The House

Decides
To Stop
Being So
Secretive
Representa
of
House
tives, which J.s suppos ed to be
the part of the Fede ra l Govern
ment closest to the people, has
long hidde n many of it! signifl
cant operations behind a bewil
denn g set of procedur es. Most
The

members preferred Jt that way

and the public did not seem to
care. It wa s therefore a major
shift in the House's sense of it

self When It decided last week

to abandon the m ost Important

of these procedures, the unre
corded teller vote.

To conskier am endments to a
blll that hM emerged from com
mlttee,

tile House

usu al ly

con

verts itself i nto a mythical body

known as the Committee of the
Whole House. The Speaker no
longer presides; he is re placed
by an ordinary member, usually

in 1789, it took over th is prac? ers

. -al!'g 'Yi a ot.
ouse o f
borrowed from tne
aban
h
Britis
Commons. The
doned the procedure once the
King became legislatively pow
erless more than a century ago.
The House of Representatives.
however, afte1' b ri efl y dr op ping
it, readopted the Committee of
tile Whole arrangement in 1837

J. f

has

kept

it

intact

t;!l

ever

an old -ti mer or some younger

man whose career t!he Speaker

and

1 trying to promote. No roll oall

f m the agreeable op
ro
portunities for evasion, the pro
cedure has some practical ad
vantages. In the Committee of
the Whole, business can be

votes are taken. Instead. amend

ments ar e decided by voice vote.

If the outcome is in doubt, there
15 a .. divi.Mon" in which mem
bers rise In their places and are
counted b y the chairma n.

On big issues, any Congress

man can ask for a teller vote

a.nd if on e-fifth of those present

stand up In support of hi s re
quest, such a vote is held. The
belts ring. Abs ent members hur
ry in from t he adjoining cl oak
rooms
and from their offices.
The members troop up the cen
ter aisle, often sm1ling, joking,
amiab l y shovmg like schoolboys
go1ng out to recess. and are
counted by the opposing floor
managers or the bill.
Vote Both Ways
If an amendment is defeated
in the Committee of the Whole,
it is virtually Impossible to get
a roll call vote on it later when
the Committee rises and the
House goes back into regular
sess i on preparatory to taking fi

nal ac tion on a bil l. As a result,

Representatives can
vote
for
crlppling amendments to bills
which they then vote for on
. final passage- and their con
stituents are none the wiser.
This secret voting has an an
cient history In Britain in the
17th ce ntu ry , the House of Com
mons evolved 1t as a device to
shield individual members from
intimidata on by King James I
and King C har l es I When a dif
ttcult decision had to be taken,
the House simp ly became a com
mittee, the S peaker was exclud
ed as a probable royal spy, a nd
a vote was taken wtth no rec
ord kept When the House of
Representatives was organized
in 1789, Jt took over rhis prac-

since.
Aside

transacted with a quorum of 100

instead of 218, thus eliminating
the need for tiresome quorum
calls. A teller vote takes only

a few minutes while a roll call

can easily use up a haf-hour.
But the secrecy has come in
reuingly under attack. Citi
ens interested in issues like the
a11tiballistic missile and the su
personic transport have been
angered to learn that decisions
on money for these programs
have been made on teller votes.
and it was impossible to verify
how specific Congressmen had
voted. The waves of emotion
stirred by the Vietnam war pro
duced the final powerful pres
sure for refonn. An amendment
that would have disapproved of
President Nixon's intervention
in Cambodia was voted down.
215 to 132-on a teller vote.
Peace groups and students who
questioning
are
everything
about ''the system'' scornfully
cried
out
that
Congressmen
were supporting the war but
afraid to go on record.
By the time an innocuous leg
reorganization
islative
bi II
rea ched the floor earlier this
month, it was apparent to Con
gressmen of
every
.hade
of
opimon thnt c;ecret 'ollng on
major amend m en t had bec ome
m de fen s 1 bl e.

