The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1911-04-06
DEMOCRATS VOTE
TO REFORM RULES
and CUT EXPENSE
Selection of Commit
tees is Taken Away
fromftr,e Speaker.
HIT AT FlLlBUsTERs
They Are Made Difficult by
New Rule.-House En-
ployes to Lose Places.
HIT AT FILlBUSTERS

Washington. D. C.-ln = party
caucus noteworthy for its harmony
and the smoothness Of its progress
the democratic members Of the new
house Of representative Saturday
adopted without q change . new rule
for committee assignments. an econ.
omy program and new rules prepared
for the coming session by the COM
mittees that have been In workine
the last month.
Important changes in procedure
and general reorganization Of the
house will result from the action OF
the democrats. The power Of nam
ing committees was definitely taken
from the speaker by the rules and
lodged in the house itself.
Committee members are to be
elected by the house, not only in the
first instance but also in the filing of
vacancies.
The saving of slS2,o00 in the an
nual cost of running congress is
promised through the cutting out of
superf1ous employees and inactive
committees and through the abolish
ment of the time honored extra
months pay"
Appointive places all are put into
the hands of one committee. The
special body will be known as the
committee on organization and the
scramble for congressional posi-
tion will center about its doors. Inn
| portant changes in rules under which
the new congress will operate are:
To End Filibustcrs.
Selection of committees by the
house,
Provision to prevent "filibusters"
under the rule giving authority to
discharge committees from the con-
sideration of bills.
| Provision permitting amendments
| to appropriation bills whenever
those amendments will result in re-
trenchment of national expenditures.
| Authority for bills to come up
| twice for passage under unanimous
consent privilege.
The rule to prevent filibustering on
motion to discharge the committee
from the custody of bills is the re-
suit of the filibuster conducted in the
last session by Representative Mann
of Illinois. He had the postoffice re-
, organization bill placed on the cal
! endar under this rule and demand
ed that it be read completely, an ope-
ration that consumed several days.
The new rule provides that a bill
shall be read only by its title and
that its title shall not be more than
100 words long. 1t prohibits men,
bers from having before the house
at any one time more than two mo-
tions to discharge committees from
the custody of bills.
This rule the democrats believe
can be made to work as originally
intended to prevent the burying of
the bills in the committee.
The new rule affecting the appro-
priation bills is renewal of the So
called Holman rule" first used by
democrats in 1875. 1t permits
amendments to the appropriation
rules when these amendments will
effect the reduction of federal expen-
diture.
Rules Offered House Tuesday.
Following the adoption Of the
rules Chairman Henry of the new
rules committees stated that they
would be offered to the house Tues
day, Immediately after the prelimi-
mar organization of the sixty-second
congress. In its efforts to reduce the
house payroll and dispense with ex-
ira employees, the democratic caucus
authorized sweeping changes. The
abolishment of SO appointive posi-
tions; dropping of six standing
committees from the house list, and
the abolishment of extra pay allow.
ed by each session to the employees
are important features of the plan
The first of these items is expect.
ed to save $4,000; the second $12.-
900, and the Withholding of "extra
month" will save another $4,000
Positions under the house, hereto
fore apportioned among the mem.
bers generally are to be given by the
democrats only to those members
who were not given committee
chairmanships. In its attempt a
economy the democratic organ
ization decided that AZ OF The spe
cial policemen employed about tn,
capitol could be dispensed with; an,
that two clerkships and minor posi-