Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-01-29
ACTIVITIES OF THE
STATE Legislature
COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS OF
BOTH HOUSES ARE AN.
NOUNCED.
KLAUS HEADS R. r. COMMITTEE
Legislature Is Now Getting Down to
Business. Bills Coming In
Thick and Fast
(By G. L. CasWell.l


Assembly occurred on Wednesday,
Jan. %, when Speaker McFarlane and
Lieut.. Gov. Moore announced their
committee appointments in their re-
spective domains of legislation. It is
the biggest thing. because these COM
mittees handle primarily all legisla-
tion that is passed or reported to the
two houses for passage, and on their
favorable or unfavorable recommenda-
tion most OF the legislation depends.
The average citizen. perhaps. does
not understand just how much these
committees do in legislative work. II
possible to- briefly explain, let Us try:
For instance. the judiciary committee
in the House is composed entirely Of
lawyers. and all lawyers Of the House
are on that committee. When bill
for an act" is presented for, let 10
say, revision Of the code, that bill
will be ordered by the speaker to the
| judiciary committee, as being the
committee most familiar with and in
tended TO deal with matters affecting
state statutes. The bill presented 10
handed to the chairman of the COM
mittee and he promptly files it in his
desk, catalogues it in his committee
record book-and there the bill rests,
sometimes Intentionally rests for
weeks. But finally this big committee
meets and the bill is brought out for
consideration around big table where
everybody on the committee sits with
books and papers and such informa-
ton as they wish to use, and they be-
gin to argue on the matter before
them. Sometimes they pursue strict
and parliamentary tactics in this COM
mittee meeting, but more usually they
talk over all phases of it about the
same as the home town school board
| proceeds in their meetings-every-
body taking hand, asking questions.
| slipping in story OF a dog fight or
exchanging remarks and cigars. But
now and then some member of the
committee explodes with vehemence
against some phase of the question, or
calls somebody, outside of the COM
mittee, scoundrel and fake, and
stirs up little excitement for a min
ute. The chairman holds the reins,
gets the big team back in line and
pulling together, when somebody hap
PLY makes motion that the bill be
referred to subcommittee of three
or five members for investigation and
report. And the matter is then for
gotten by the rest of the committee
until this subcommittee reports. And
this subcommittee of the general
committee gets at the meat in the
cocoanut. hears witnesses and argu-
ments If necessary, calls on officials
for information and generally really
works-or the subcommittee chair
man does. When the subcommittee
is ready to report the big committee
has its attention called to the bill
again, and the report is made by the
subcommittee chairman. If the 9TH
ers of the subcommittee agree with
him their report is almost certain to
go through and be adopted by the big
committee, and with the whole COM
mittee's report sustained by it's mem
bers on the floor of the house or sem
ate, it is more than likely to be sus-
tained, be it for indefinite postpone
ment of the bill or favorable to it's
passage.
In the above brief outline is the
meat and secret of more legislation
than is started or influenced by the
voters who cast their ballots at the
general election. The committees do
the work Members who speak and
spout on the floor when bills are un-
der debate sometimes help clarity the
atmosphere by explaining to other
members certains points or questions,
but the fact that Senator So, or Rep
resentative Not, spoke for an hour
most eloquently for or against GER
tain measure possibly got headlines
In the daily press for the time, but it
did not have any notable bearing or
effect on the passage of the bill
The Committees Announced.
AS stated exclusively in my letters
last week, the committee announce
nents did not come in either House
Or Senate until Wednesday morning
Of the second week of the session.
Lieut.. Gov Moore held his committee
announcements until Speaker McFar-
ane had worked out his list; and had
hem ready to report. and they were
'eported in both houses Wednesday,
January 22--and not more interest
ng session will be held this winter,
in the House of Representa-
ives.
Speaker McFarlane, it is quite gen.
,rally agreed. has done the best job of
,aming committees that has been real
zed in the House for many years. He
ave every member of the House exact
y nine committeeships.
The more important committee
.hairmanships in the House are:
Observation-Disclosures of Winnie
,ago county.
opriations-Wichman of Han
ock county
Banks and Banking-Moore of Guth-
lie county.
Elections-Stone of Sioux.
Federal Relations -Wormley of Ply