Two Congre,vnen who arc not

normally reform er s - Represen
tatives Thomas P O'Neill, Jr.
and Charles S. Gubser - joi. ned
In sponsormg an am e nd me nt to

pu t teller votec; on t h e record

"We say whether peo ple should

in secret. Ordinary

taxes t he y must pay," said Rep-

decided by one or another of

powerful Appropriations
the
subcommittees until a money
bill reaches the floor. If the

_go

.to-

resentative O'Neill, "but we're

not willing that the people know
how we vote. I wonder how
Congress got away with this f o r
so

members

many year s. "

members

try

protest an Appropriations

Representative Hale Boggs, the

majority whip who hopes to
move up to majority leader, is
another

rank-and-file

member

of

the

House

establishment who saw the wis-

dom of joining the reform movement. "All we say is that a

man should stand up and be
counted. If you don't want to
be recorded, why did you come
here in the first place?'' asked
Mr. Boggs.

to

deci-

th ey find e cot e
m .rJtag
can . be
aga1nst projects 1n thetr districts.
sion,

It is sometimes hard for a mere

member, much less a taxpay er,
the public's
to realize that it
.
mon ey whtcb. the jealous Appro
priations Committee members al
locate in autocratic secrecy.

-WILLIAM V. SHANNON

It was soon apparent in the

debate that the only real ques
tion was
whether the votes
should be recorded electronically
or

by

clerk.

last-minute

compromise left this question for

later

decision.

If an electronic

device is adopted, it would not

only save time but would also
have the advantage of eliminat
ing voice votes and d.lvision
votes. Members could be re
corded almost instantaneously on
every vote.
The abolition of teller votes
still left the House of Representa
tives far short of becoming a
completely open and fully ac
countable body. That was ap
parent later in the week when
the House by two
lop-sided
votes left the seniority system
untouched. Because committee
chainnen are chosen on no other
basis except length of service,
the House is dominated by an
inner ring of about 30 chainn en
and subcommittee chairmen who
make deals with one another
and use their power to override
what is frequently the majority
opinion among their colleagues.
Equally significant was the
failure to open the committee
meetings to the press and the
public. Only the House Educa
tion and Labor Co mmittee does
all its business in open session
By con t rast , the Approp riat ion s.
Commtttee. the mo t p owe rf ul
mC'C't" C'' t"'r"'
t omm t tt N '.

The Poor
Old Post
Office Is
In For a
Big Change
WASlUNGTON - The rem
edy for the deficiencies of the
United States mail service that
has been advocated for decades
by most of those who have ever
studied the problem is appar
ently going to be adopted at
last. The Post Office Department
is to be reorganized and "taken
out of politics."
Congressional action on the
postal refonn legislation is, tq
be sure, not yet entirely com
plete ana the chairman of the
Senate Post Office Committee,
Gale W. McGee of Wyoming,
has promised to lead a fight
against fi n al Senate approval of
the reform bill. But it would
be a ma jor surprise if he pre
agreement
the
over
vailed
-by
week
Senate
last
reached
and Hou e conferees.

'

\
----

are

..war- and the_ama.u.pt,._oLe. dark as.to what bas been

I typed this page up (see next page), so that it would be easier to read. 1/2/15 Great stuff. - James

HOUSE BACKS END

OF TELLER VOTES
ON AMENDMENTS

V:trious Votes Used

The process of amending bill
is now conducted by v oice vole,

Representative Hale Boggs.

of Lo uisiana . the Democratic
whip, thundered. "If you do't
Contlnu('d From Page J, Col. 8, want to be counted, why dtd
e here in the first
1' you com
po<;;ll" for el ec tn cally recorded
,.
p1
vnt tnR he fore the end of the
the debate unfolded. the
yr.ar. EIC'ctronic votin g, by push i ssu e
of
one
not
became
s
mber
hut ton" or c oded rards .. would whether
e
m_
of
s
vote
rrr l a rc the t imc-ron" um mg sys- sho uld be made public, but
tern hv which thr 435 House whether they should be re
mrmhrr re s pond individually corded by clerks or by electrito rollcalls a n d quorum calls.
cal devices.
have
Congressional
r:i tic s
Virtually swamp e d by prolong called for rndmg the sys- posed amendments, the House
tern by which Housr member finally resolved the issue by
were allowed to v te anony- agreeing tha t votes be recor ed
by e i ther clerks or elcctncal
mously on mo!'l m aJ or '".u"
Unttl thi y <> ar thr. tradttron- devic es
,
.
hound H ous e l(>adershlp frown(>d
Under t he antisecrecy pro
uron changes in procedues 1 posal, votes of members on
But under the p r od d ing of 1m- amendments w ould be recorded
patient young memher. Drmo if at least 20 members demand
House ed such public disclosure. Mem
< rats a n d Republicans.
lraders of both rartie-; t h r e w bers would still walk up the
their support behind the ant i- ai sle to be counted, just as unsrcrC'ry move.
der the teller voting.
e
ep
er
R
Leading thr fight w
The teller system wa5 bor
l
rrscnta t t ve Thomas P. O'Neil . rowed from the British Hou se
Massachus etts. of Commons, w as later aba
of
Ormocrat
and Representativ P. Cha ri <' S doned a nd was readopted m
Guhsrr. R epubl i can of Caltfor- 1837.

