24 Colorado College Studies. 



IV. 



Such innovations need careful adjustment to the existing- 

 rules of the House; but they seem to carry no inherent contra- 

 diction such as has been developed into mischief by the work- 

 ing of the present system. One considerable objection is visible: 

 the majority might divide into several short bills any measure 

 on which they expected resistance, or bring in several entire bills 

 with minor variations, hoping thus to exhaust rapidly the lim- 

 ited minority privileges of debate and postponement. There is 

 perhaps no direct preventive of that trick, but in practice it 

 might disappoint the majority. They would be crowding their 

 own calendar and obstructing their own business; foreseeing 

 that, they would usually bring in these families of bills early in 

 the session, to insure their progress through committee. The 

 plan being thus exposed, the minority could choose one bill, the 

 worst of the group or the first one coming to a vote, and make 

 their stand on that. The privileged debate would, as protest, 

 be effectual in the public mind on the whole series, and if the 

 privileged postponement killed the bill selected for protest, the 

 same public opinion which drove the majority to retreat would 

 go far towards stopping the other fractional bills. 



It is not claimed that these changes in the ru.les would create 

 a perfect relation between majority and minority. But the 

 present system is full of abuses; abuses so connected that the 

 abatement of one aggravates another. A new principle is 

 needed, and apparently the only one that can loosen the dead- 

 lock is one which gives the minority some privilege, far-reaching 

 when used, that can be used only a fixed number of times, the 

 times being chosen by the minority. 



There is more reason to look for a good working device, 

 because the comparatively healthful condition of the Senate will 

 not last if the House becomes a quick-cutting tool of the major- 

 ity. Obstruction will be habitually transferred to the Senate; 

 restraint of debate there will follow, and the downward course of 



I 



