Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-13
QUICK WORK BY THE HOUSE.
Over 100 Pension Bills Disposed of in
Five Minutes

When the committee Of the whole had
taken favorable action on 800 private pen
sion bills yesterday afternoon Speaker Can
non inaugurated an entirely new procedure
to expedite their passage later by the
House. The usual custom has been for the
clerk to report each bill by number and
title the Speaker then putting the ques-
ton for its engrossment and third read
Ing, when the title was again reported by
the clerk. The question on the passage of
the bill was then put by the Speaker and
the result Of the vote announced, which
invariably was for the passage of the bill
Yesterday Speaker Cannon followed this
procedure with the first bill. He then sud
denly stopped and, addressing the House,
made this explanation:
"A large number of bills have been re-
ported from the committee of the whole
House with recommendation that they
do pass without amendment. Gentlemen
are aware that the committee of the whole
House has had for some hours these bills
under consideration. Is there desire upon
the part of any member that any one of
these bills that recommended without
amendment should be considered sepa
rately?"
Pausing for a moment Mr.. Cannon con-
tinued: The chair propounds that query
with view to asking the House for unani-
nous consent that all of these respective
bills be considered as read the third time
and passed upon the reading of their num-
Der by the clerk
ed. with great elaboration and emphasis
on each word: rs there objection?"
Another pause elapsed, when the an
nouncement came amid applause:
THE chair hears none"
Over one hundred of the bills were dis
posed of in about five minutes.
The bills with amendments were then
reached, when the chair put the same re-
quest
Mr.. Finley Is. CO. objected, with the state
ment that he did not consider this mode
of procedure proper for a legislative body.
THE objection is perfectly proper re-
piled Speaker Cannon. This method of
procedure could only be done by unanimous
consent and the chair has been very care
full to fully infor mthe House, and 1t Is
quite within the power of any member to
object"
Then, with a note of disappointment in
his voice. he concluded: objection Is
made. The clerk will report the first bill
The first bill contained an amendment
the Speaker inquired facetiously: Does
the gentleman from South Carolina desire
to hear the amendment read?
"Oh, nor replied Mr.. Finley.
"Weu," continued the Speaker, 1.-The gen.
tleman does not know what the nature OF
the amendment is. Neither does the chair"
He then insisted on the reading of the
entire amendment, and when this was done
his announcement of the third reading and
passage of this bill was noticeab1y slow.
In the meantime Chairman Loudenslager
of the pension committee and several of
Mr.. Finley's democratic colleagues went
to his seat to demonstrate with him for
the objection. After few minutes Mr.. Rob-
inson Qnd.) interrupted the proceedings and
said he wished to repeat the previous re-
quest for unanimous consent
The Speaker put the request again, and
no objection was made, whereupon the en-
tire remaining bills were declared passed
without even reading their numbers, and
all previous records of pension legislation
by the House of Representatives were COM
pletely eclpsed.
Mr. Grosvenor (Ohio) made what he de-
clared with some heat was his last attempt
to get a day set for the consideration of
the bill creating a joint commission to
consider the question of ship subsidy. His
request was that this measure be made a
special order for February 20. After sew
eral objections had been made and with
drawn Mr.. Hardwick (Ga) objected be-
cause Mr.. Bartlett, his colleague, had OBJ
jected when the request was made previ-
ously and was not in his seat at the time
bill was passed to permit the Keekuk
and Hamilton Water Power Company to
construct a dam in the Mississippi river at
Hancock. Ill.
A bill also was passed authorizing the
bridging of the Ouachita river at Ouachita
City, La, by the Little Rock and Monroe
Railway Company
At $40 clock the House adjourned un-