sta ndi ng_ vote and teller vote,

none of which p u t the individ

ual's name on the p ublic rec

ord A voi ce vote is used unlcs

l on e

fif th

those present a-.k

for a s t an ding or a teller \'Ol.
R o ll call \'Olcs are not perm i 1-

of

ted at this c;t<q;e of the writin

Antisecrecy Provision. Long

The Hous e echoed with ap

plause, from the floor and the
crowded ga ll eries, CIS the legt
lators chorused their approval

Approval Amici Applause

the a n ti secrecy p ro ros ..t l

Only a sc a t ter in g of ''no'' vott-;
were sounded.

of

IQTHER REFORMS ASKED

:I
A

Move .to Permrt Electric!

WASHINGTON . .luly 27-Thl'

ferent

fl the system undr which it h.-.

Congress in 1789.

11rt

The move, approved b.v VOIL<'

1 vote, would reqUJre thal mem
. bers be

l th ey

r ecorded

passed

up

hy name

the

. vo te on amendm ents

Membe rs

counted,

arc

not

but

as

a...

lo

currcnrly

recorded

$: .votes

r ments, known

a1sle

hy

uJLamcnJ-

teller vote.

Members' \'Ol<'s on kev is:-ue

were thus cloakrd in l'tTL't.:y.

and critics long conll'ndcd that

constituents

kno w

had

right

'''

how their rt'prcscntati\t'

had voted

has

no

s i mil a r

members on amendments.
Senate Support Needed

by secret vote <.incc the

rules,

system for screenin g votes

refor mer s '<OICcl lod1y to scr 'r>

shaped much nf it.; lt'gJ-.I:I(r()n

The provision would apply

only to the House because the
Senate, operating under dif

. House, heeding the demands ol

1 e
form bill, which is scheduled to
clear the House later this week.

By MARJORIE HUNTER

House voung

proves the Congressional

Voting Is Also Supported

in

of

nJcL

However, because the reform

sues

; ate

affecting both houses, Sen-

approva l

is

needed before

. the bill can become law.

also wro t e i nt o
the reform bill a provision to
l permit the use of electrical
The

House

vo te s, a
suggestion made more than half

t equipment

House

comm ittee is ex
pected to unv eil specific proA

con!'\tituents."
He said that many yo u n g
people "figure this Congress ts
and that he ;v as
just a c lub
Congress , ha
that
amaz<>d
_
managC'd to get away w 1 t h
all
vot<>s
in
srcrrcy
such
"

a century ago but never acted

I upon.

In

..

"reformer
a
Disclaim ing
has
Mr. O'Neill, who
lahrl.
<;rrnt 5 years in local a!ld na
tional politics. pleaded wtth the
House to "be honest with y our

bill embraces a number of is

procedure will beco me effective

next January if the S enate ap

:1 Equipment in Pusll-Button

The c hange

of legislauon.

a Target of Critics. Wins

Ho use

ContldbeaonPage83Column4-

====

.,.,

I
I

th rou g h the years

Mr. Guhser said that n o t only
the nation's youth but also _the
i taxpa vers. Lhe poor. the nch.
me-n fjf-all races \'iew Cong.rcss
m high regard."
I with a minimu
.

'

. .

.... ,- ,,. \

.-.,-'-- ....

