The age-herald., 1900-02-03
WHY MANY BILLS
 NEVER PASS CONGRESS

Washington, February 2.-In the present congress over ten thousand bills have been introduced Of these about seventy-six hundred were introduced in the house and about twenty-eight hundred in the senate. By far the largest proportion of them. probably ninety per cent. deal with private pensions, corrections of military records to remove charges of desertion or claims against the government for proper ty destroyed during the rebellion or used by the Union army and for other things which citizens think the government is in- debted to them.
 A very small percentage of these private bills are ever reported from the committee to which they are referred, and a stn smaller percentage are ever passed. Many of them are introduced into congress after congress and the beneficiaries hope against hope that they may finally secure what they think is justice.
 And very large proportion of these bills are really meritorious. Their consideration takes up an immense amount of time in both houses, both in committees and in the sessions of those bodies Their favorable or unfavorable report depends to large degree, often. on the humor of the men- Der of a committee to whom they have been given for examination. lazy man will either neglect his duty and the bills be unacted upon will report good hu- moredly bills that do not deserve consider ation, while a conscientious man of ex- acting character will report unfavorably on some technicality, or other bills that had they fallen into the hand of a less particular person would have received fa- vorable consideration.
 Then, after being reported, action in the house depends on the whims of members. If, for instance a man has had some fav- orite measure squelched by objection, when an effort is made to secure its consideration by unanimous consent, win object to the consideration of .any other proposition by unanimous consent Again, after bill has passed one house or the other it is apt to die because of want of time in the closing days of a session. Thus it is largely a matter of luck in securing action just claims for money or pensions. Claims go ito the court of claims if congress approves, but private pensions are provided for by legislative act. If congress should provide a-court where any pension claim that has been rejected by the pension bureau on some teohnicality and injustice has thus been done, which court would have the right to consider equities, much time might be saved the government, and much ex- pense and many injustices that are over looked be rectified. If the court of claims were to have jurisdiction over all claims without regard to congressional action, save that congress should make appropriations to pay the same, time would be saved and Uncle Sam would not have such reputa- tion for forgetting those who have helped him, and not paying all his just debts This is the idea of many people in Washington who have not authority to urge such scheme, but whose experience has shown that it would not be inadvisable. The sug- gestion comes from an employe-of the sen- ate, who has been there for a genera ton, and seen how much money is wasted in printing private bills and reports thereon, and how much time is consumed in their consideration. It really seems to have con- siderable merit