Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-05
The American Congress
XTTI-LaW-Making by Committee
Bv Frederic L HaSkin

ehairmanship. And IL one will look
over the list Of committee Chairmen In
the house and senate he Will tnd that
every important chair is occupied by
man OF long service. In many cases
there are men who sit even below the
salt who are possessed OF more aplllly
than the chairmen, but they nave not
been there long enough to get the hlgh
positions.
The rule is, with certain exceptions
in the case of the Chairmen, that the
newest members of Il committee go to
the foot of the table, Just as the child
entering school. begins in the A b G
class The child may, by reason of
precocity or studiousness, progress
faster than his fellows, but practically
the only way a committee member ad-
vances up the table toward its head
is when member ahead Of him dies
or leaves congress. influence may get
the new member named upon COM
mittee, but il rarely will advance him
one seat nearer the chairman at the
big table around which the commit
tee gathers for its deliberations.
1t is when a man reaches the chair
manship and the ranking membership
on the majority and minority sides.
that he reaches his real usefulness in
congress. This makes him n member
of the conference committee on legis-
lation with which his committee has to
deal. And the conference committees Of
congress are really the strategic posi-
tions on the battlefields OF legislation.
What Little Round Top was in the bat
tie of Gettysburg, that is the confer
ence committee in legislative cam
paigns. After the house has had its
say about law in process of passage,
and the senate has had its say, it
usually is found that they disagree.
The senate wants this thing incorpo-
rated that the house has not put in,
and it wants that thing left out that
the house put in.
Here then, is where the conference
committee comes in and settles things.
1t must get the house to back down
on some of its propositions, and the
senate to recede from some of the
things it put into the bill 1t is a game
of give and take. Usually il is played
by three members of the house and
three from the senate. The chairmcn
of the two committees Of the senate
and house, the ranking Democrat and
the ranking Republican of each COM
mittee, constitute the conference COM
mittee. After they get together on
every proposition, the house conferee5
so back to the house with a statement
of the spoils they have won and those
they have lost, and the senate con-
ferees go back to the senate with
similar account. AS rule they rec
ommend that their respective bodies
accept the compromise they have made.
Sometimes they cannot agree, COM
promisers that they are, and then they
go back to their respective bodies for
further instructions, after which the
tug of war begins all over again.
often the battle lasts for days, and
sometimes it is drawn out into weeks.
There have been times when one house
has laid down its ultimatum, Thus far
will we so and no further" and the
other has countered with a statement
OF the points upon which it win not
surrender. After all hope of COM
promise Is past they go back to their
respective houses, and announce their
inability TO agree. Sometimes new
conferees are appointed, especially If
the measure be an important one, and
they keep peggiug away until COM
promise is finally completed. There
have been times. however, even with
such important legislation as the big
appropriation bills, that the con-
ferees have not agreed and the matter
has gone over to n succeeding session.
But there are times when these con-
ference committees do even more than
patch up differences. one body may
ANNA the measure lldSStu ny AllA bAAitl
body by striking out all after the en-
acting clause. That leaves the confer
ees free to bring in an entirely new
measure on the subject, and it has
sometimes happened that the confer
ence committee Of six men has writ
ten n measure different from that
passed by either body and both have
accepted It, Sometimes, again, the
conference committees bring in reports
which one or both houses will not ac-
cept but this is exceptional. Usually
the house and the senate simply ratify
what the conferees do, and then the
bill is ready for the signature of the
president.
Men may speak in the house and the
senate. There may seem to be a bat
tie royal in progress on the floor of the
two chambers, and the world may look
on and think il is witnessing law in
the making. But with the exception OF
the few instances where the whole
country is aroused and all eyes are
turned on Washington. congress legis-
lates entirely by its committees. Be
hind the closed doors OF committee and
conference rooms are made the agree
ments which the senate and the house
ratify.
Tomorrow-'The American Congress;
XIV-Procedure in the senate.