.. -

1
I



House Backs End of Teller Votes on
Amendments
Antisecrecy Provision, Long a Target of Critics, Wins Approval Amid Applause
Other Reforms Asked
A Move to Permit Electrical Equipment in Push-Button Voting is Also Supported

By Marjorie Hunter
28 July, 1970 - New York Times Page 1

Washington, July 27 The House, heeding the demands of
reformers, voted today to scrap the system under which it has
shaped much of its legislation by secret vote since the first
Congress in 1789.
The move, approved by voice vote, would require that
members be recorded by name as they passed up the aisle to
vote on amendments.
Members are currently counted, but not recorded by name, on
such votes on amendments, known as teller votes.
Members votes on key issues were thus cloaked in secrecy,
and critics long contended that constituents had a right to
know how their representatives had voted.
Various Votes Used
The process of amending bills is now conducted by voice vote,
standing vote and teller vote, none of which put the
individuals name on the public record. A voice vote is used
unless one-fifth of those present ask for a standing or a teller
vote. Roll-call votes are not permitted at this stage of the
writing of legislation.

The House echoed with applause, from the floor and the
crowded galleries, as the legislators chorused their approval of
the antisecrecy proposal. Only a scattering of no votes were
sounded.
The change in House voting procedure will become effective
next January if the Senate approves the Congressional reform
bill, which is scheduled to clear the House later this week.
The provision would apply only to the House because the
Senate, operating under different rules, has no similar system
for screening votes of members on amendments.
Senate Support Needed
However, because the reform bill embraces a number of issues
affecting both houses, Senate approval is needed before the bill
can become law.
The House also wrote into the reform bill a provision to permit
the use of electrical equipment in House votes, a suggestion
made more than half a century ago but never acted upon.
A House committee is expected to unveil specific proposals for
electrically recorded voting before the end of the year.
Electronic voting, by push buttons or coded cards, would
replace the time-consuming system by which the 435 House
members respond individually to rollcalls and quorum calls.
Congressional critics have long called for ending the system by
which House members were allowed to vote anonymously on
most major issues.
Until this year, the tradition-bound House leadership frowned
upon changes in procedures. But under the prodding of
impatient young members, Democrats and Republicans, House
leaders of both parties threw their support behind the
antisecrecy move.
Leading the fight were Representative thomas P. ONeill,
Democrat of Massachusetts and Representative Charles S.
Gubser, Republican of California.

Disclaiming a reformer label, Mr. ONeill, who has spent 35

years in local and national politics, pleaded with the House to
be honest with your constituents.
He said that many young people figure this Congress is just a
club and that he was amazed that Congress has managed to
get away with such secrecy in votes all through the years.
Mr. Gubser said that not only the nations youth but also the
taxpayers, the poor, the rich men of all races view Congress
with a minimum of high regard.
Representative Hale Boggs, of Louisiana, the Democratic whip,
thundered, If you dont want to be counted, why did you come
here in the first place?
As the debate unfolded, the issue became not one of whether
votes of members should be made public, but whether they
should be recorded by clerks or by electrical devices.
Virtually swamped by proposed amendments, the House
finally resolved the issue by agreeing that votes be recorded by
either clerkes or electrical devices.
Under the antisecrecy proposal, votes of members on
amendments would be recorded if at least 20 members
demanded such public disclosure. Members would still walk up
the aisle to be counted, just as under the teller voting.
The teller system was borrowed from the British House of
Commons, was later abandoned and was readopted in 1837.

the New
Fit to Pri nf

(\ ltfO

1,145

..

:'oftW

'f II

Tla

NEW YORK, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER

'"'

18,1970

posals Termetl
l PULLOUT ro
ropaganda Move
aris, Would
s Attacks
hdrawaf

JUonary

govern

J.tned to the
:\et"e

GUARD IN BEIRUT: Crewmen from a Leban

Jordanian Embassy iD u atttmpt to control the I
ON

con

for the ftrs

month

who occupied the embassy as a protest agaiJ

lke.sman for the

le1ation.

asked

munists attitudt
ii.rd South Vlet
sald

that

Envoy GiPifl Aathority T/wy Call lor p,

lor the HOJl
to lua Orda-

rRIDA Y,
I

ecas

re

Is

y,"

on.

