Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-08-19
SENATOR BOURNE, AUTHOR.
Title TO Distinction BESIDES Direct
Election Speech.

LOT ne mas WIlllen ana puDllSueQ q
speech on the direct election of SEN
atOrs and other phases of the popu-
lar government movement which has
circulated, ii is said, to the extent
of more than a million copies. But
Senator Bourne is the author of an
other proposition of less controver-
sial character than his famous
speech, and many people in Wash
ingtOn interested in the technicalities
of law-making say that if the path
laid down by Senator Bourne is fol-
lowed by his successors. there will
be vast saving in the amount of
time and energy spent in making
laws in the national capital
Senator Bourne is chairman of the
senate committee on postoffices and
postroads. and as such it has been
his duty to steer the great pOstoffice
appropriation bill through its diff
cult course in the senate. 1t oc-
CURED to Senator Bourne about the
time the bill was nearly completed
in committee that he could save both
himself and his fellow members an
enormous amount of trouble by a
very simple mechanical device. AS a
result of his work, apparently for
the first time in the history of CON
gress, senators have found them
selves supplied with a 90-page book
let entitled Information Print for
Use of the Senate" The purpose of
this special print is described by Sen
ator Bourne in these words:
Realizing the Importance of plac-
S,,rv knf Il 80 h.. = T.,
concise and convenient form. the in
formation upon which the committee
based its recommendation in report
ing this bill, this committee print
has been prepared by the chairman.
Each paragraph in the bill is num-
bered for better reference in explain
alton, and subheaded by giving page
and lines as contained in the bill as
reported to the senate and to be read
by the clerk"
The Information Print"
What the Information Print"
amounts to is this; At the end of
the opening paragraph of the bill,
which begins with the familiar
phrase, BE it enacted" ETC., we find
in small type a note numbered with
a bracketed numeral numeral one,
the word explanation on'-then a
dash, then the brief phrase, Gus
tomary paragraph" At the end of
the first item of appropriation call
ing for $34,40 for the rent OF
buildings for the use of the post
office and other purposes, this "Ex-
planation" is found: Agreed to-
because same as estimates, appropri-
ations and expenditures of past four
years, based on existing leases" AT
the end of item NO. 100, one of the
biggest items in the bill, appropriate
ing, as it does, over $4,000, 900 for
the pay of letter carriers, their sub
Stitutes, clerks in charge of substa-
tions, tolls and ferriage, in the rural
delivery service (an item in which
in this particular instance consider
able change was made by the sen.
ate), we find succinct explanation
fully outlining the arguments in ia
fully outlining the arguments in fa-
that in spite of the apparent increase
there is an actual saving by the sen
ate's substitute of $761,90O
And so it goes, item after item
being neaty labeled and illuminated
by terse footnotes prepared in the
committee room with the aid oi
clerks intimately acquainted with the
bill, the hearings on the bill, and
all the other information from mis-
cellaneous sources which goes into
the construction OF big supply
measure
The result of the Bourne scheme
result which was noticeable during
the discussion of the bill on the floor
of the senate this week.-Mrs. been
that every senator has been able at
glance to understand the essential
, facts about every section of the bill,
and facts, after all, make the foun-
dation of all legislation. Therefore,
this year, in consequence of Senator
Bourne's device, there has been much
less OF the customary wrangling over
facts than usual.
Instances in POstoffice Bill.
There are, of course, controverted
points in the postoffice appropriation
bill, but the controversies have con-
cerned themselves with matters OF
policy rather than with dispute as to
whether the third assistant postmas-
ter general on page so and so of the
hearings before the house said one
thing, and then contradicted himself
by saying another before the senate
committee. Senators have been
spared the trouble of doing as much
work apiece as the committee itself
has done, and the committee, in turn,
OF rather its chairman, has been
spared the waste of energy which
used to be necessary to satisfy liter
ally the thousands of questions
hurled at him by the opposition.
One more example: A section of
the postoffice appropriation bill
which annually causes almost endless
debate is that dealing with the rail
way mail clerks. In the discussion
of this item matters relating to civil
service, labor conditions. administra-
tive economics, etc, have often occu-
pied hours of time. 1t is not argued
by Senator Bourne that his "lnforma-
tion Print" has done or will do away
with all this, but it is evident to any
one who has delved into the compli-
Gated problems of the railway MAJ
service that the chief trouble thai
congress had relative to this service
relates to facts. And the facts which
are adduced by the committee in ex