Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-12
THE "coNFERENcE" IN CONGRESS
Is One of the Most Important Features
In Connection With Law Making.

Washington, D. G., June 30
Especial. 1.-The general public has
but slight knowledge concerning one
of: the most important features In
connection with lawmaking - the
conference.
This fact is made evident by the
abatement of interest, to very large
extent, in proposition as soon as it
has passed by both houses Of con
gress. The fact that the bills passed
may be very dissimilar and that bill
cannot become a law until both the
senate and house have agreed to iden.
tieally the same bill. does not appear
to have strongly impressed the public.
Relatively speaking 1t might be said
that it may be comparatively easy
task to pass bill through either
branch of congress- but much more
difficult one to induce the other branch
to agree to it.
The Rate Bill.
During the discussion of the rail-
road rate bill in the house public at
tention was rivited on that body and
the press was filled with columns on
the general debate. The same bill
was taken up in the senate. after it
had passed the house, and debated 70
days. During this time the public
mind was engrossed with the proceed
ings in the senate on the rate question.
AT last the rate bill passed the senate
and thereupon, to a large extent, the
public dismissed the matter and
seemed to regard the proposition as
good as law. AS a matter Of fact the
bill which passed the senate was wide
ly different in many respects from the
bill that passed the house Scores Of
changes, many Of them important and
vital, were made by the senate. Upon
some of the points of difference days
were spent by the senate and most ex-
haustive and elaborate and laborious
arguments made in support Of these
features.
When the senate had passed it's bill;
because really it was new bill that
the senate passed, preserving only the
general outlines of the house bill; this
bill was sent to the house for concur.
renee in the amendments" made by
the senate. The house disagreed to the
senate amendments and appointed Col
onel Hepburn and Mr. Sheran, repub-
licans, and Mr. Richardson, democrat,
as conferees. Without exception 1t is
the practice to appoint the chairman,
the ranking republican and the rank
ing member of the minority, to COM
prise the conference committee This
is the custom in both houses. The SEN
ate appointed Senator Elkins, Senator
Cullom and Senator Tillman as its con.
ferees,. the latter having had charge of
the bill during consideration.
Cannot ,insert New Features.
The action Of both houses In that
case, as in every case, practically
amounted to saying to these six men:
Here are two bills, relating to the
same subject yet very dissimilar in
fact. Take these two bills and evolve
one bill that is agreeable to you six
men and report your findings to your
respective houses. But remember one
thing; you are not to take notice of
or change any features upon which
both houses agree nor are you to insert
anything new in the bill; that is fea-
lures or matter that are not now in
either bill"
After hammering away at each other
for some days the conferees Of the
senate reported that the house con
ferees had agreed to all the changes
made. by the senate except three. It
was also found that the conferees had
deliberately violated the instructions of
their respective houses and had in
cluded alot of new matter contained in
neither the house nor senate bills. On
this latter point there was some fur
Their discussion in the senate before
the conferees were instructed to go at
the house conferees again This was