220 KANSAS UX1\1.KM1\ oUAklERLV. 



reasons for such failure. And said committee shall have leave to 

 report such bills at any time."* Thus the appointment of a commit- 

 tee on Appropriations made it necessary to consider separately the 

 income and expenditure sides of the budget. More than this, in 

 1883, a subdivision of the question of expenditure was effected, by 

 the appointment of a committee on Rivers and Harbors, t which has 

 the same privileges in reporting bills making appropriations for the 

 improvement of rivers end harbors as is accorded to the committee 

 on Appropriations in reporting general appropriation bills. 



Besides these three, great committees there are eight others which 

 deal with questions of the budget inasmuch as it is their duty to see 

 that the money given by the general appropriation bills to the various 

 departments is properly expended. But these eight committees have 

 little or nothing to do with outlining the iiolicy of the government in 

 budgetary legislation. 



In the Senate the main budgetary committees are those on Finance, 

 on Appropriations and on Public Exjjenilitures. The small size and 

 compact organization of the Senate made it possible for that body to 

 do without the committee system much longer than the House. The 

 first committee on Finance.!." was appointed in 1815, and this was 

 merely a special committee demanded by an unusual amount of busi- 

 ness about to be transacted; but this special committee was of so 

 much value that in the following year a resolution was passed pro- 

 viding for ihe ajjpointment of eleven standing committees§ on various 

 topics, among them a committee on Finance. The resolution pro- 

 vided -'that so much of the message of the I'residcnt of the United 

 States as relates to the finance and a national currency, be referred 

 to the committee on Finance with leave to report by bill or other- 

 wise." || In 1S67 the Senate, following the example of the House, 

 lightened the duties of the Finance committee by the appointment of 

 an Appropriations committee. The resolution authorizing this new 

 committee was agreed to by unanimous consent, all that it was nec- 

 essary to say being that its purpose was to lighten the onerous 

 labors of the Finance committee.** 



The committee system of the Senate need not be considered at 

 length, for it is that of the House and its effect upon the control of 

 money matters which is of particular interest. It is evident that the 



*The time limit on the report of the geueral appi-opriiition bill was tlrst placed in the 

 rules -epieml)er U. K^-oT, ami tlic special privile.LCes iiiveii to report.^ of C(jm.uitlees of 

 Wa.vs and Meau.s aud on Appropriations were placed in the rules March 19, 186U. 



tCong. Record, Vol. XIV. pt. I, p. 70J, and Vol. XV. pt. I, pp. 214--.'16, i>3. 



i Anuals of Cong.. 181.5-1(5. 1 Sess.. p. 'iJ 



gibid.. 1816-17, 1 Sess.. p. 30. 



li Ibid., p. 3:J. 



** The committee on Financ" uu^^ i,iii>i-i> u. ii.\>.ii. aud the committee on Appropria- 

 tions of ten, Senators. 



