Year: 1879

"soen OWt IN Great Chunks to a Corres-


po"aent-Whot He 1stnks. of the Ertra


'esS'o" ana the Democratic Programme.
washington Correspondence Chicago Tribune.
Inc views of Senator Window, and in
1act the opinions of most Republican Sena-
tors, as to the causes of the extra session and
the probable outcome of it, are contained in
the following interview with the Tribune
correspondent:


orrespondent-"The unseemly haste and
extreme confusion in which the most i'm
portant bills are forced through at the end of
almost every Congress has given rise to much
dissatisfaction and complaint. This was
particularly noticeable at the close of the
last session. Does your experience as chair
man OF the Senate committee on appropria-
tlons enable you to fix the blame and the re-
sponsloillty for this vicious system of legis-
lat ion?"


senator Wlndom-'I am not surprised at
inc pubic dissatisfaction on this subject. I
regard the practice of which you speak as
one OF the most dangerous and vicious con-
nected with Congressional legislation. If
tne people could understand the circunl-
Stances under which scores of millions are
oasposed OF every year during the last days
OF the session, they would with one voice
demand remedy. You ask me where the
blame rests? I answer,


NOT UPON THE SENATE.


The custom which has prevailed for many
years gives the House of Representatives the
sole right to originate appropriation bills,
and the most important of them are nearly
always Kept back until within few days of
the adjournment, when the Senate is COM
PEELED to act upon them with the undue
haste to which you refer, in order to avoid
an extra session. Take the last session for
Illustration. The sundry civil bill appropri-
Fatlng some $17 100000, was passed by tho
House OF Representatives without debate and
under the previous question, Monday, the
24th of February. It came to. the Senate
Tuesday, the 25th, and was at once sent
to the printer. It was not received by
ations until Wednesday,, the 2Gth. The
legislative, executive, and Judicial bill, ap-
propriating some $2OOOO0OO, was not re-
ceived by the Senate committee on appro-
priations until Thursday, the 9th of Feb
ruary. These two bills are the largest and
most difficult of any that are considered
during the session. The former covers all
the outlying service which is not included in
any of the other regular bills, and requires
more careful and judicious exercise of dis
cretion than all the other bills combined.
The latter embraces the civil service of the
government in all it's branches, and should
receive the most thoughtful and thorough
investigation. But, by reason of, the delay
IN sending them to the Senate, the commit
tee on appropriations


HAD BUT THREE DAYS TO CONSIDER THEM
Unless they were reported back to the Senate
by Saturday evening, an extra session would
be unavoidable. The Senate committee
worked continuously for three days and two
nights, and then, utterly exhausted and worn
out from hard work and loss of sleep, re-
ported them back On Saturday for the action
of the Senate. That body had less than
twenty-four hours to consider these two bills,
amounting to nearly $40OOO,OOO, and en-
bracing an almost infinite variety of items.
| need not say that, under such circum-
stances, it was physically impossible for
either the appropriations committee or the
Senate to do justice to the vast interests with
which they were thus compelled to deal.
The haste, the excitement, the confusion,
and the physical exhaustion were due to the
fact that the House of Representatives alone
originates appropriation bills, and did not
send them to the Senate in time to be prop
erly considered. This remark applies to
former sessions as we'll as to the last. The
Senate is often criticised for the haste with
which such bills are disposed Of but the
blame rests upon the House for withholding
them until SO near the end of the session,
that they can be disposed of in no other
way.''


Correspondent-"Wh is to blame for the
extra session?''


Senator Window "Those gentlemen
alone who insisted upon


POLITICAL LEGISLATION IN THE APPROPRIATION


BILLS.


The necessary appropriations had all been
agreed to, and every bill would have been
passed but for those political riders. The
Senate and the appropriations committee
labored almost continuously, night and day,
without rest Or sleep, for nearly week. in
order to avoid the necessity of any extra
session, and they would have accomplished
it but for persistent determination of those
who cared more for partisan ends than for
the business interests of the country


Correspondent -"Do you think the Democ.
racy will dare to go as far as to stop the sup
plies?'


Senator Windom-ssI don't think that thew
can maintain that position any great length
Of time, and for the reason that to do so is
to attempt to subordinate the-e3ecutive de-
partment of the government to the legisla-
tive, and to compel the executive to approve
bill which he does not approve, as the pur-
IF floo to ~,
ment. If they can do that they can coerce
the judiciary, and compel the courts to rem
der such decisions as their Judgment does
not approve. Hence the position in which
they have placed themselves in attempting
to coerce the judiciary is not one on which
they can stand.''


, Correspondent -'The Democrats plead as
an excuse for their action that former Con-
greses have inserted political legislation in
appropriation bills, and that part of this
very legislation that they are now seeking to
repeal was enacted in appropriation bills.
What answer can be made to that?''


Senator Windom-s.That affords no iusti
hcat1on whatever for the present programme
for the reason that, if former Congresses in
serted political legislation, both Houses
agreed to that legislation, and the President
approved it. Such acts were mere irregu-
larltles in legislation; but the present pro-
gramme was, in the first place, to coerce the
Senate into the approval of legislation which
it disapproved In that they have failed,
and hence the extra session. The next step
is to coerce the executive into the approval
OF measures he does not approve. This pro-
gramme is one Of undisguised and naked
revolutiox.''


SOUTHERN CLAIMS.