SEPTEMBER 18, 1970

f10NGRESS EFORM
V
R

l1
E
,U MARE. n BY H' ous
_

. ..

all Continued From Page 1, CoL 3

hec
at- those of college age

One . major obstacle to pas

lue

'
sage yva s removed today when
the the use voted to delete the
it
.
70, sect t on tha
ould have estabSena te-House
JOtnt
1as h shed. a
.

rals committee to develop a modtck ern com puter system dealing

ion with legislation and the Congressional workload.

A House ministration sub-

l:;

As passed by the Hous&. the tees can be cast by proxy in

.
committee has spent two years btU makes no change in the se- comm i ttees .
The change in House voting
setting up plans for a House niority system, the principal
Phroced ures wuld app ly only to
Protesting target of would-be reformers
computer system.
t e House stnce th e Senate,
that th e Senate woul d try to Efforts to change the system- operating under
different rules
monopolize the eomputers, sub- by which members move i nto has no s imilar system
power
s olely scr een i ng votes of members of
of
committee leaders threatened positions
to kiH the entire rform bill through length of service-were am e ndments
T h e bulk of the changes fn
.
1r th e JO l nt commt'ttee proposa 1 soun dly def eae
t d tn July.
the reform bill involve o nl y the
were not shelved.
The House also rejected a House. The Senate could, if it
.
that
would
The Hous also avotded a proposal
have wished, v t e to include changes
showdown with the Senate by ope ned most COf9)llittee meet- in its own procedures.
sc rapping
that ings to the public:
pro vision
a
But while primarily a bill
In a lat-minute reversal, th geared to modernizing -House
w<?uld have . required a twot on is
thtrds vote--tnstead of a sim- House reJectd today an earlier procedures, Senate aci
pie majority-for adoption of tentative decision that would needed because the measurein
any nongermane Senate amend- have banned the longtime sys eludes several provisions a!
tern by which votes of absen- fecting both houses.
ment to a House bill.
_

to;

20

qqo Jvl

Radto and Still Cameras Also

Voted for Committees
By MARJORIE HUNTER
5ptolt.l

TkM " Yl'<" 'l":m

WASHINGTON,

----+4Je-HOUH

2 -v 21)
.

11
ritg

July

imidly mov.ed mto

thtronic age today, insert

mg in to a C.9ngressional reform 1
b1ll' a provtston to allow tele
Vlsiog, broadcastmg and photo
'raphm& or committee hear
mgs.
Protesting
that
bearings
would be turned mto c1rcuses,
itJ opponents sough t to delete
the se ctio n from the bill, but,
they were defeated, 96 to 93.
The Senate for many years
has permitted televtsmg, broad
c astin g and pbW:ographmg ot
its comm1ttee hearmgs, but nol
or Sen ate floor sessions.
Current House rules do not
ban
cameras and recording
equipment but they hav e been
excluded by
tradition. Only
once, f o r a brief penod about
16 years ago, were Hou se
ings thr own open to the electronic medta , and then shut
ag ain.
Under the re rorm bill, Indi
vidual Houe co m m t te e s would
be a ll owed to dide whether
they wished to be tel ev ise d . re
corded for radio a nd pho to
araphe d by a tl ll photographers.

7.

ht>ar-
<"iM

Strlneent RuJes

up st ri ngent
req uirmg that
klieg lights and flash bulbs be
k ept to the lowest possible
levels, allowing only four tele
vision cameru in a hearing
fo rbidding commercial
r oo m ,
sponsorship or taped or tele
vised hearing segments, a nd
bann ing pa rtisa n use of the
film.
The bill would also perm it
any committee witnr-;s to refuse to be photographed or re
-corded. It c aution s against dis
to ing "objects and purposes
or the hear ing or the activities
of committee members" or cast
ing "discredit or dishonor o n
the Ho use, the committee or
any member."
Speaker Jo hn W. McCormack,
whose stand against televising
and _phot ograp hin g committee
hearings has precluded the tlse
of auch media f r many years,
joined spo nsors or the reform
bill Jn k illing the move that
would have deleted such cover
age.
owever, most committe e
' chairmen, most or them elderly
Democrats long bound by tra
:fitlon,
joined
Represcntattve
Pavid W. De nnis , Republican of
Indiana , in seeking to delete the
aection from the bill.

