The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-01-27
Direct Bills Into Channels Where
They Can Shape Their
Fate.
CAUSE OF MUCH CONFUSION
Author Of Bill Relating 10 Shutting up
Hous Has Il Sent to Game Com.
mittoV. OF Which He 10 tho
Chairman.

SALEM. ore, Jan, 26,--"Unleas Il
positive change IL soon made In The
method OF referring bills 10 commit
tees load Of trouble ia going TO
be dumped on this assembly, and we're
going TO yet tied up In tight parlia-
men,ary kinks" rnid Il member OF the
Mul,nomah delegation yesterday. con-
adering the present custom Of the
House Of allowing the introduccr Of
bin 10 designate what committee
shall receive II and report on It.
There has been frequent evidence In
this weeks House routine that some
radical change would have TO be made
In the method Of referring bills un-
less the entire committee system is
made a farce and excellent chances n-
fordcd authors Of questionable bills 10
slide them through the House without
an opportunity for the majority of
the members 10 really acquaint them
selves with the nature OF the pro-
posed law.
The trouble has arisen FIRST OF all
through the courtesy Of the Speaker
and House members that has enabled
any member to refer his bill after the
frat reading TO any committee he de-
aires. regardless of whether the COM
mlttce Is the proper one or not. So
much has this courtesy been abused
In the last few days that members
with bills have boldly maneuvered to
have those BILLS referred to commit
tees OF which they were chairmon, re-
gardleAa OF the real work for which
the committee was instituted. One
instance was that OF Il bill relating to-
shutting up hogs, 1t was referred to-
the game COMMITTEES. The author of
the bin was chairman OF the game
committee and his was the guiding
hand that directed the measure into
the strange channel 1t took. As the
House committees really do the work
of the organization and their reports
on measures are usually indorsei the
bin passed by these committees as
all right, being seldom acrutini2eds by
the average member, unless he Isl
personally Interested, the policy OF al
lowing any member to determine
whether he himself shall consider and
report on his own bin Is considered
dangerous by the wiser ones In the
House and some sort Of check Is GO |
ing to be devised before the situation
gets any worse.
Another thing that comes directly |
from the present method OF referring
House bills is the confusion exper-
fenced by committees that have all
sorts OF bills before them, bills that
are not related to the work they are
supposed to do, or concerned with the
object for which the committee was
organized Game committees consid-
ering vagrant hog acts, salary commit
tees tackling the banking law; revi-
sion of laws committee considering
railroad commission measures-alll
this Is worrying the older House mem
bers.
Coffey of Multnomah on the floor OF
the House, attacked this system Of
procedure yesterday most bitterly.
"Why should the farmers consider
bills that relate to city corporations
or bankers fool with horticultural
measures?" he demanded when a
measure had been reported on favor
ably by committee, and later 1t was
discovered that the measure did not !