Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-04
WAS IN FORCE YEARS AGO
Permits Retrenchment Legislation in
Appropriation Bills.
SAVING MAY BE $4,000, 900
May Be Involved to Secure the
Abolition Of Offices Regarded
as Useless.

Speaker Clark's specific reference to the
so-called Holman amendment in his in
troductory speech in the House of Repre-
sentatives today, laying down the policies
by which the democrats will be guided,
calls attention to the fact that this new
feature of the rules of the body, which
will be in operation in the House in the
Sixty-secOnd Congress for the first time
in many years, is Of extreme Importance
and constitutes the principal basis for the
democratic hope of great retrenchment in
the annual expenditures of the govern
ment during the next two years.
The Holman amendment originally was
put into effect back in the Forty-fourth
Congress by William S. Holman Of In
diana. who is known through history as
the first watchdog Of the Treasury" It
remained in the rules of the House in
the Forty fourth. Forty fifth and Forty
sixth democratic Congresses, the Forty
seventh republican Congress and the For
ty-eighth democratic Congress, but was
repealed by the democrats when they
secured control Of all the government
machinery at the beginning of the first
Cleveland administration.
Will Mean Big Saving.
In general, the Holman amendment
may be described as permitting the In
sertion of legislation into appropriation
bills, in committee and in tho House,
even to the extent OF changing statutory
law. where the object Of the legislation
is retrenchment. In the first session OF
the Forty-fourth Congress, when the Hol-
man amendment was tried for the first
time, 1T resulted in a saving of $4O,OOO,OO0.
<oka ,s.> a.
were 100000. If this same ratio pre-
walls in the next regular session. which
begins in December, the saving on the
fiscal year probably will approximate
something like $15OOOO,OOO.
Democratic leaders in the House think
that even more money than this may
be saved annually through this amend
ment. and that they will be- eble to DEM
onstrate to the people of the country
that the government can be run eco
nomically as well as efficiently.
The Holman amendment does not re-
strict the powers Of the appropriations
committee, as has been thought in some
quarters. AS a matter of fact, it greatly
enlarges the Jurisdiction Of that body as
far as the power to make reduction In
expenditures by changes In existing law
is concerned. Take the District bill, for
instance. The appropriations committee,
in considering that measure, now has
not the power to insert amendments abol-
fishing offices or reducing salaries which
are provided for In existing law, as such
an amendment can be eliminated by q
the bill Is brought into the House. But
the Holman amendment to the rules
makes such changes in order, impossi-
BILE of elimination on a point Of order
and subject on each and every occasion
to be voted on in the House.
Representative Burleson Of Texas.
who will be chairman of the District
subcommittee of the committee on ap-
propriations, is known to hold decided
views with reference to the District
bill and the appropriation 1t contains.
Consequently, he undoubtedly will In
woke the Holman rule to secure the
abolition OF offices which he considers
provided for by statuatory law, but
which he considers excessive.
Text Of the Amendment.
The Holman amendment az incorpor-
ated in the rules agreed upon is az
follows:
Nor shall any provision in any such
bill appropriation measures) or
amendment thereto changing existing
law be in order. except such as being
germane to the subject matter Of the
bill. shall retreneh expenditures by the
reduction Of the number Of salaried Of
fcers of the United States. by the re-
duction of the compensation OF any
person paid out OF the Treasury OF the
United States, or by tho reduction of
the amounts of money covered by the
bill. provided 1t shall be in order fur
port Of the committee or any Joint com
mission authorized by law or the House
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