The

rules,

bill

such

set s
as

,
/

' .,
' y
' .

Bright Lights and Cablu

Protesting what he said would
"physics r- d1sruptiurr'
earlngs , Mr. Dennis sa id
did not like "bright lights
OIY eyes."
"I don't like cables all over
A
"tne
pl ace," he said . "I don' t
\ike photograp he rs popping up
between me and the wttncsses."
Noting that " some of us are
rima donnas, "
"member s would be mak
,ng more hay on television cam
ras than doing the work t)1ey'r e
-there for."
But
Representative
James
Warvey, Republican of Michl
laD, .defended the entry of cam
eras and recording equipment
,oto hearing rooms as ''a means
to edullte the public.''
Pointing out that the Senate
pennits such commitree cover
age, Mr. Harvey said: "We per
form exactly the arne tasks as
the other body; we're not be.
"eJ!th the stature or the other

be

P._
t}lat

he predicted

boa "

ous e expected to re
ume debate l ate tomorrow or
Wednesday on otHer controver4ia1 ectlons oJ the reform bill.
While many of the provisions
.,ply to
onlY., the
chan ges as
bill' covers Sena
wellhand thus must be acted on
by_t e enate.

_
...::_ _
, ..;;.

_.

Ho45.,mJ.
te

--

Lights on in Congress
22 July 1970 page 40 - Opinion- Lights on in Congress - New York Times

Refonners in the House of Representatives are mak

ing progress in their effort to open that chamber's

proceedings to more public scrutiny than it has so far

been willing to allow. One amendment added to the
pending legislative refonn bill would enable anyone

to find out, by simply requesting the information, how

his Representative voted in those committee sessions

where most of the work of Congress is done. Another

ould allow each committee to decide whether to

have its hearings televised, with stringent safeguards

protect witnesses and preclude circuses.
But the real test is still to come. Within a few day

the House will take up the most crucial of the amend\

ments. the one that would allow the recording of

dames on a teller vote. Hard as it may

average citizen to believe, a Congressman
votes Aye when the roll is called on

have voted

be for the
who loudly

major bill may

secretly only twenty minutes earlier for

an

amendment designed to emasculate it and make its

passage a mockery. He can then cite his public record

to some confide his private vote to others, and so

make hay no matter what the political weather.

In

the

very recent past, votes have been taken in

the House on such far-reaching issues as funds for

American forces in Cambodia, the supersonic transport
plane, and the Safeguard missile system-all without

roll-call. As amendments to other bills, they were

brought up in the Committee of the Whole, where the

unrecorded vote is the rule and there

etween

Congressman and constituent.

Under

whf

the

proposed

still be passed

change

wi thout

most

is

no

link

amendments

record vote ln the

interest of saving time. But if twenty members-one

quorum in the Cotnmittee of the Whole

.should x:equest it, members passing down the aisle on
a teller vote would not only be counted but listed by
fifth of

\name.

A large bipartisan

c onting ent

of the House

favors the amendment. but it will be effective only if

expected attempts to raise the magic number much

boy_ twellcy

_are beaten back.

An incidental benefit of the change would be that

important decisions_would be made by a real majority
of the House, instead of by a majority of that one-third

- -ef-t.he
for a

membership that bothers as a rule to tum out

non-record vote. The greater gain, however,

would lie in the new accountability of public servants

for the perfonnance of the public business.

the

of the mom,nt.

ge r

ted

f
(
-;
t

26 Sep, 1970 pg 28 - Opinion - Open House - New York Times

Open House

)I e.
re-

The House of Representatives hds made progress in

H.

opening up its procedures to public scrutiny. The reform

en

bill which the House debated in desultory fashion for

:ial

two

1ce

months

before

the

August--recess

and

_J

has --now-

passed overwhelmingly puts an end to unrecorded teller

)Uf

votes.

c.e.s_

. It

It also eliminates an occasion for_ hypocrisy in

which members secretly voted one way on critical amende ther-way ublicly on fina-l passage.-

-ents-an th a

IQQ. - .

