Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1913-12-23
PLAN TWO REFORMS
DEMOCRATS WILL HAVE ALL
BILLS STAND ON THEIR OWN
MERITS.
NO MORE RIDERS OR JoKERs
Bill Writing Bureau to Be Created
Which VIII See That Measures
Do Not Say One Thing While
Meaning Another.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

WdSnlnglOn.-IWO reforms nave
been decided upon by the Democrat
ic majority in congress, and seem
ingly the party men are sincere in
their promises that hereafter all bills
shall stand on their own merits as
legislative propositions, and that SO
far as human judgment can make it
possible, no paragraph of bill seem
ingly meaning one thing, but really
meaning another shall be allowed to
become part of the law of the
land.
The day of riders" on appropria-
ton bill soon will be done, and no
'Jokers' hereafter will find a place
in any congressional legislation. If
the dominant party succeeds in es-
tablishing these reforms and keeps
within the strict rule of them, the
opportunities for evil enactments viii
lessen and the courts will have much
less to do.
President Wilson, apparently, took
note of the criticism which came be-
cause OF the inclusion in the sundry
| civil bill of the provision intended to
save labor unions and farm organiza-
tons from prosecution on charges of
violating the antitrust laws He was
compelled either to veto the appropri-
alton bill or to sign it with the OBJ
| noxious clause included. He signed
it. The Democratic members of con-
gress apparently also have felt the
criticism of their action in this case,
and the legislative policy which they
are about to adopt to keep other
riders off of appropriation bills, they
seem to believe will make amends for
past misdemeanors
Ii the Democrats, when they first
came into power, had adopted the
rule which they are now planning to
put into effect there probably would
have been no chance to violate the
| civil service rules in the appointment
of persons who will do work in con-
nection with income tax collections.
1t was a rider" which enabled the
Democrats to supply a good many of
the faithful with Offices without the
necessity of undergoing examinations
TO their fitness
Currency Bill Strengthened Out
Not long ago a Chicago man came
to Washington and went to Senator
owen, chairman of the senate com
| mittee on banking and currency. He
had with him a copy of the house
currency bill of which he made a care
full study. He pointed out nearly 100
cases of ambiguous language. The
errors were corrected, but the chances
are that some of them escaped the at
tention of the analyst.
Now it is the intention of the Dem
ocrats to create what may be called
bill writing bureau. 1t will be Gre
ated by an act of congress and there
fore taken out of the field of simple
legislative policy. The Democrats
cannot bind subsequent congresses
to promise to keep riders" off the
appropriation bills, but they can make
bureau which will exist until it is
abolished by an act of congress. This
bureau, despite its name, will not
write for congressman, but it will
take bills which have been written
and apply to them the test of in
depreciation. In other words, the bu-
reau will see that the bills while say
ing one thing do not mean another.
The elimination of the rider" and
the Joker will establish two sub
stantial reforms in legislation, and if
the Democrats carry out their plan
they probably will get a good bit of
credit even though, before the reform
streak showed itself. they had vio-
lated several times both the spirit and
the letter of the rule and the law
which they now intend to put into op-
Grafton.