Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-18
NO $3.50 REPEAL BY
INDIRECT DURESS
ssSssA.O
No Coercion by Rider on Ap-
preparation Bill or by
Threat of Such Rider.
GIVE FULL HEARINGS
THEODORE w. MOVES.


times by the House of the Senate OF
vice versa. sometimes of the Presi
dent by Congress.
The Appropriation acts supply the
money to maintain the government
in accordance with the requirement.
Of existing law. They must be passed
promptly and regularly every year tc
keep the machinery of government
running.
If attempt is made to change the
law by smuggling into the appropria
ton bill a legislative rider. the house
making the attempt must convince
assent or the attempt fails. And il
both houses. agree to the rider, the
President must then, if not con-
WINGED of the merits of the new leg
islation, be coerced into Withholding
his veto.
Coercion by Legislative Rider.
In such case coercion of one house
by the other is possible through
threat of the body attempting the ir-
regular legislation to defeat an APP
preparation bill and bring to stand
still part Of the governmental ma
chinery unless the other house
yields it's convictions concerning the
merits of the proposed legislation
and assents to the enactment of the
vicious rider. Coercion of the PreSl-
dent is made possible by the fact thai
he cannot segregate and veto sepa
rately a legislative rider which he
finds unjust and offensive. but mus
ole dur n n
the whole appropriation bill with in
finite diversified resulting injury.
Normal American Law-Making.
The normal procedure of wise
American law-making is for the pro-
posed new law to receive. first. thor
ough consideration on it's merits by
the appropriate committee. after ful
and fair hearings of those whose
rights or interests will be affected by
the change: then to be thoughtfuNy
considered and put into the bes'
shape possible by the House or Sen
ate, whichever takes the initiative
then after enactment by one house to
be sent to the other for similar care
full consideration on its merits IN
committee and in the fun body: then
lit still survives but in changed
II
ct, ssed in conference committee and
the issues between the two houses
settled by mutual concessions or re.
ported as hopeless, resulting in the
death of the bill; and, finally, II il
passes the two houses the bill goes 10
the President to be signed or vetoed
by him, in accordance with his con-
victions of his duty.
BY this procedure each new legis-
lative proposition in order to become
law must be approved on its dis
tinctive merits by House. Senate and
President. or by two-thfrds of House
and Senate in spite of the Presidents
disapproval. The House cannot cram
It down the throat Of the Senate, OF
the Senate down the throat Of the
House, or Congress (unless by two
thirds vote) down the throat of the
President.
How Legislative Rider Ofends.
OF course this wise principle Of
American law-making is repudiated
to the public injury y a Legislative
proposition which is Sc offensive in it.
self that it would be filled either b,
House, Senate or Pres dent if consid
cred separately on its merits is per
mitted to sneak from the open field Of
regular legislation, where it must de
fend itself against the assault of rea
sonable criticism, and to skulk as {
rider behind some great appropria.
tions bill in its necessary, regular ant
almost perfunctory course through
Congress.
or to change the figure. Uncle San
will not. if he can help it. permit {
morsel of legislative pabulum which
nauseates him if swallowed separate
~, to be so mixed up with one of the
lat in
meals by which he lives. that he mus
take the nauseous dose thus con
cealed or discard an entire meal ant
go hungry.
No $3.50 Repeal by Duress.
The application of these observa
tons to legislation altering RADICAL,
the financial provision or any othel
vital feature of the organic act O.
1878 is obvious.
At the instance of the Senate Con
gress has repeatedly refused to permit
the organic act of 1878 to be mutiIated
with cruel unfairness to the people O.
Washington, by cutting from the Law
merely the definite financial obIiga
ton Of the nation toward the capital
through rider upon an appropriation
bill.
1t is now indicated by some of the
House leaders that the House position
in the matter will be that while it will
not for the moment insist upon coercine
the Senate to assent to this mutila tins
| rider upon an appropriation bill, it will
do SO little later, unless meanwhile
the law has been changed by the reg
ular customary and wholesome proc.
esses of American law-makins.
No Indirect Coercion.
But can the House lawfully or equi
tably take this position? 1t in.
yolve. the indirect coercion Of the
Senate through duress of threats q,
distinctly in principle as the prOce.
dure which the senate has hitherto
resisted. 1t would cause the Hous.
to say in effect to the Senate: Il viii
quit for time my effort to compe
you to accept a change of law, which
l have been pushing unsuccessfully
in the wrong way. and will try t.
present the proposed change to yo,
for consideration in the right way. Blu
/ If you refuse to agree with M
! promptly concerning the merits o.
| the proposed change of law, wher
presented in the right way. 1 will re
turn to the wrong way again ant
| throat, or as an alternative will par
| alyze the functioning of the nationa
legislature in the vitality necessarI
work OF making apprepria lions t.
sus. ING government IN accoTdIhc'
with the law as it now stands"
Surely the wise and fair removal O.
| this legislative issue from the appro
priations field. where it does not be
long, to the field of substantive lesisla
ton through the District committees
where 1t does belong, is made sin
cerely and unreservedly. and is no
merely change of form OF the old CO
ercion by rider, using the SAM
threats to push through Congress
without full hearings and careful
consideration precisely the same mu
t1Aating and one-sided amendment o
| he organic act of 1878.