In another blow at secrecy, the bill requires House

o mittees to- ;n ake -p ubli c

how indi- "v rd ual members vo te"

ich
..
;t .

when bills are being drafted. The use of unlimited proxies

her

wilJ be free to have their hearings televised if they so

ion

desire, a practice which Senate committees have long

re

followed.

ner

To cut down on the arbitrariness of some commit

chairmen, the bill guarantees that the minority par

fro m absent members has also been banned. Committees

11

is to have control of one-third of the committee funds,

eft

thereby enabling it to hire its own staff.

ld-

mittees, the minority has been seriously hampered by

to

lack of staff assistance.

In an effort to modernize the

ars

work of Congress, the bill establishes a permanent House

the

Senate committee to conduct a

rho
ers
ble
ent

continuous

reviw of

procedures and operations.

Every reform which opens up the House and de mocra

tizes its procedures makes it that much more responsive

lUI
lne

not .to raise this highly controversial issue as the price

ect

tlly
1ny

To
ad-

rr

it
b

to public opinion. But the bill has a grave defect because

it does not tou ch the least democratic feature of Congres

ich

F
l
t

On some com-

sional life, the seniority ystem.

Sponsors had to agree

of getting the rest of the package. However, the House

-----

--cannot hope to evade the seniority question for much

.. Junger.

----

--

Incomplete though it is, this bi ll is certainl y better

than no bill. The oldtimers who run the House have
done their best to drag out consideration as long as

_possible. Their hope is that the bill will be lost in the

Senate in lhe preelection rush to adjourn: The Senate

undercutting reform by accepting the House

version of the bill. To falter now would be to sabotage
the whole effort.

can avoid

,Tc

u
..
.._...-

ead
1d's
ver

---

-a

.,

p ubl ic investment that is essential to give this city

and the natio n the safe and reliable mass transit
:1 2 1 3Z
systems they urgently need
.

"'.t't'

cati
Gen
that

;6.5
um

New Day on Capitol Hill

the
lnd
?;en
l

s,

has-the
the

eze
a

me
est
ly.

IS

ad
>an
ner
on

tlk

'ICe

.ter

ger

:es,

tnd
In

!ng

landings that tvis i s an era of change should be per

suaded by the recent behavior of the H(JUse of R epre ..

sentatives. A_ few days ago it agreed to r:eveal,,,o_n _

request, the way its members vote in committee and

to allow hearings to be televised. Now it has decided,

at least in a preliminary way, that if only 20 m embe rs
object, the rest may no longer hide behind that monu
ment of secrecy, the unrecorded teller vote .. The amend
ing process, in whi ch the teller vote is used, may not

much longer allow Re presen tatives to vote on su c h

vital matters as the Cooper-Church proposal, Federal

outlays for pollution programs and controversial anti

crime p roced u r es without their constituents ever b e ing
'
able to tell how they stood.
This historic step, made in the C omm ittee of the
Whole, was not taken without a price. To get i t this
fa r along requi red a major concessi on by the main
body of reformers. They made no effort to include in
the bill any modification of their old target, seniority,

no r did they encourage the vai n moves to do

y esterday

so

We expect that on another occas ion they will tackle

that fundamental evil-and soon. But because the b ill

whole involves the Senate and the executive

branch a's well, it has yet to be p ass ed not only by the
as

full House but by the Senate, and then be signed by

the President. Overloading it now wit h antiseniori
ty
and other chang es , however desirable they m ig
ht be,
'

ing

r>ns

ave

nds

Those who were not quite convinced by the moo n

of

would invite

almost certain

defeat

for

o a

entire

measure- an excellent way for secret oppone

nts of
reform to cancel the gains already made and
do it in
the name of reform.

ng

llch

the

Heath's Crucial Choices

A
To

T
rna<
to
to
Bri 1
the
par
icy,
at 1
c au

me1

abo
s
Ro
vat:
Bri1

VlSl

the
not
Gre

arm

the
c
.
a1n

wit

aut
spe
and
anc
Mo;
alli'
car:
int<
Chi
ere:
Afr
Gre
Afr
sta
con
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