Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-12
PROPOSED CHANGES
IN HOUSE METHOD
OF LEG|SLAT|NG
Suggested Members Be Civ
en- Days Notice of Meas
ureS to Be Considered.

procedure are proposed. with the view
10 more elhcient work. The most i'm
portant cnange would be TO give the
members advance notice on what
business was to be transacted by the
House the next day, and to give each
member at least twenty-four hours
notice when "A vote was to be taken
rms would be not only q great con-
venience to the members. il is CON
tended, but it should result in more
careful consideration and better pre-
pared debate on the important meas
ures.
1t would also be of advantage to the
public. for then any person particu-
larly interested in any piece of leeis-
latton would be advised as to when il
would come up for action in the
House. visitors to Washington from
all parts of the country would have
considerable valuable time for them
saved in this way. and yet have the
pleasure end education of attending a
session of the House at a time when
certain measures of peculiar interest
in their home districts were under
discussion.
Need of Reform Often Urged.
The need for this reform has for
years been apparent TO leaders in the
House. both democratic and republi-
can. Champ Clark, for eight years
Speaker, and now the democratic floor
leader. has frequently called atten-
ton to the desirability of modifying
the House procedure so as to insure
some advance notice being regularly
given Of the business to be trans
acted. Clarence Cannon, parliament
tartan Tor Speaker Clark, who now is
preparing the new compilation of
'Precedents" says that his expert
ence has shown him that nothing
causes 30 much confusion and delay
in the proceedings of the House as
this lack of program OF procedure
Only the other day, during a bit Of
partisan debate, Representative Philip
Campbell OF Kansas. chairman of the
rules committee, also approved the
suggestion.
Representative R. Walton Moore of
Virginia has started a campaign for
this reform, receiving the earnest
support OF those msmbers who are
recognized as expert parliament
tarians.
Practice in Other Bodies.
On the occasion that Chairman
Campbell of the rules committee in
dorsed the proposal, Representative
Moore referred to the practice in
other legislative bodies which recog-
nfze the Importance of such advance
notice being provided. For instance.
in the English house Of commons. as
stated In Erskine's treatise ION the
morning following a sitting of the
mouse the record OF the transactions
OF the previous day, styled Votes and
Proceedings. Is delivered at each
members residence, together with the
notice paper of the house, which con-
tains the appointed business for the
| next day of sitting, both private and
| public. As the house of commons
meets late in the afternoon the notice
paper reaches the members In time to
sumcientiy inform them of the bust
ness that will be transacted that day.
In the French chamber of depu-
ties the practice. as stated in the rnle
which Is quoted by Bernard, is that
the chairman. before declaring the
session adjourned. consults the cham
Der as to the day. time and subjects
Tor debate at its next session. The
order of the day. so determined. is
posted up in the chamber of depu-
ties building and published in the Off
cial gazette" Similarly the practice
in other foreign legislative bodies
might be quoted, but the English and
French methods may be regarded as
typical.
American Method Wholly Different,
The method of the American Con-
gress. as Representative Moore and
the paTltamentaria ans complain is
wholly and inexcusably different
Under the procedure of the House it
10 a common pra ctice to enter upon
the consideration Of public measures
and often those of the greatest i'm
portance-without any previous no.
tice whatever to the membership
There Ia nothing in the rules and
nothing in the arrangement or OBJ
servance OF the "calendars", to pre-
vent this; and there seems to be a
general opinion in the House and
among those who are at all familiar
with the business of Congress that
tops ought to be taken to prevent It,
IAxry q 10 he
members can easily be illustrated.
The members are jealous to miss no
roll calls, and especially on matters in
which their constituents are interest
ed. The forced vote recently on over
riding the Presidents veto on the
m bers absent. New Jersey is now
standing forth as the leading out land
out wet" state, and yet but two of
the New Jersey members happened to
be present to vote as their constft-
uents wanted. Several of the new
campaigning in New Jersey for Ed
wards. the wet" governor, but that
has not saved them from condemna-
ton for not being present and voting
on q matter they had no reason to ex-
pect would be brought up for vote.
Two General Glasses Cited.
The business claiming most serious
attention falls into two general class
es. and measures belonging to either
class may be brought before the
House on any day. at any moment
without the slightest notice or warn
ing beforehand of what is done or to
be done. The first class consists of
measures presented on the motion Of
or under the call Of standing or con-
ference committees. The second class
consists Of measures presented at the
n NJ 10
der special rules. AS to both classes,
It is a fact that unless a member hap
pens to receive unofficial information
he Is without any knowledge what
ever as to what measure is to be con-
sidered and voted on until it Is actu-
ally taken up for discussion.
BY way OF illustration: In the extra
session there were considered 10
public bills and Joint resolutions
which. in the main, were brought be-
fore the House on the motion of COM
mittees or under the call of COM
addition to these 10 measures. 22
public measures were considered un-
der special rules. and all OF them.
with single exception, were taken
up forthwith, upon the adoption Of
the rules without previous notice.
In the present session the House is
holding to the same incoherent and
haphazard procedure, which is the
subject of widespread criticism. and
has proved highly unsatisfactory to
many of the members.
British House Revisions.
Referring again to the house of COM
mons, because 1t appears to nave
stressed this matter as fundamental:
From time to time the house of COM
ure, just as the National House Of
u aDresenfatives In 1861 it appointed