Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-07


~ HsAI differs essentially in charac-
@ ter and purpose from that oil
IA W the senate. It is so const1-
NzkgNA tuted that measures inVolV-
ling no party opposition or
other contest pass through 1t without
any friction; measures opposed by the
leaders of the majority party are
killed even If supported by a majority
of the whole house, and measures Ia
vored by the majority party are car
rled through without the slightest dan
ger of mutlation at the hands of the
opposition. Although open to many
objections, 1t is nevertheless true that
the house rules do operate to expedite
the public business and reduce the
danger of wanton or corrupt obstruc-
ton to the minimum. At the same
time they give to that small minority
composed of the house leaders the
power absolutely to obstruct legisla-
ton even in defiance of majority of
the representatives.
After a bill is introduced and re-
ferred to q committee and that COM
mittee makes its report, 1t may take
one of several courses. IfHit is a priv
ileged matter. having special rights
under the rules of the house 1t may
be given immediate consideration. IL
it is simply an ordinary bill, 1t must
go to one of the house calendars and
there await its turn. If 1t relates to
the expenditure of money under the
big appropriation bills 1t will go to
the committee of the whole house on
the state of the Union: If it Is a public
bill and makes no appropriations 1t
will go to another committee of the
whole, and If it is a private bill 1t goes
to the committee of the whole; all are
one and the same-practically a dis
tinction without difference-except in
name.
After this stage comes the second
reading, and then its passage to en-
grossment and third reading. Then
1t Is ready to be put upon its passage.
Here is where the tracks of legsla-
tion are cleared If there is a partisan
| fight ON hand. 1t is done by that won-
derful and powerful triumvirate the
three majority members of the COM
mittee on rules, and the previous
| question is its engine. This commit
| tee on rules. by n report which the
! three majority members may make,
may shut every opening and make IL
| impossible for any minority proposal
or amendment to receive consideration
and the measure as prepared by the
leaders has clear track to the
senate.
One amendment made to the house
rules at the beginning of the present
congress was designed to give the mi
| nority one real opportunity to get a
| recorded vote on any subject 1t desired.
| 1t provides that after the previous
question shall have been ordered on
the passage of a bill or joint resou-
tion, one motion to recommit shall be
in order. and the speaker shall rec
ognize a member who opposed the
measure for the purpose of making
that motion. The first opportunity to
test the efficacy of this provision was
on the passage OF the tariff bin by the
adoption of the conference report
| thereon. The minority had laid its
plans with great care. Champ Clark
had arranged to have Representative
Mann of Illinois, a Republican who
| opposed the bin on account of the
| duty on wood pulp, make the motion
to recommit. But when the time came
| to recognize a member to make that
| motion Speaker Cannon recognized Mr..
| Payne, the majority leader. who
! promptly moved to recommit and to
| lay that motion on the table
] or course the minority strenuously
objected to this procedure as being in
! direct contravention of the recently
| adopted rule But Asher Kinds, the
| house parliamentarlan, Informed the
| speaker that a conference report is not
bill or a joint resolution, and that
| therefore the minority could not claim
the right Of preferential recognition.
1t was a splitting of hairs, but the
minority concluded that the reputed
usefulness of the new rule was over
| estimated. II it is to be subjected to
Interpretation by Asher Kinds and ap-
plicatlon by Uncle Joe" Cannon.
|
| 1t is favorable declaration of
| Speaker Cannon that there never Is n
time when the majority cannot legs-
late and even depose the speaker If 1t
wills to. While theoretically this IS
| true, in actual practice there would he
so many parliamentary fences to climb
/ between the desire and its accomplish
ment that a house probably would pre-
| fer at all times to travel the long high
way to the expiration Of the speakers
| term to cutting across lots to depo5e
! him. No speaker ever has been de-
posed, and none has resigned under
/ fire. Henry Clay resigned twice, and
Andrew Stevenson once, but in neither
case was it because of adverse SEN
| timent.
| l., o-If &c