Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-14
|ASSA|LSLOG JAMS
| ANDGACS IN HOUSE
Anderson Also Turns Shafts
Upon Secret Caucuses,
Citing Evils.
DISGUISED BY HASTE
| IN FRAMING TARIFF
Protests About Every Rule That Il
Now Used in Drafting
Liquidation.

Another attack on secret caucuses.
steam rollers. gags ana all sorts Of log
jams In Congress was made yesterday
when Representative Anderson Of
Minnesota issued q statement outlining
what would have to happen. In his
opinion. before. the people are really
the rulers. Mr., Anderson resigned
from the ways and means committee
last week because he believed that as
a republican no was shunted or the
main track and could get nothing. for
his constituents on account OF the
strong-arm methods Of the majority.
One OF Mr.. Anderson's reforms IL to
make appropriation bills In the House
a session. and that after that they
should tate their chance, and not jam
up the proceedings in the closing
moments OF Congress or . session.
Tune Almost Progressive.
Mr.. Anderson's statement IL written
almost to the tune Of the progressive
song OF general protest against nearly
everything on the rule book of the
House. and follows close upon the shy
glances cast at Representative Ander-
son by Representative Hinebaugh. the
for the bull moosers.
Disgusted with the way the tariff bill
has gone a-f1ying through Congress
without the republicans having chance
to stick on IL even e small label, Rep
resentative Anderson says:
while believe that real reform and
SEXUAL representative government 10 pos
siblo. only with the destruction OF the
caucus system and the complete recon.
struction Of the rules and practices OF
the House, there are q number OF changes
Of practices and amendments OF the rules
which would make the membership OF
the House a. whole more eficient give
the press and the public better and more
accurate information as to what IL ac-
tually done or not done In the House and
in committees and at the same time tend
to divert the power Of legislation from
the control Of the few into the hands Of
the many.
Would segregate Bills.
I'm the first place. public and private
bills should be separately segregated
and numbered seriatim In the indexes
OF the Congressional Record and else
where. The present practice Is to num-
Der all bills, private and public. seriatin
as they are introduced. 1t would add
greatly to the convenience and informa-
ton Of members and the public IL each
were numbered seriatim In a separate
series.
There should be a calendar OF COM
mittee meetings which would give notice
In advance Of whore and when bills were
to be considered by committees. The
be simplified. and bills reported by q
committee segregated under the name
of the COMMITTEES reporting them on
each calendar The present calendars
ceal than for what they reveal They
give no notice OF when or what bills
will be called up and considered. They
conduce to obstruction.
Evils Of Log Jams.
lone Of the crying evils OF the system
is the practice Of building log jams of
appropriation bills through which only the
initiated can pilot constructive legislation.
Another Is the practice Of loading APP
preparation bills with legislative provi-
sions either under special rules adopted to
make 1t possible or by riders which are
construed under tho rules to be mere
limitations upon the use Of the money
appropriated.
The necessity OF the legislation pro-
posed and the !mpossibility OF passing It
In the usual course under the restrictive
rules Of the House together furnish the
excuse for this practice.
Some method can be devised. win be
devised. which will allow Us to get the
appropriation bills out Of the way In the
early days OF the session and thus leave
time TOR the consideration of general leg
islation on Its merits.
There 10 an increasing necessity for
the esta biishing Of q budget system. The
demands OF the executive departments in
crease daily. while the general expenses
OF the government are mounting by leaps
and bounds. The present haphazard sys-
tenn results In waste-parsimony in some
thinss-extravagance In others.
Stands ~ Foe Of Delay.
THE elimination Of obsolete and use
less motions. which now only give d
and comfort to the fllibusters. would
remove some OF the Instruments Of delay.
A system Of calling rolls which would
.educe the time required and which 10
quite feasible would do much TO reduce
the waste Of time and energy and ie.
move another OF the instruments Of OBJ
struction.-
Reform OF legislative rules and
methods 10 the most difficult to obtain of
all reforms. More than one hundred new
members come into the House with each
new Congress-. Tley can know nothing
of the inherent viciousness and ineff5ci-
ency Of the system. Experience alone
dominan. o. ganixation frequently accom-
panies this experience. So legislative re-
form IN difficult. Only education and
aroused public sentiment can bring It
about"
Denies Explosion on Nebraska.