Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-09

! IN@ NI the world has a committee
b III clothed with so much power
| I'm ME as is vested in the committee
| IN HA1l on rules of the American
lHz42SeEel house Of representatives. The
catalogue of the things it may
! do is long one; the list of things 1t
| may not do is exceedingly short. The
! parliamentary world has adopted, as
| the result of centuries of experience,
the doctrine that every deliberative
| body must have some system of checks
whereby a sudden or impatient major
| ity is prevented from riding rough
shod over the minority. This system
usually takes the form of a constitu-
tion or set of rules which provides that
| some Nthings shall not be done except
by a two-thirds vote; thus being in
| flexible enough to prevent an exasper-
ated majority from invading the rights
Of the minority, yet yielding enough to
guarantee full power in times of great
stress.
Nominally the house of representa-
tives has such rules On the face of
| things there are many safeguards for
the minority But by long process of
evolution and Interpretation there has
developed in the house a committee of
five members which has the power to
let down every barrier so that the dogs
of the majority may feast at will upon
the bones of the minority. This com
mittce can aid the majority to do its
worst when that majority happens to
be with them, and, on the other hand,
when in the course of legislative events
II happens that a combination of in
surgents and the minority makes ma
jority, this committeeman render the
majority as helpless as a set of two
thirds" rules can make it, This COM
mittee enables the house organization"
to eat its cake and have it too.
The committee on rules nearly al
ways acts by a majority, so that in
reality three men are the custodians of
its extraordinary powers. One of them
is the speaker; the other two are al
ways his most faithful. tried and true
adherents, and have been termed the
more expect to see one of them voting
against the speaker In the session of
the committee than he would expect to
see the minority in the house support a
special rule for its own undoing.
With the power to exempt the major
ity from every handicap imposed by the
regular rules. the while insuring 1t
every protection that the existence of
such rules affords, when other forces
come temporarily into the saddle. this
great triumYirate has become the most
remarkable body of men in all the
legislative assemblies of the world. 1t
can give its side of the question every
Of the practical absence of
parliamentary havens of refuge for the
other side, and yet render the other side
as helpless as a child, even though |
there is for the moment an opposition |
majority.
It can burn away every parliamentary |
barrier when il desires freedom from |
such restrictions, and restore them I'm |
all their strength when they serve their /
purpose. 1t is a great power indeed. |
Yet it is a power that the peculiar
situation i'm the American house of rep
seems to warrant. II was
not suddenly assumed, but has been
the growth of sixty congresses. Demo-
Gratis and Republicans alike have in
turn aided in it's development, and each
party has roundly denounced it.
The real complaint, however. does not
lie against the power vested in the COM
mittee. Most men believe ii essential
that 1t should be SO. Applying this
form as a corrective against a recalci-
trant minority and going no further
than absolutely necessary, the while
the minority, the committee
could justify its every act. But the
trouble has been that the majority of
the committee on rules usually Is as
inpatient and exasperated as the ma
iority of the house and is willing to go
lust as far as that majority will per-
nit Yet when it knows that the mi
lority and the insurgents constitute
majority, it may deny to them every
advantage it gave to its own friends.
A few examples of the things the
committee on rules can do when
packed by the majority will give some
Indication of the extent of its power.
Il can bring in a rule taking n bill
rom the hands of a committee and
it on its passage without
| single intervening motion, even
hough the committee has not consid-
red or reported the bill. If the ma
ority votes for the rule the bill goes
through. An instance is the case of a
,ill which Speaker Crisp wished to
)e passed by the house. 1T was in the
lands of the committee on war claims.
The rule brought in provided that the
ill should be brought in and ordered
o its passage. Protest was made, but i,
he speaker upheld the rule. and what !
night otherwise have required a half .
Ozen different maneuvers was done !,
{ once
The committee may take up a bill
he senate has passed, bring in rule