The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-11
THE WAR REVENUE TAX
i Conference With the Senate
Asked BY the House.
Debate Over the COnstEtutionaIity of
the SENATE Mcasure-The Latter
Body Charged With UsurDiug Pow
cT-opinions of Members on the
Subject Aired in Vigorous Mnnner.

The Chaplain of the House Representa-
tiyes, in his opening prayer al noon today.
referred with considerable feeling to the
sudden death Of Representative Shaw
Directly. after the reading of the journal
Mr. Payne, Chairman Of the Committee on
Ways and Means, reported back from that
committee the bill to reduce war rev
enue- He sent to the clerks desk res
0lutiOn that the House disagree to the
Senate substitute and ask for a confer
ence- The Speaker pat the question on
The first part of the resolution, that the
House disagree to the Senate substitute.
and the question was determined in the
Affirmative. When the Speaker was about
to put the question Oh the second propo-
sition Of the resolution. that the House
ask for conference with the Senate. Mr.
Tawney raised q point of order His po-
sItIon was that the bill which had come
Dach from the Senate is & substitute for a
revenue bill This substitute being in it
self revenue measure. and having orig
mated IL the Senate was therefore I'M
constitutional The House. to ask for a
conference, would become a party to the
unconstitutional action of the Senate.
Mr. Richardson CT Tennessee and Mr.
Bailey of Texas contended that The point
OF order had come too late consideration
o. the Senate substitute having been en-
tered UPON They also cont ended that a
point Of order would not lie against any
proposition on constitutional grounds. IS
the Speaker was not authorized to pass
upon the constitutionaIity of questions
arising in Congress.
Mr. Payne argued that the Senate bill
was an amendment of the House bill. and
no matter how Objectionable il might be
u was still within the rule of the House.
He thought point CT order would not
lie.
Mr.. Grow of Pennsylvania. speaking to
the point Of order. said that the Speaker
could not be called upon to determine
the conStitutiOuaiity OF the action Of the
Senate The Constitution gives to the Sen
ate the right 10 alter and amend revenue
bills coming from the House the same as
other bills"
Mr. Dalzen said the point Of order on
the constitutiOnaiIty OF = question vas not
one which could be determined by the
Speaker Of the House Of ReDresen tatives
but ne said he would like 10 put himself on
record as believing that the substitution Of
Senate revenue bills for House revenue
bills was an infringement of the cons.itu-
tIonaI pTeroSatiye Of the House
Mr.. Bailey OF Texas said that if the Sen
ate had originated A revenue measure, the
-eAA--t ~Dt.--l LII DE teGCLlEE UE q point OF
order The redress OF the House would be
10 adopt resolution returning the offend
ing bill 70 the Senate with the declaration
that the Senate had transcribed its con-
stitutioEal authority.
Mr. Bailey and Mr. Moody engaged in
controversy as ID the distinction between
substitute bill and a bill so amended as
10 be new bill in all excepting the enact
ing clause
Speaker Henderson ruled that the Speak
er could not determine a question as 10
whether the Senate had transcribed It's
power under tbs Constitution This was
question which the House must for itself
determine The second part of Mr. Payue's
resolution. that the House ask for a con-
ference, was therefore before the House.
Mr. Payne moved the previous question
but in obedience to the evident VIII Of the
House. withdrew IL
MT. Mccall addressed the Chair He
thought the Senate had usurped authority
which the founders Of the Government bad
expressly withheld from it.
Mr. Richardson of Tennessee said the
conference ought to be asked for Con
gress was pledged TO the people TO reduce
war taxes. To pass the pending resolu-
ton would be 10 keep that pledge
Mr. Underwood said he would vote for
the resolution because he would have war
taxes reduced Congress was bound by
Mr. Hopkins thought the action of The
Senate IN sending hack to the House A
substitute for a revenue, WIS not irregu-
lar The Senate had simply sent back enc
amendment instead of half dozen. The
substitute had followed the same lines and
treated Of the same subjects as the House
bill.
Mr. Cannon supported the resolution
The action Of the House, should il say
It would not ask a conference with the
Senate, would not, and might not, receive
the endorsement OF the country Mr.
Knox Of Massachusetts, opposed the reso-
luton, saying that the Committee on
Ways and Means had surrendered 10 the
Senate and had asked the House TO sur
render
Mr. Payne addressed the Chair at this
point il favor Of committing the bill 10
conference L was the proper and usual
thing TO do. At o'clock he moved the pre-
yioUs question and il was then ordered
] ne question being then upon The resolu-
tiol the ayes had it and the yeas and nays
were ordered
The resolution was adopted by the fol
lowing vote Yeas Z33. nays Is present s.
The Speake- announced the following
CoufeTees on the part of the House:
Messrs. Payne. Dalzeu, and Richardson OF
Tennessee