Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-08
Some Things You Want to Know
The American COngress-PrOcedure in the House.

The legislative machinery Of the house
OF representatives differs essentially in
character and purpose from that OF the
senate. 1t is so constituted that measures
involving no party opposition or other con-
test pass through 1t without any f%rietion;
measures opposed by the leaders Of the
majority party are killed even II supported
by a majority Of the whole house. and
measures favored by the majority party
are carried through without the slightest
danger Of mutilation at tn hands Of the
opposition. Although open to many objse-
lions, It il nevertheless true that the house
rules do operate to expedite the public
business and reduce the LANCER Of wanton
or corrupt obstruction to the minimum.
AT the same time they give to that small
minority composed of the house leaders
the power absolutely to obstruct legislation
even in defiance Of a majority Of the rep
resentatives.
After a bill is introduced and referred
to a committee, and that committee makes
its report, It may take one Of several
courses. II It Is a privileged matter, hav-
ing special rights under the rules Of the
house, it may be given immediate consid-
Grafton. II II Is simply an ordinary bill, it
must 20 to one Of the house calendars
and there await it's turn. II 1t relates to
the expenditure OF money under the big
appropriation bills 1t will go to the COM
mittee OF the Whole house on the state Of
the union; II It IS a public bill and makes
no appropriations, it will go to another
committee Of the whole, and II # is a pri-
vate bill, it goes to the committee Of the
whole; all are one and the same-prae-
tieally a distinction without a difference
except In name.
Aftor this stage comes the second read
ing, and then it's passage to engrosment
ana third reading. Then It Is ready to be
put upon its passage. Here is where the
tracks Of legislation are cleared II there II
a partisan fight On hand 1t 10 dene BY
that wonderful and powerful triumvirate,
the three majority members Of the commit
tee on rules, and the previous question"
is its engine. This committee on rules, by
a report which the three majority mer-
bers may make, may shut every opening
and make it impossible for any minority
proposal or amendment to receive consid-
Grafton and the measure as prepare by
the leaders has a clear track to the
senate.
one amendment made to the house rules
at the beginning Of the present congress
was designed to give the minority one real
opportunity to get a recorded vote on any
subject 1t desired. 1t provides that after
tha previous question shall have been or
dered on the passage Of a bill or joint
resolution, one motion to recommit shall
be in order, and the speaker shall recog-
nize a member who opposed the measure
for the purpose of making that motion.
/ 1The fleet n1nnrftpffy m tHat thu egHranrV
Of this provision was on the passage of
the tariff bill by the adoption of the con-
ference report thereon. The minority had
laid its plans with great care. Champ
Clark had arranged to have Representative
Mann of Illinois, a republican who OPP
posed the bill 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 Can
non recognized Mr.. Payne, the majority
leader, who promptly moved to recommit
and to lay that motion on the table.
OF course, the minority strenuously oh,
jected to this procedure as being in direct
c~ontravention of the recently adopted rule
But Asher Kinds, the house pArliamentar'
ian, informed the speaker a conference
report is not a bill or a joint resolution
and hi therefore the minority could no.
claim the right OF preIefenllAl TeCoSnl
ton. 1t was a splitting of hairs, but tbs
minority concluded that the reputed use.
fulness Of the new rule was over-estimated
II It is to be subjected to Interpretation by
Asher Kinds and application by "Unclt
joe Cannon.
1t is a favorable declaration Of Speaker
Cannon that there never Is a time the
majority cannot leGislate and even dspos'
the speaker II it Wills to. While theorSti
cally this is true, in actual practice thSr'
would be so MAN. parliamentary fences Il
sliAb bsween the desire and it's GecSn
PiishmSnt that q house probably woulG pre-
fer at all times to travel the lSnE highway Il
the expiration Of the speakers term Il
cutting across lots to deBese him. M
speaker ever has been depesed, and nom
has resigned under fire. Henry Clay re
slsnvA twice, and Andrew Stevenson oncs
but in neither case was 1t because o
adverse sentiment.
The Unanimous consent calendar Is or
of the new features Of procedure inserted
In the rules Of tho house a. a result o