three conferees,
the senate accedes to its request and in
its turn selects its conferees. These six
mon become legislative QynamOS. Their
power is nearly supreme. If they agree
upon every section of the bill, 1t goes back
to the house or to the senate where the
question is taken upon the agreement. No
points of order can be raised nor can
vote be taken on any particular amend
ment The agreement must be sanctioned
or repudiated in toto, and 1T Is not always
safe to repudiate an agreement near the
close of session. Such regulations have
caused infinite trouble and necasstated
many an extra session. The narrow limits
of appropriation bills in the house and the
wide scope given them in the senate give
O fine field for possibilities. A man who
fails to fasten specific appropriation upon
a house bill because a point of order raised
against it will be sustained, HES himself
over to the senate and tries to fasten his
appropriation upon the same bill when 1t
reaches that body. 1t is then returned to
the house in such a condition that no points
of order can reach it, and If the conferees
have agreed to it it must be accepted by
the house or the bill itself will be i'm
peried.
Scnate's Power Over the House
In other words, what the house will not
allow itself to do, 1t allows the senate to
do, and sanctions it on the demand of the
senate Take the Wilson tariff bill, for ex-
ample. After a long and bitter discussion
in the house 1t was sent over to the senate.
That body changed it so thoroughly that
1t lost its name and was known as the
German BILL When 1t was returned to the
bers Indignantly refused to recognize it,
and placed it in the hands of a conference
committee. The conferees agreed to every
alteration amenda ton. and addition made
by tho senate, and the house sustained
their action 1t did this In the face of a
hundred acknowledged errors and blunders
on the ground that If single error was
corrected and the bill went to a further
conference. the senate itself would butcher
its own offspring
Conference committees invariably hold
their sessions in the senate wing of the
Capitol. The conferees on appropriation
bills usually meet at the apartments of
the senate committee on appropriations.
Unlike a similar committee in the house,
the senate committee has charge of all the
general appropriation bills-fourteen in
number Only six of these are considered
by the house committee on appropria tons,
committees. The conferees usually do their
work thoroughly and conscientiously. FIRE.
quently more time Is taken in the discus
sion of sections than was given to whole
subject by the full committees The hard
work Is usually done at the short session of
congress. Night and day, and even on SUM-
day. these committees are in session, ar
guing disputed points and canvassing the
attitude of their respective houses. The
house conferees may declare that it is ut
tery impossible to get the house itself to
consent to the amendments urged by the
senate conferees, and the senate conferees
vice versa.
Conferences May End in Compromise
Compromises are frequently made. Often
times the conferences will agree to report
favorably on some amendments and UNI
favorably on Others. When such reports
are made to the different houses the houses
themselves may indulge In a wrangle over
the different sections, but the disagreemen;s
invariably lead to another conference. The
new conferces are usually the old con-
ferees; they come together fortified by the
expression of the opinion of the different
houses and endeavor to arrive at a new
basis for compromise. The legislative pulse
IL closely noted. and 1t determines in many
cases the basis for final agreement. If no
such agreement is reached, the chairman
OF the house conferees somestimes consults
the speaker, and Ia usually governed by his
advice. In this way Speakers Blaine and
Randall prevented special sessions of con-
gress and Speaker Rec. Is credited with
similar action. Yet there have been many
extra sessions because of failure to agree.
Sometimes when an agreement Is not
reached, members outside of the committee
involved are made conferees Such was
the case when the bill increasing the SAL
aries of congressman was in conference. 1t
was known as the back-pay bill, being
retroactive and giving the members back
pay. Samuel J. Randall, who was then
not a member of the committee on appro-
priatlons, was finally made one of the con-
ferees. 1t was through his influence mat
the bill was passed, General Garfield fight
ing it to the last. He afterward received