The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-30
A PARLIAMENTARY TANGLE.
The House Agrees to Conferees' Re-
port on the Army Bill.

port on the Army Bill.
The report Of the conferees on the Army
Reorganization bill was agreed to by the
House of Representatives yesterday, but
i not until a parliamentary engagement had
been fought between Mr. Hull, Chairman
Of the Committee on Military Affairs and
one of the conferees; Mr.. Richardson, the
minority leader. and Speaker Henderson.
Mr.. Hull called up the message of The
! Senate in regard to the Army bill. Mr
Richardson contended that Mr. Hulls mo-
tion was not in order. The gentleman from
Iowa insisted that the motion was one of
privilege. Mr.. Richardson said:
Il submit this is not privileged. because
the status of the case is simply this: On
last Friday the gentleman submitted a
conference report duly signed. | shall not
refer to what occurred On the floor at that
time II is fresh in the memory OF the
members here: but l do assert that l was
not treated with proper respect by the
gentleman. But let that go. the House
under the previous question adopted the
conference report. Now. Mr.. Speaker,
| that conference report went to the other
branch of Congress and was solemnly re-
/ jected and stands rejected today. the
| other branch of Congress having rejected
| It. it is necessary that new conferees be
| q
report having been disagreed to, there is
| nothing to do but to ask for a new con-
= ference or for the appointment of new
conferees. That is not privileged. The
/ asking of a conference is not privileged.
: The Speaker-Thc Chair is ready to
rule The only question before the House
/ is: Has the gentleman from Iowa the
right to call up this bill?
That is the only question now before
. ~ tAern nT
/ not: so that he can call it up. In this
case the point of disagreement has been
reached. and it is back here with mes
sage from the Senate saying that they
hold to their position. Clearly after bill
has reached the point of disagreement, as
it has in this case, 1t is certainly WITHIN
the power of the gentleman in charge CT
the bill to call the matter up. Therefore
the Chair overrules the point of order.
Mr.. Richardson of Tennessee-Ihe
point want to make to the Chair is that
this conference report has been rejected,
and now we stand here without a con-
ference report; we have nothing in con-
ference.
Mr. HULL move that the House further
insist on its disagreement. and agree to
the conference asked for.
Mr.. Richardson of Tennessee make
the point of order
The Speaker-The gentleman win sus-
pend.
Mr.. Richardson of Tennessee-The
Chair will not overrule the point of order
before it is stated?
, The Speaker-It is the duty of the Chair
to state the motion first. and the gentle
man from Tennessee will suspend. The
gentleman from Iowa moves that the
House further insist on its disagreement
to the amendments and ask for a confer
ence.
( MIR. Hull-Agree to the conference.
! The Speaker-And agree to-the confer
/ ence asked for by the Senate.
! Mr.. Richardson OF Tennessee submit
] the gentleman cannot make that motion.
| The conference report having been disa-
! greed to by one of the bodies, by the SEN
ate it is not in order for the gentleman
to make that motion. He may ask for a
conference. I refer the Chair most re-
| spectfully to page 416 of the Rules and
Digest, second session. Fifty-sixth Con-
| gress, the present Congress, in which 1t
| is stated:
Where a conference committee has
been unable to agree. or where a report is
4 disagreed to, another conference is usu-
ally asked for and agreed to-
! The gentleman must ask for another
conference. He cannot move that we have
| a conference. He must ask il. and if OBJ
| jected to, then he must take care of him
self
| Now then. that conference report which
has been rejected is the report which the
gentleman assured This House had been
gone over carefully; was fully, and def
/ nitely and clearly understood by each
member of the House. 1t has been solemn
| ly rejected after full debate in the Sen
ate. because the report put into the bill
| sections which they say had not been
| voted into it, sld had left out propositions
| which they said had been agreed to. | do
not say that was done. Mr.. Speaker, with
intention. ! do not say that l acquit the
gentleman Of anything of that kind. l
| would not insinuate that he would leave
! out deliberately what should have gone
| into it, or that he would put into it what
| ought not TO have been there. The gen.
tleman charged me the other day with
making iEsinuations, but l attempted then
to repel and deny il. | did not intimate
! that. but / simply asked that the report
be printed in order that we might see
what was in il; but the gentleman assured
! us that he knew and everybody must know.
Now, he did not know what was in the
conference report Did you?
Mr. Hull-Yes, l did
Mr Richardson OF Tennessee Then you
certainly put in what ought not to be in
there. or left out what should have
gone in.
'sMr. Speaker Mr.. Richardson of Ten
| ncssee added. "a asked when the TGi ter
/ was pending that we might have an OPP
! portunity to see 1t. II we had been given
the opportunity, the bill would have
passed the next day, undoubtedly. on Sat
urday and these errors corrected. But
we We're forced to vote. and those on
this side of the chamber voted against it.
The Senate now has done the same thing;
| by unanimous consent they have con-
| firned the action of this side of the
| House voting down this report because
| of errors that were in it. Now, that is
the situation; the report having been re-
| jected, the Senate has asked that we may
have a new conference, and the Senate
has gore forward and appointed new con-
ferees 1t Is true they appointed the
| same Senators. believe but it is a new
| conference committee. The gentleman
| from Iowa comes here and asks for con-
ference committee to be appointed. l say
! ii is not privileged -
The Chair oyerruled the point of order
and appointed Messrs. Hull. Bradshaw
and Hay as conferccs Ito a second con-
| ference"
Later in the session these confe- ees re
ported to the House, and their rei5,t was
agreed to without debate.
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