The San Francisco call., 1907-02-24

] NdhEc Cudl OL lu6 Dlli- hClA AiiS
I Government officers are sent for, and
they tell their story over again. The
committee usually salves the feelings
/ Of the executive department by grant
/ ing q few minor requests, but the bill
! is not radically changed. The House
/ composed of members who must fight
/ for reelection every other year, is
quite economical It's members dare
not be too liberal with the peoples
money. But the Senate, knowing that
the people cannot turn it out. is dis
/ posed TO be more liberal in eXpendi-
! lures. having an eye to good admin
istration rather than to mere economy.
LEADERS KEEP IN TOUCH
The tug of war comes during the
closing days of the session. The bills
! have been sent to conference. The
Senate usually appoints three con-
ferees, two of them the leading Repub-
licans on the committee in charge of
the bill and the other the leading Demo
crat. The House appoints three or
five conferees, a majority controlling
their action. The Senators and Rep
resentatives who thus meet in confer
ence are old hands at the business.
They have met and fought before.
They gather quietly in a committee
room. usually on the Senate side, and
begin their dickering.
scores OF questions are lllNOiNSC IN
a conference on a big appropriation
bill. The House, for some political
reason, may have its heart set upon
a particular item. The Senate may
have decided opposition to this item.
but it may have another item of it's
own which it must get through. The
conferees thresh these matters over.
Horse traders and the swappers of
jack knives would die of envy if they
he 0f ~
Senate and House conferees. Sometimes
the House inserts an item in bill
which il knows the Senate detests,
solely for the purpose of using it IN
conference as trading material. IT is
an old trick of the Senate to insert
larger appropriations than it wants, so
that it can pretend TO be making
great concessions when it whittles
them down in conference. The lead
ers of both houses are in close touch
with the conferees. When each side
gets what it wants. the conference re-
port is made to each house. and if
adopted the bill is passed. The House
exacts of its conferees written state
ment of the precise effect of each
change made in conference. The Sen
ate does not 90 this. But every Sen
ator interested in items in the bill
knows, just the same. whether the con-
ferees have stood by him or not.
Frequently the leaders in Congress
determine that 1t is wise to keep a
bill in conference, even after an agree
ment has been reached A conference
report is privileged, and can be pre-
sented at any time, without regard to
the business before either house. It
cannot. however, cut a Senator off
without his consent, if he happens to
have the floor. He can yield while the
report is being read, and then pro-
ceed with his discussion of the domes-
tic policy of the Kamchatkans or any
other subject that strikes his fancy.
FIGHTING AGAINST TIME
When the real race against time
begins in the last two or three days
of the session, it is a pleasant thing
to see the skill with which the old
hands manage the machinery of Con-
gress. The great organization might
: be compared with a gigantic steam
: ship rushing at full speed to reach
her destination at a, fixed moment
with duplicate boilers, engines. crews
and commanders. all under obligations
10 work in harmony but each having
/ a keen eye to his own advantage
There is stress and strain everywhere
The boilers are fired up to a white
heat The stokers are stripped The
oilers run about greasing the bear
ings. The engineers and their as
sistants mind the bill. watch the
gauge, test the cocks and listen in
tently to the throbing. The captains
are comforting. taking observations
and jettisoning cargo for the sake of
speed. It is "Gangwayi" Look aliver'
Mind your helmi' "Heave hot' with
the crews. Passengers are trampIed
underfoot if they show their heads
above deck. Finally, exactly to the
minute, the leviathan, dripping. roar
ing, steaming and smoking. arrives at
her destined point, drops anchor and
banks her fires. The shippers, crews
and passengers swarm over her sides,
and in q half a day the hulk lies a
sleeping whale, to remain dormant for
half g year or more
Formerly the committee on appro-
priations of each house handled all
appropriation bills; but now the work is
parceled out to other committees, leav-
/ ing 20 the committee on appropriations
the principal bills and a potent voice
as to the framing OF bills by the other
/ committees. In the House there is
more or less jarring among committees
all anxious to get large appropria-
tions. In the Senate there is no per-
/ oeptible friction, as q rule, because
/ the members of the committee on ap-
propriations are also members of the
other important committees.
The most influential man in Congress
in appropriation matters. as well as
the most experienced, is Senator VIII