The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-20
BILLS IN CONGRESS
By Frederic ]. EIaskin. MH mM HGl maksMH HMzAN@ MT p9HI M MMa mHM

whom thinks he has some especial panacea far Ills that are. as we'll as for troubles that are yet 10 come, 1t Is easy to see how all sorts of things are proposed to that body. One of the newest of the propositions Is tosamend the Constitution so as to require post masters to be elected by popular vote. The proponent of this measure is the Honorable William Bailey Lamar of Florida, nephew of the late L. Q. C. Lamar.
 Even so conservative man as Rep resentative DeArmond not long ago proposed an emendment to the Consti- tution authorizing the United States to go into the life insurance business, to insure the lives of its citizens. Rep resentative Lowering wants the orr ganic law so amneded as to make the eight hour law a part of that instru- ment.
 There is now pending before Com gress bill to pension man who says that he fought in both the Confederate and Union armies during the Civil War without knowing 1t. He is Judge Mackey of South Carolina, and Sena- tor Tfiman Is the patron of his bill. He was in Texas at the time of Lees surrender, in the Confederate Corps of Engineers. He thought the sur render of the Army of Northern Vir- ginta ended all and he wanted to get back into the Union as quickly as pos sible. He was made g provost mar shal, after taking the oath of alIeg- lance, and took leading hand in putt this time he recruited his own force and paid each man a mule a month. lie was wounded in this service and now seeks a pension.
 Out of the 10000 bills offered during the life of Congress only a few thousand ever succeed in running the legislative ganut. Many and devious are the paths which blll must pur- sue before 1t can become a law. It Is nrst drawn by the member who intro- duces #. Then he puts it into box at the Speakers desk, called the ''hop- per-; or, if 1t is in the Senate, the Sem ator introducing 1t rises during the morning hour and presents it, when it is read twice by its title and referred by the Vice President to the appro. priate committee.
 But to follow House bill through the legislative milL After going Into the hopper 1t is carried to the file clerks room, numb cred, and appro- prtately referred. Then. it is sent to the government Printing Odice, where a hundred. or so copies are made. If 1t happens to be a bill that strikes the fancy of the committee to which it is referred. 1t Is discussed and reported to the House with recommendatins, perhaps with afnendmenta It is then reprinted as reported. If 1t gets through the labyrinth at the Speakers room 1t next has to steer itself through the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union. Then 1t comes in for a fif1al reading and passage by the House, It is then carried to the Senate and it's passage by the House announced. The presiding officer re- fers 1t to the appropriate committee
 This committe considers #. perhapa amends it. and then agrees to report It to the Senate. That body, after the piH has been printed so as to show what alterations the Senate committee has made, considers 1t, together with the report thereon made by the com mlttee and passes 1t, perhaps with some more amendments. Then 1t goes to conference, after another re- print or two. and there the three mem pers of each House appointed for the purpose, compose the disagreemerts of the senate and House. and report back 10 their respective bodies. Usually these conference reports are accepted by both Houses. The bill is then sign- ed by the Vice President and the Sec retary of the Senate aud by the Speak, CT and Clerk of the House, after sun dry examinations. After this if is sent to the President for his signature. That is the culminating action that makes it law.
 In passing through the various stages of the legislative grind 1t has had to be reprinted perhaps as much as half dozen times, and has had to pass the watchful eye of a dozen off, nciaIs of the Senate and House besides the members themselves. If 1t should happen that 1t got held up on It's way through, the whole road must be trav- sled again in the next Congress. When Congress ends its last session all bills die, natural death. Some hook writers state that. Senate bills do not die by the effluxioh of time, but tbere IS many poor fellow who has seen the Senate pass his bill during one Congress and the House during Inc next, who has occasion to understand that the slate is completely wiped of It the end of every Congress, and that the only way to get a bill through ia Tor the Senate and House to pass if during one Congress.
 kin.) '' AA''S-
 TomOrrw-Our Debt to Yfvisectioa.