Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-04
MAY REORGAN|zE
COMM|TTEESySTEM
OF SENATE At LAST
Comprehensive Plan to Re-
duce Them From II to 30
Presented.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Reorganization of the committee
system of the United States Senate.
advocated for years and discussed
again and again without result. is
at last to be accomplished. Instead
of seventy-Seven committees with in
Vulnerable subcommittee taking up
the time OF members so that frequent
ly it is Impossible to get committee
quorum. there will be not more tnan
thirty committees. Every senator will
be a member of one Of the seventeen
or eighteen major committees and a
member of at least two OF the twelve
or thirteen minor committees.
1t may prove to be the first step to-
ward a reorganization of the ten gov
ernment departments.
Change Meets Approval.
This proposal of change has met with
the approval Of republicans and demo-
Gratis and subcommittee of the Sem
ate committee on rules has just been
authorized to submit a comprehensive
plan to the full committee on rules
and the prospects are that the scheme
will go through this session.
Democrats told their republican COL
leagues at last nights meeting that
they planned the identical method of
reorganization when they came into
power eight years ago. but that all
action.
Senator AIedill Mccormick of Illinois
is the father of the plan. Incidentally
he has pushed the budget bill through
the Senate. His hobby is efficiency III
government, and. while number Of
senators have from time 10 time given
their support to various plans for the
Encouragement of government service.
the Illinois senator has gotten behind
the idea and is centering his whole
legislative career on efficiency.
Idea In Not New.
The idea of concentrating commit
tee work in the Senate in a few COM
mittees is not new. but no party has
hitherto been able to shut off the lit
tie patronage privileges and political
camouf!age that went with member
ship in several committees. The bur-
dens brought on by the war. however,
and congested calendar have made
the members Of the Senate more than
ever desirous Of cutting. out insignifi-
cant and unimportant committees.
For instance. there was time when
a committee on Indian depredations
might have been necessary, but not
any more. Then. again. the work of
several committees involves the same
kind Of subjects and can easily be
A committee on 1.-The Mis-
sissippi river and it's tributaries" can
be copbfned with committee on lin
teroceanic canals" A committee ito
trespassers upon Indian
lands" can be absorbed by a com
mittee on Indian affairs"
A glance at the Congressional Directory
reveals how easily the condensation of
committee work can be accomplished 1t
will mean that more work will be done
in committee and that more attention
will be given to what is done. AS it Is
members OF the Senate find themselves
on four or five committees, all meeting
on the same day. The result is patch
work legislation which takes up more
time on the floor of the Senate when
amendments too often become necessary.
Mny Affect Seniority System.
There is a chance. moreover, that the
reduction Of the number of committees
will vitality affect the seniority system
which has been the bane OF political
parties for years. The republicans and
democrats know the evils Of the senior
ity process, which often puts at the head
of a committee a man least qualified to
preside.
Length of service bears no especial
relationship to the fitness Of an in
dividual to manage committee, and
when the reorganization is put into
effect it will become necessary for
whichever party is in power to choose
carefully its chairmen.
With only seventeen men at the
head of important committees, and
those committees absorbing the work
of several minor committees, 1t will
be doubly necessary for the dominant
party to exercise caution and care in
electing it's leaders.
Movement May He BrOadened.
AS suggested above. the movement
for reorganization in government is
likely to be broadened. Already Sem
atOr Smoot has introduced a bill pro-
viding for a joint committee Of the
two houses of Congress to draw up
plan whereby the bureaus in the ten
executive departments Of the govern
ment can be redistributed or COM
bined. both in the interest OF economy
and efficiency. The bill will probably
pass both houses without much op-
position.
Usually these efforts at efficiency
come with every change in political
control and they rarely accomplish
very much because other issues and
subjects are considered more inpor-
tant. This year. however, one OF the
things on which the republican party
VIII base it's plea for nation W hle sup
port will be government efficiency
Senate reorganization, a budget sys-
TEN, condensation of government bu-
reaus and reduction Of expenditures
all relate to the common theme Of
trying at least to convince the Amer
lean people that they are getting
their moneys worth out of the large
sums they are paying in taxes.
Copyright. 1s20D
COST H. & &1d 005 E6E