The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-06-03
REPUBLIC SPECIAL

stands alone In its method of making laws
With q possible few exceptions the statutes
enacted during the last three or four ses-
sions OF the Legislature are machine .made
Republican Steering committees in HOUSE
and Senate passed upon them before the
members had a chance to vote on them.
This statement Is a little startling and
may not be comprehended by the farmers
and mechanics and store dealers and rail-
road men of the State. But 1t Is the truth.
/ doubt If such exists in any other State
in the Union 1t Is worse than an oil
garchy. and the people don't appreciate its
force and effect.
I mean that practically every bill that Is
passed or is acted upon by House or Sem
ate much first run the gauntlet Of this
purely partisan and generally selfish steer
ing Committee before It Is permitted q
chance for life and liberty on the floor.
Only such measures as receive this machine
sanction are allowed to come to a vote.
A measure that may be a good thing for
the people and Is being urged forward by
press and people. II introduced by a Demo-
erat. might as well be chlorofOrmed in the
beginning. These Steering committees take
no risks. They kill the bills of Democrats
without ceremony-usually bury them alive
in committees. and II they want the SUBJ
ject to become a law a committee bill'' is
formulated. or some favorite Republican is
allowed to introduce another measure of
the same import.
For many years the Illinois Constitution
has been regarded as one of the most per-
feet instruments Of its kind. and many
States In adopting original or revising old
>have taken the Illinois In
strument as a model Its trainers at
tempted to throw all possible safeguards
around the sessions OF the General As
sembly. and It was believed that every in
dividual Senator and Representative was
the peer Of his colleague on the floor: that
an absolute equality between all the MEM
bers was assured.
committees have usurped the functions OF
Prod1ct Of Necessity.
These partisan Steering committees were
conceived by the necessities Of the famous
senatorial battles between Morrison and
Logan in 1885 and Palmer and any Re-
publican in 1891 The legislative leaders dis
covered then how pliable and easily man.
aged are a majority Of the members. They
were like SO many sheep that follow the
bell wether. By instinct. as II were, Re
publicans hate Democrats. and Democrats
return the compliment. And 50 II came
about that the Steering Committee of the
majority Of each house took command Of
the proceedings and arbitrarily and ar
was bad; what should be sisuShtered % e anal ana
what should be given a chance to live.
The Steering committees are recognized as
the masters OF the proceedings in each
house. 1t Is a scadlous and a humiliating
No Republican has had the
courage to rise In his place on the floor
and complain. and demand q reform and q
termining questions. A Democrat would
not be permitted to even state his position
or make q motion.
The Republicans being in a majority since
committees rests the responsibility for all
legislation. good. bad and Indifferent.
PersOnnel Of the Bosses.
But these Steering committees, in their
Of a few men, usually one man In the House
and one In the Senate. The committees are
guided and dominated by one
Speaker John Meyer. in 1895. Speaker Ed
Curtis In 1897 land he was the agent Of
Governor Tanner). and Speaker Lawrence
Z Sherman in lsss and 1901 Governor
he was In 1897. In the Senate in 1893 Dan
lei A. Campbell and Fred Busse. the con-
trolling spirits in the Campbell -Busse
ton, were the bosses, and during
the recent session the same faction guioed
the deliberations Of the Senate. except that
Busse retired and Daniel A Campbell was
ship. He was an autocrat whose sway over
the Senate was an absolute and unchal-
lenged as was the rule of Meyer and Curtis
and Sherman In the House in 1896 1897 and
1889 Owing to ill-health Sherman in 1891
did not manipulate his gayel with as much
as In the previous session
The presence OF Crafts and Wilson and
warder and Tippit and Gray on the minor
ty side tended somewhat to disturb Speak
er Sherman. and subdued his brutal de-
cisions with the gavel
Ii was the rule for the House Republican
Steering Committee to meet in the morning
before the days session opened, in Speaker
Sherman's room In the House and consider
the subjects for the days work A pro-
gramme was made up. the movers Of impor-
tant motions agreed upon. and a regular
running schedule arranged. to end with ad-
)ournment for the day. These meefings
we're secret. Not even Republican members
Of the House knew the details of the sched-
ule. except probably the few directly in
terested
obey orders and follow Abbott on roll
calls" was the only satisfaction rank and
hle members received. And they invariably
pbeyed orders.
Inasmuch as the Steering Committee vas
appointed by the Speaker It was made up
Of his favorites. usually chairmen of I'm
portant committeeman whose interests
Steering Committee composed Of such ma
tertal 1t is easily understood why the speak
er was the whole thing" and maintained
his position as dictator of the PROCEEDINGS.
D4d the machine. 50 admirably assembled
Tor perfect action. never slip a cog? Yes,
Tor helping the dictator to mend the break
The Illinois Constitution provides that
each house shall determine the rules Of
fs proceedtngs. and rule Of the House
provides that ''the Speaker shall examine
and correct the journal before 1t Is read
slipped q cog and the ease and facility with
which II was mended courts to me.
A COnven1ent Journal.
In -169o the Senate bill. which propoeed