The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1923-12-26

is admitted to see and hear.
8. Restoration Of the rights of in
dividual members each to represent
his or her constituency and to exer-
else a deliberative influence upon all
measures up for action.
4. Majority rule at every vital
point.
5. Elimination of all local and pri-
vate legislation, combining the work
of Congress to matters that are pub
lie and national in scope.
6. Establishment of the all-impor-
tant principle that regular, orderly
routine business shall be the rule and
not the exception.
Z. The setting up of real budget
system.
8! The divorcing of pork and pat
ronage from legislation.
Getting down more to details, these
reconstructive changes are absolute
ly essential to the reclamation of the
House as a, truly deliberative and
representative body:
1. Abolish every. standing COM
mittee that is not essentially useful.
At least half should be eliminated.
2. Next provide for the organiza-
ton Of the remaining committees on
a non-partisan basis. There are at
present 435 members to be appor-
toned, say among .twenty-nine COM
mittees. For this purpose the coun-
try might be divided into fifteen dis
tricts with territory as contiguous
as possible), each having twenty
nine representatives. Then have the
Representatives of each of these fif-
teen districts meet publicly, with duly
recorded proceedings, and elect from
their own number one member to
each of the twenty-nine committees.
This method would not only eliminate
partyism in organization but also the
sectionalism that now prevails. In
addition it would reduce the influence
of seniority to such an extent that
new members would have voice in
Legislation. y
3. Have each committee elect its
own chairman. There can be no ar
gument against that, and it would be
body blow to bossism in Congress.
4. All necessary committee clerks
should be employed by the commit
tee for public business rather than
by the chairman for his personal po-
litical work.
5. It is indefensible and an insult
to the public that Congress should
have permitted its committees to
meet in darkness. Every standing
committee should assemble in the
open and be required to keep public
record of it's proceedings. More than
that, a journal of these proceedings
should be published at adequate stat
ed times-at least twice a month
in the Congressional Record. The
work of it's committees is at present
far more important to the public
than that of the House itself. 1t fol-
lows, therefore, that it should be
brought into public view.
6. Each standing committee should
be required by the rules to keep such
a calendar as would enable everyone
interested to know at any time the
exact status of its business. In ad-
dition, there should be bulletins post
ed and notices printed in the Con-
gressional Record announcing all
meetings and for what purpose.
7. Provide a time limit in each
session for the introduction of bills,
excepting those of an administrative
or emergency nature. The first sixty
days would seem to be ample for this
purpose.
8. Then require every standing
committee, within a reasonable time
limit, to report back to the House all
measures placed in it's hands. If a
bill be particularly important and the
committee desires further time for
it's consideration, let the request be
made in the open House. Such a
rule would shake the foundation
forces of the machine. It would alb
solutely prevent obstruction and OBJ
viate all necessity for a "discharge"
calendar.
Should Have Two Calendars
Measures so reported should be
placed upon two calendars.
The first calendar would include
all bills recommended by the COM
mittees for passage, later to be taken
up in routine, way, without any
boss-imposed restrictions which would
make a mockery $of elaboration.
Bills reported for "indefnite post
ponement" should be placed upon a
second calendar, to safeguard the
rights and interests of their authors.
It would be only just and reasonable
to give each author of an adversely
reported bill reasonable time, say
ten days, in which to make motion
for the consideration of his measure.
Were his motion defeated, that would
end it. Should the House vote for
consideration, then the bill in ques-
ton would 60 to the first calendar
and take it's regular course.
The bosses could not exist for a
day with their obstructive powers