Show r A AV B Bill to Kill Bills Bill's Bills I I J I j j A law to prevent pre legislation to reduce re's res reduce re re- s 's duce somewhat the the thee e w nS' nS stack of statutes under which lc we are c being buried burled has been bee introduced by Representative TInkham of Massachusetts Massa Massa- e Mr Tinkham's bill alms to abolish the rider A rider in legislative r f u J v 1 parlance Is Js a a. bit bH of ot of legislation tacked tacky tack- tack y t l 1 i v ved J ed ed onto an bill 1111 al- al has no real rela relation lon to 1 it By this means means' many laws are passed passed pass- pass ed ed which i L in all V would t- t never be passed otherwise It en- en 6 ables a few men on one committee T r Mo t to put through a minor law raw without r debate d b te and to stifle protest by the g- g 1 plea I lea the that hat the appropriation bill must a r r 11 be passed 1 i e I bills provide Ie f funds to keep keen the government tune rune I J If the army or navy ap ap- appropriation Prop bills did not pass in time to authorize expenditure of ot money when a fiscal year began all sorts of trouble would result The appropriation bill therefore Is sure sure of enactment It Is the express train I runs on a track to a ite d destination But 3 ta ii a bill which provides that f t sailors should wear a different kind is s purely a legislative measure measure meas- meas ure ure and might have a hard time to obtain a hearing So the congress congress- ni rf with a minor bill bill of this sort g goes goes to to the rules committee There r Is ris' aJ ai rule against riders on an ap proU pro pro- U v. v express but tIle the rules com corn committee committee made the rule and can overrule overrule over over- rule r rule l it when when convenient The congressman conr con con- r a oc gressman m n explains the strong points of f his hla bill to this committee and very ivery often oHen it agrees to allow the rider ri er to tag to-tag tag on the nearest appropriation t n measure Generally the rider Is so short that that It It Is scarcely noticed in the thelong thelong i long Jong detailing of so 50 many clerks at J 1200 a year so many battleships at at a year and so on for j n numerous pages However sometimes some some- times the rider is discovered where J it has been casually hidden Then 1 i it it J dr forth Into the limelight anc and de denounced by s some me congressman who objects to having things Put over on the dignified and responsible L t I l lawmaking body of the United States I It z this s vere tei p worthy ok of of attention it would b be brought t to our notice through the customary channels channels channels chan chan- nels and not riot thrust upon us liS in this insidious manner J shouts the irate irate lawmaker i r j But another rises to remind him that the time is short and th trio tho appropriation bill bUl must be rushed rashed An Anthe Ant the defender of congressional dIgnity dignity dignity dIg dIg- dig dig- subSidIes subsides Mr Dir Tinkham has carefully collected collect collet- colleted ed data dat showing that In the Sixt Sixty Sixty- fourth and Sixty fifth congresses ana anil I the first session of ot the Sixty sixth th there re revera 1 wore vera ore severity seventy seven seven ty-seven e en riders p put t ton on appropriation bills The list Includes in includes includes In- In such incongruities as an ant an- an an- an t provision grafted on the d deficiency de deficiency de- de appropriation bill an alien enemy property measure on another another bill a cotton futures a apt act t tand and wartime prohibition on agricultural agricultural I tural appropriation bills Some Of of these items are vaguely related fit In I I subject matt matter r to the td-the the appropriation bill Some make no preten pretenses es of a ad any y connection Either way none br or t them have anything to do with fi fi- fi fi- fi nance I. I Even Evan when a rider is ly harmless It it of often en delays the a appropriation ap- ap with which it is conne connected connect connect- ted t- t ed because because- some legislators bay been known to protest firmly against t the Intruding paragraph Then too If the tho president finds the tho rider o ob obnoxious noxious and vetoes the measure t the e whole bill must go back and be passed pass pass- pasts pasa- I ed over his veto or else It must be be redrafted without the tho objectionable e features All AU this means a waste or valuable time especially If It it occurs a the close of ota a session IThe i iThe The rider has liss always been more or orless or orless orless less of ot a joke V Now It threatens to become avery a a- a very practical and nd ear ear- ar- ar reaching joke The Republicans have not yet put through the budget bill bUl but they did agree to have havo all aU U appropriations handled by a single le appropriations committee This does away with the old system whereby appropriations for tor the army wore were put into legislative form by the committee committee committee com com- on military affairs Indian appropriations went to the committee commit commit- tee I. I on Indian affairs Now these I rr v various committees draft only SUCU sue legislation as ts docs does not involve appropriating appropriating ap ap- ap- ap of funds This takes awa away much of tho the power ands and gives a groat groa deal of or power to the one committee committe h handling finance how finance how much can D Do seen from the estimate that t three three- ree- ree fourths of tho the time of congress i Is spent on appropriation bills Theoretically this new arrange arrangement arrangement arrangement arrange arrange- ment should leave tho the purely purel legIs committees a big chance chanco to promote constructive legislation They can count on onI only one-fourth one of congress' congress time however and f each uch important matters as Immigration railroads and taxation so much attention that smaller bills aro are apt apt to go through an entire session tiCS cos sion slon without a hearing In In this si situation representative Tinkham foresees a great In Increase in the use of riders Members MD ot or the legislative committees finding it Im Impossible Ii possible to get their bills through will we wear r a Iirth p path ath th in in tho the marble floors of the capitol tu thE door of or the tho rul rules s committee This body 1 th rhe appropriations appropriations ap ap- ap- ap committee v. v rl rise In its power V With Nith It will r rest tho the tho Ifs So-Js- ion lon as to whether this p pp pee pe e e t o tI or that is worthy of a 1 place in lIt in an un appropriation bill and dad t I. do da h will fix the minor k s rs that are arc often bo reaching far-reaching in Thus says Mr Mt the committee committee com com- on rules rul s will WUl have ha hav a degree of or authority not consciously given to It by congress and to tb the disadvantage Vantage of the r rest st of or the t. t V That the use of the rider riders 9 s s undesIrable undesirable undesirable unde unde- Is proved by the fact that that there is rule a a rule ride against it It is an old abuse one that V has hai existed throughout our legislative V history Originally the practice of adding Irrel irrelevant van matter to financial bill bill m arose aros in England The house o ot of commons held the right to make mate ap- ap appropriations ap ap- ns It II occurred to some son member that the king must have ha the tuo money moner to run the government affairs and therefore er tore a bill carrying mone money was a sate safe sare place for certain measures measures measures meas meas- ures desired desired by the commons but unpopular un us- popular with with the king The scheme worked so 0 o well that It became a a. regular regular regular reg reg- ular trick trick trick-In in the legislative game The present rule has been far Car fro from satisfactory in dealing with th the rider Mr Tinkham explained The rule can be bo amended however so o that misuse of riders will be thin mini Th The bill bUl I have Introduced Into the house is an amendment to the rule and provides that a favorable favorable favorable favor favor- able two-thirds two vote of the house of representatives be necessary In order order order ord- ord er to attach a rider to an appropriation tion bill bUl Once in to a great while It might be desirable to put a piece of legislation through in this way and this amendment makes it still pos pos- sible Any bill bUl that cannot get the support of two-thirds two of ot the house certainly should not be railroaded through in any circumstances Mr Tinkham Is practising his own theory He says he will not make a rider out of his bill |