ADAMS: THE CONTROL OF THE PURSE. 215 



that power by them has not been frequent and is justly regarded by 

 this House with peculiar jealousy, as affecting the right of the Com- 

 mons to grant supplies, and to provide the ways and means for the 

 service of the year. The third, that to guard in the future against an 

 undue exercise of that power by the Lords, and to secure to the Com- 

 mons their rightful control over taxation and supplies, this House has 

 in its own hands the power to impose and remit taxes and to frame 

 bills of supply, that the right of the Commons as to. the matter, 

 measure, or time may be maintained inviolate." 



The Commons did not at once reintroduce the bill but in the follow- 

 ing year the measure was again presented to the Lords, this time forming 

 a part of the general appropriation bill, and the Lords did not dare 

 to tamper with it.* This explains what was meant by the (Commons 

 in the resolution in saying that it is " always in the power of the 

 Commons so to frame money bills as to make the right of rejec- 

 tion nugatory." It is simply the custom, familiar enough today, of 

 tacking riders to important bills. Such a proceeding was objected to as 

 early as 1702, when the Lords resolved "that the annexing any clause 

 or clauses to a bill of aid or supply, the matter of which is foreign to 

 and different from the matter of the said bill of aid or supply, is 

 unparliamentary and tends to the destruction of the constitution of 

 this government, "f Despite such protests, the Commons have placed 

 riders upon important bills whenever they have feared that such bills 

 would be objectionable to the Lords, and would be rejected if pre- 

 sented alone. The Commons dislike to have the Lords take any 

 active hand in the grant of supplies, yet under certain circumstances 

 they are permitted to amend money bills. In cases where clauses 

 which have no direct bearing on the matter of taxation, are objec- 

 tionable to the Lords, amendments are sometimes permitted, but so 

 careful are the Commons of their privilege that in agreeing to such 

 amendments, a special entry;j; is made in the journal to the effect that 

 the amendments were "for the purpose of rectifying clerical errors," 

 or "were merely verbal," or were "in furtherance of the intention of 

 the House of Commons." 



Sometimes also it is expedient to allow the House of Lords, from 

 its greater knowledge of ^the subject under consideration, to originate 

 bills which contain clauses relative to taxation. On the third reading 

 of such a bill these clauses are struck out and the bill is sent to the 

 Commons without them. The Commons then take the clauses 

 omitted and print them in their proper place in red ink, with a note 



*Haiisard's Debates. :5rd Ser., Vol. 163. p. tW. 

 ^May, Parliamentary Practice, p. (34». 

 ilbul..p. 04:5. ff. 



