The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-06

casionally for weeks. O1ten they 30
back TO their respective bodies anu
ask to be supported or excused.
Usually IL is a process OF give and
take. The senate conferees Will yield
on some items and the house con-
ferees will recede from insistence on
other items, and then peace Is de
clared by both bodies, after which
comes the enrolment and the trans
mission TO the president
There are many parliamentary
steps not related here through which
measures may go while in the custody
of either house. They may be made
special orders" In the senate, and
have the right OF way over every
thing else. Every bill must be read
by its title at least three times be-
fore the senate can pass It. and ex-
cept by unanimous consent the read
ing must be on three different days.
After a bill IL reported II IL consid-
cred twice In both houses, once IN
the committee of the whole and the
second time In the open session.
Modern parliamentary practice can
make the pressure OF the legislative
mill as hard a grinder as 1t desires.
and can make II extremely difficult
for measure 10 get through con
gress.
The test OF the legislative machin-
cry comes at the end OF a session
The senate and the house are con-
frmed procrastinators until they sud
denly wake up and find II 10 only
few weeks until adjournment. Then
they put on bit and spur and rush
things through at a head-swimming
gait. The last few days OF q ses.
sion the clerks who have charge or
the bills, work day and night II IL
natural that with a big omnibus bill,
like the public buildings bill, there
should be liabilities to error A few
years ago every senator and house
member thought congress would ad.
Journ ut given hour. and mi
bought their tickets home At the
last moment someone discovered
that the bill was In a bungle and
everybody had TO sit up with II until
nearly midnight. A committee In
vestigated the matter but no one
knows yet who made the errors that
Kept congress In sweat for hours
The work OF the officials who keep
the legislative records OF the senate
and the house Is increasing at
! tremendous rate The first session
OF the Fifty-second Congress wit.
messed the introduction OF 10000 bills
In the house. the filing of 1900 re.
ports. the passage OF 237 public laws,
and the making OF 5000 pages OF the
Record. The special and first regu.
lar session or the Sixty-first Congress
witnessed the introduction OF $1,000
bills. the filing OF 1913 reports, and
the making OF 9,130 pages OF the Con
| gressional Record. The printing bill
or congress has increased In proper.
ton. The investigations OF the child
labor question by the senate has All.
ed nineteen big volumes, and several
thousand sets will be printed The
F, monetary commission is turning
volumes out at the rate OF about one
a week, and no one knows how much
IL ultimately will cost.
Oftentimes employees OF the sen.
ate and house compile works that
are printed by congress and are OF
great value In the promotion of legis.
lation. The parliamentary precedents
prepared by Asher Kinds, lately elect.
ed n member OF the house from
Maine, are so exhaustive and com.
plete that they cover a half dozen
big volumes as big as a good sized
unabridged dictionary. Pitman Pull.
sifer, also Pine Tree State man.
for years was clerk OF the senate
committee on naval affairs, and be-
came such an expert on naval mat.
tiers that his naval yearbook has been
regarded as an authority. When Vice.
President Sherman assumed the OF.
flee OF president OF the senate he
found book of procedure. prepared
under the direction OF Secretary Ben.
nett, that tells him exactly what 10
say and what TO do under every cir.
cumstance that may arise, from
personal collision between two fiery
senators down to the reception OF
the messenger who bears the presi.
dents messages to congress.
Tomorrow-The American Red Cross.