2o8 KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 



argument was the weak point of the report. The committee held 

 that because the House bill totally repealed all duties on tea and 

 coffee, it was not a revenue bill, and hence that while the Senate 

 could add as many amendments as it pleased totally repealing duties 

 on other articles, it had no right to so amend as to reduce and not 

 repeal a duty, for such reduction was in the nature of a revenue 

 measure. The committee therefore concluded "the House bill under 

 consideration was not a bill for raising revenue within the meaning 

 of the constitution; and therefore that while the Senate might have 

 amended it so as to abolish duties altogether upon other articles, the 

 Senate had no right to ingraft upon it, as it did in substance, an 

 amendment providing, that revenue should be collected upon other 

 articles, though at a less rate than previously fixed by law.'"*" 

 This conclusion has the appearance of furnishing a loophole for 

 escape from an uncomfortable position. But by the same reasoning, 

 if bills to totally repeal duties were not to be considered as revenue 

 bills, the Senate could originate <.\\rh measures, instead of waiting to 

 amend. 



X. Forty-si.xt/t Congress, i88i. Report oj House J iniiciary contmittce 

 on right of tJie Senate to originate a dill authorizing the furehase of 

 grounds adjaeent to the building of Printing and Engraving. 



These two debates last noted, together with the contest of 1855, 

 may be said to have settled the question at issue between the two 

 houses. The Senate continued, however, to originate and to amend 

 bills in such a way as virtually to exercise initiative in matters of 

 revenue and appropriation, yet such bills did not, on their face, 

 directly affect revenue or expenditure. Occasionally even such bills 

 were objected to by the House, and in that case the bill invariably 

 failed to pass. A brief account of such a case is given. 



In the Senate, January 29, 1880, Mr. Jones of Florida, introducedt 

 a bill to authorize the purchase of grounds adjacent to the building 

 of Printing and Engraving, and this bill was passed;}; March i. In 

 the House it was referred, § March 5, to the committee on Public 

 Buildings and Grounds. This was done without any notice of the 

 fact that the bill made necessary the appropriation of money, and 

 March 11, on the committee's report. Mr. .-Vtkins, chairman of the 

 Appropriations committee, called attention to the nature of the bill, 

 declared it to be in violation of the House privilege, and moved its 



♦Senate Repoi-ts. 1 Sess.. 42 Cong., N<i. 6 t« -I'M. Rei nr> 1 1 

 +Coug. Record, l6Coug., 2 Sess., pt. I, p. .=i9). 

 tibid., pt. II, p. 1215. 

 § Ibid., p. \i\-Z. 



