The lessening of the power of the speaker of the house who formerly held the powers to appoint committees and to determine whether or not some bill outside of the generally recognized calendar of the house should be given hearing, he said was gradually achieved through the adoption of a committee on committees which had the task of making appointments to the various committees solely independent of the speaker and through the adoption of the calendar of unanimous consent which allows certain days for the consideration of miscellaneous bills.
Mr. French also spoke at some length upon the functions and purposes of party conferences and caucuses which he described as movements within the different parties to get together on some especial legislation in harmony with party principles. He stated the caucuses and conferences, though informal in nature, really were the means of reducing the discords of sentiments of party men to a composite and mutual agreement.
Members, over difficulties experienced at the beginning of the American congress when there were but a small handful of members, he said, were problems of the conduct of parliamentary business were large if the members of the house were to control the conduct of the committees.
In form of the constitution, the committee on rules, which had been in session for some time, had to be considered.  Public schools and have occasion to publish school and have occasion to use it later on. 