Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1900-01-04


congress the senate committees were
arranged according 10 their supposed
rank. The committee ot greatest inn
lportance and dignity, was given first
place ON the list, the next in rank the
second place, aud So on, nctcrmtninG
the rank and dignity OF the several
committees in this way was at best an
arbitrary proceeding aud eventually
caused so much dissatisfaction that In
1854 the scheme was wholly abandoned
and thereafter the committee assign
mcnts were arranged alphabetically,
This Is the better method Unde.
the old plan when the arrangement OF
the committees had been fixed by one
congress II was next to impossible t.
effect a rearrangcment Of them by Il
subsequent congress though the rola-
tive Importance OF the committees may
have been greatly changed through the
development ut new conditions and
new issues
1t will be readily seen that any at.
tempt II rcarrangCment invariably
IproN oked the strenuous opposition OF
every member whose committee was tC
be degraded, and owing to this oppo.
sition matters were usually permitted
TO drift along, year In and year out
At last, however, the thing became &c
huge a farce and, withal, So patiently
ridiculous that the former plan was
abandoned and the alphabetical ar
lrangcmcnt adopted by the senate of the
18th congress,
Prior to 1871 the ten most Important
committees of the senate ranked as fol'
lows foreign relations, finance, ap-
Iprupriations. commerce, manufacturers
agriculture, military affairs, naval
IalIars, judiciary. and postoillces and
post roads. At present the cont
lmittces ON manufactures and agricut'
Wrc have dropped to places OF seeond
or third rate Importance and the SAINT
lis partly true of the committee on post,
Offices and post roads though this Is
still an important committee but
hardly one OF the first class OmlttinI
reGercucr to the new committees
specially charged with the care OF oul
insular possessions, the present ranf
of the loading committees OF the senate
Is about rs follows: foreign relations
finance, appropriations, judiciary
commerce, military affairs. naval AT
fairs, Interstate commerce, privileges
and elections, and public buildings
: and grounds Closely following arr
the committees on pensions, pOstothce,
J and posi- roads, claims, Indian AFFAIR
and public lands
In 1871 owing to the quarrel between
President Grant and senator sumner
/, thc republicans deemed 1t necessary
to remove Sumner from the chairman
ship Of the committee on foreign re
lattons, IAN action observes II write
of that period so severe II cannot be
excused SO necessary It could not b,
avoided In mn effort 10 placate thu
Massachusetts senator the committed
on privileges and elections wa
created and placed at the head of thu
list and Mr.. sumner made It's chair
man The honor, however. was indig
Inantly declined, but that committee re
manned the nominally ranking com
mitter of the senate until the change
Preferred to in the 4Sth congress II i
scarcely necessary to say here that thu
committee on privileges ana cleo
lions never held the rank IN popular
esteem that the senate undertook u
Iaasign It. The senate found itsel
wholly unable to lcgislate into II ~
importance It did not deserve nor pos
sess.
IN any proper estimate Of The reln
Tive rank Of the several senate com
mittces. IL Is safe 10 say that since tht
outbreak Of the ciyil war no committee
HAS exercised throughout that lone
period greater influence ana power
than that on appropriations. DURING
Ithat time ii has had almost entire con,
frol of all governmental disbursements
amounting to more than -FOUR
teen billion dollars. The ap'
preparation bill for rivers and
Aarbors was the only one not con
lrolcd by thig committee. However
In the last congress radical change
was effected by which the committee
ION dIDibDl ldAlbIb "Ho S''' - - ''''~
Of us power. BY that action II was
provided that hereafter the bills for the
support Of the army and military
academy shall be considered by the
committee on military affairs; the
naval appropriation by the committee
on naval affairs; the agricultural
.Ibul by the committee on agriculture;
the Indian bin by the committee on
Indian affairs; the pension approprla-
ton by the committee on pensions, and
postofice budget by the committee on
poBtofIlces and post roads. But not
| ~ltb8tanding these changes the com
Imlttcc on appropriations Of the senate
| r, mains Que vested With enormous
power and influence, for II still retains
lcharga and control Of seven other great
appropriation bits. carrying millions
lof money annually
The several committees OF the two
houses were announced before the
1holilay recess In the senate Wlscon-
sins representatives rrcelyed marked
consideration Mr. Spooner retains
| his craftsmanship OF tie committee on