The Washington times., 1894-06-24
Parker, Bridget &Co.
315 Seventh Street Northwest.
sNUBBINo THE DISTRICT.

Chairman Heard OF the House Committee
! is Disgusted and Issues His Ultimatum.
Chairman Heard. of the District of Colum-
bia Committee. is thoroughly disguised with
the way members of the House treat District
| day.
he said yesterday that it was an outrage
that there should always be failure to
secure quorum on the two DAYS that are set
aside in each month for the consideration Of
District affairs. This snubbing OF the Dis
trict Committee has, in the opinion of MIR.
Heard and other members OF the committee,
gone altogether too far, and it is declared
that there Is almost an open revolt among the
members at the unproductiveness OF their
work. Service on the District Committee is
no sinecure. and those members who do just
ice TO the many impOrtan. measures prcposeN
are obliged 10 spend several hours i'll the COM
mittee room every day besides making
numerous personal investigations of the needs
for legislation on purely local matters such as
usually take w all the time OF u board of alder
men or city council.
Mr.. Heard makes the statement that as long
rs he remains the chairman OF the District
Committee he Will never again submit TO the
withdrawal OF a bill when once il mas been
called up for consideration. he intends that
hereafter there shall be a vote one way or
bers see fit 10 neglect their duties by refusing
TO attend and make q quorum on days when
District business is 20 be considered the bills
shall remain lust where they have been placed
on the calendar anu the people of the District
and ofthe county given notice thereby thar
the fault lies with apathetic Congressman. and
not with the committee
AIR. Heard says that it will not affect the
health or happiness Of the members of this
committee one way or the other whether the
bills proposed and favorably reported by the
committee are accepted by the Hou1s or not.
II any OF the many critics OF the committee
care to obstruct District legislation they may
do so. but the committee is very tired of hav-
ing less than a quorum present and then
being Obliged to submit TO the dictation OF
petty opposition. resulting in the withdrawal
of a bill and the necessity for double WORK on
some second occasion
Hereafter the warning is conveyed to all in
terested in particular District measures that
happen TO be placed well down on the calen-
dar that they will profit themselves nothing
by attempts 10 recommit or have withdrawn
bills which prccede theirs. The only way 20
reach bills toward the end of the calendar
will be to aid in the securing and main
tenance Of quorum on all District days, so
that all may be disposed of in tine order as
rapidly as possible by the House and sue
ceeding ones taken up.
The last three or four District DAYS have
been unusually Improbable Not a single
measure was adopted on the last regular day,
and the time before that several very minor
bills were disposed OF. This unsatisfactory
condition OF affairs has led to Chairman
Heard's ultima.um. and he is going to begin by
insisting on Tomorrow. the second District
day OF the month. in pushing TO vote the
bill amending the Suburban railroad charter
which is the unfinished business