The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-12-11

-
House is powerlcss to enact any legis-
lation till after its committees have
been announced That is the Speaker Is
privilege, as he selects the men for ev-
cry committee. There may be fight
on the adoption of the rules next
spring, but the chances are that wise
old sfUncle joe will be able to squelch
all the rules reformers before Congress
meets and that, after some demonstra.
tions of hostility, the House will by
resolution adopt the rules of the Goth
Congress.
1t almost goes without saying that
the Speaker will appoint only those
committees that have to do with legis-
lation suggested in the President s mes
sage. For it is a practise, generally
adhered to, that an extra session of
Congress shall consider little business
outside of that for which the President
called it together. That means the
Speaker will appoint only the Ways and
Means, the Rules, and the Mileage and
Accounts committees. He can do that
in short order. The Ways and Means
membership will be about the same as
in the present Congress and will deal
with the revision, which probably will
be the only legislative matter men
toned in President Taft's message.
Want Their Mileage Early.
The Rules Committee is the govern
ing body, through which the Speaker
makes his wishes effective. The Mile
age Committee attends to the little mat
ter of twenty cents a mile for the en-
tire distance travelled by every member
and delegates in coming to attend the
session. 1t was intended that this
"graft," as it is commonly called
should be cut off, when the salaries OF
Congressman were raised from $4,000 to
$1,000 year. But the provision abolish
ing it was beautifully iuggled and your
$500 statesman or politician is still as
keen as ever to get it. The money car
not be paid without the o. X. of the
Mileage Committee and therefore iti
members are always announced as soor
ms that of any other committee. Tit
mileage, amounting TO as much as $60I
or $500 for some of the Pacific Coas
keeps Senators and members in poke
money for the earlier part of the SEES
| sion.
The House will be working hard fol
| the first two or three weeks. 1t viii
meet Monday and every other weel
| day and have no adiournments, eXcep
for Sunday, from the time that the
Ways and Means Committee brings tn,
completed bill from its rooms in tn,
big office building, either up he>broaC
asphalted way of New Jersey avenue
or through the subterranean tunnel
and introduces it in the House till tn,
last roll has been called on its passage
| Meanwhile the Senate will be work
hing very leisurely indeed. Its reorgan
ization will consist largely of finding
committee places for Senator's and also
of looking out that Senators secure
comfortable and cosy committee rooms
Those are two subjects very dear t.
your United States Senator. The long
err he wears toga the harder he will
| fight and the more wires he will pull
both to get desirable committee assign
ments and, exc, a nice committee room
That matter may occupy couple o.
weeks. but there will be little indica
| ton of it in the Senate. for the worl
will be done by carefully selected com
mittees of oldsters, one for the Repub
licans and one for the Democrats, WHIT
/ will see to it that no new conner get
anything that can make him feel at al
pppish.
| d Nominations to be Ratified
| For a time the Senate will almos
certainly be adjourning every Thursda.
till the following Monday. 1t woul'
adjourn earlier but for the fact tina
the constitution forbids either House o
Congress to adjourn for more thar
three days at time without the con
sent of the other There will be SOM
Executive business to dispose of-per
haps treaty or two to be ratified ant
undoubtedly several large patches o
nominations from President Taft to b
confirmed.
AS soon as the House has it's las
roll call on the Payne revision bill
for the new tariff law will be know
as the Payne law in honor of the Way
\ and Means chairman-the Senat
Finance Committee will begin b
4 "spunk up" How long that commit
tee will require to go over the Payn
bill is matter of conjecture. TIL
prospects are that it will not be NOR
4 than two or three weeks. Much will
depend upon the extent to which tn
Finance Committee wishes to rewrit
the House measure and the number o
witnesses it hears.
Almost from the day that the Senat
and the Finance Committee get tn
Payne bill the House will begin ad
journing for three days at stretch
unless President Taft recommends i
his message legislation other than %
the tariff. That is what the House di
at the last extra session of note--tha
Of 1897, when the Dingley law wa
passed. 1t enables members who liv
a days ride or so from Washington t
go home and attend to their own bus
rife contests in conference, which COZ
ference is usually composed of eithe
three or five members of the Way
, and Means Committee and simila
| number of the Finance COmmittee