Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-05-16

him present at three rol-calls, voting each
time.
February 4th, there was one roll-call He
was present and voted
The next day, February 5th, he is record
ed as present and voting.
He is recorded as present and voting three
times on February eth.
He is recorded as present and voting
twice on February 9th.
On the 10th he is recorded as present
and voting once-the only roll-call of the
day.
The next roll call was on February 18th,
when the river and harbor bill was under
consideration, and Mr.. Houk appears twice
in the list of those failing to answer to their
names, and then on motion to take a re-
cess to 10 o'clock next day, he is again re-
corded as not voting paired with Mr..
Hawley. The roll was called again, and he
failed to answer to his name.
February 18th, on motion to recon-
NIT the river and harbor bill, he is record
ed as not voting, and on the final passage
of the bill, the same day, he is again record
ed-''not voting" The same day, on a
question touching the order of business, he
appears in the list, mot voting"
On February 18th, on proposition to
lay aside the regular order of business and
go to the Speakers table, he is recorded as
mot voting"
February 21st, on an amendment to the
Indian appropriation bill, he is recorded,
mot voting" paired with Mr.. House.
The roll was called again the same
| day, and again is so recorded.
On the 22d of February the roll was
called twice on the agricultural appropria-
ton bill, and that bill passed, but Mr..
Houk was recorded 'not voting" each time.
February 23d the Congressional appor-
tionment bill came up and on the roll-call he
| is reported mot voting" and the Record
does not show that he was paired The roll
was called twice again the same day and he
is recorded as not voting paired with Mr..
| O'Connor
| The apportionment bill came up again on
the oath and again Mr. Houk is
absent-paired with Mr.. O'Connor The
| roll was called thirteen other times the same
| day, and each time he is recorded as failing
to answer to his name or mot voting"
| On the 26th he is recorded as mot vo-
| ting" on an amendment to the sundry civil
appropriation bill, although the Record
did some queer things, which may throw
some light on his long continued absence
| On the 2Sth of February there were fou1
| roll-calls on amendments TO and on the
final passage of the sundry civil appropria7
| tons bill, and each time he is recorded as
mot voting" The same day the river and
harbor bill came up on a motion to non
concur in Senate amendments. On this Mr.
Houk voted ''aye." The roll was called
three other times the same day, and he il
recorded each time as mot voting"
March LIST, on the question of agreeing
with the conference report on the river and
harbor bill, he is reco rded as mot voting.
Sixteen other roll-calls the same day show
similar state of affairs. The ron-calls Of
the House do not show him present agar
during the session.
Judge Houk's Knoxville organ
said last week, in justification of his
disgraceful absence, that ''the fact
is, the most active and hardest
working Congressman are the least
often in their seats" Of course
this is not true, and to make such {
statement, with the expectation tina
| it should be believed, was an insult
to the intelligence of the readers o
that paper. The contrary is true, o
course, as evidence of which rea(
the following (Rule viii, sec. L. from
the rules of the House of Repre-
sentatives:
every member shall be presen
within the hall of the House during
it's sittings, unless excused or neces
sarily prevented; and shall vote OF
each question put, unless, on motion
made before division or the com
mencement of the roll call and de
cided without debate, he shall b
excused, or unless he has a direc
personal or pecuniary interest in tn
event of such question.
Now if he was excused, or wa
necessarily absent" his friend
ought to explain. We know of n
measure in which he was ''pecuniaril
Interested unless it was the pensio,
bill. We understand he has go
himself on the pension list since h
has been in Congress, and drew in tn
neighborhood of three thousand dol
lars on the first payment. Tha
, would excuse him from voting O.
the pensions bill, but this is onl
once out of one hundred and twelve
The people demand further explana