The Washington herald., 1906-12-20
WITHOUT A QUORUM
House, Unable to Carry on
Business, AdjOurnS.
IN SESSION ONLY AN HOUR
Additional Enrolment of Clerks
ProYided-Champ Clark Protests
Against Waste of Time-MF- Gaines
would Have All Absent Members
Fined for NOnattendance.


man in the Capitol yesterday. His smile
didn't come of all day. The House had
been obliged to adjourn for want Of
quorum. This, coming the day after Mr..
Gaines introduced his bill to deduct from
the salaries OF Senators and members
$40 for each day that they are absent,
was something 10 be joyous about, he
thought.
Il think this adjournment proves my
point" said Mir. Gaines. Here we are, in
a short session losing two weeks good
time because one day of the fourteen is
Christmas ana another is New Years.
Congress acts like "a silly little boy in
knee pants. Yesterday we We're without
quorum, and SO. too the day before.
That means that all who stay must work
the harder The care and study that
should be employed TO secure safe and
sound legislation is wanting when few
must do the work of ten times their num-
Der
Il am told that my bin is already law;
that it has been on the statute books for
fifty years, and a dead letter al the time.
Have they put the dead letter in the Tc-
vision that we are TO adopt soon? If they
have 1 shall offer a resolution to COM
pei the Secretary Of the Senate and the
Sergeaut-at-Arms TO enforce it, 1t Is said
thai these officials have always been
afraid they would lose their heads If they
enforced the law. Now, suppose we see
that they really do lose their heads if
they fail TO enforce il.
The codifers have put in. as section IS
e -.-Hsf ~.
ton about inning Senators and Members
who are absent.
Debate on Errors in Bills.
The presentation OF a resolution by Mr..
Cassel- of PENNSYLVANIA, chairman of the
Committee on Accounts, providing for the
employment of an additional clerk for the
Committee on Enrolled Bills, precipitated
lively debate over the matter of res
sponsibiHty for errors in enrolled bills.
Mr. Fitzgerald Dem, n. W, asked if
the Committee on Accounts knew what
had been the result of the Investigations
as to the cause of errors which occurred
in the sundry civil bill at the end of last
session. And did Mr.. Cassel know,
Mr. Fitzgerald continued, that twenty
other errors had been discovered in bills
passed at the last session, besides those
investigated
Mr. Tawney replied that the investiga-
tion located the blame upon the Commit
tee on Enrolled Bills and the office of
the enrolling clerk The joint Commit
tee on Printing. which made the investi-
cation. reported that the ultimate cause
OF errors was the lack of sufficient force,
and they recommended that an additional
OF assistant enrolling clerk be employed.
Mr. Fitzgerald expressed the opinion
that the enrolling office and the commit
tee needed a shaking VI; that il there
was anything which the House was en-
titled TO have it was that it's bills should
be accurately enrolled. He contented
himself at that time with expressing the
hope that with the additional force sug-
geSted the errors Of the past would be
0byiated.
Mr. Lacey and Mr.. Mann united in de-
ciar'ns that the real cause of the trouble
was that Congress had failed 10 provide
a force OF clerks sufficient TO meet the
growth OF the work imposed upon the
committee and the enrolling office Mr.
fitzgerald inteTjected the remark that
these errors had never before occurred
IN his experience in the House
This was promptly replied Mr. Lacey.
the best possible commentary upon the
gentlemen criticism. The errors were
due to the increased work of Congress.
and called attention 20 the fact that the
enrolling clerk had worked fortv-eight
hours at the end Of the last session
without rest or sleep
Put Idle Clerks to Work.
Mr.. Clark. Of Missouri. thought it was
not necessary 20 create a new Office with
an annual salary TO prevent that condi-
ton Of affairs
What ought to be done is TO take
some Of these clerks around here who
have nothing TO do ~ the end Of the
session and pat them to work in the en-
rolling room. he said
The remedy for this whole matter is TO
nave the short session Of Congress length
ened, either by cutting out the Christmas
holidays or in some other way. I under
stand that people have to go home some
times 10 look after their private affairs
but 20 grant two weeks every year regu-
larry Tor Christmas holiday is a sort Of
childish performance. It is getting so that
the necessary business cannot be trans
acted IN the seventy-fve or eighty davs
that We have The session could be
heightened ten or twelve days by cutting
out this Christmas holiday performance,
or Il could be heightened by setting the
day of meeting earlier There ought also
priaton bill should be passed within five
days before the end of the session. Every
unseemly job that is passed by this House
is done under compulsiCn. by being loaded
into these general appropriation bills right
at the end of the session, when We have
got to pass them or have an extraordinary
session of Congress. II is a disgrace to
the American Congress. the way we PASS
appropriation bills toward the end Of the
session
Asked by Mr.. Tawney TO specify any
unseemly job that he mad seen passed in
the closing hours Of a session, Mr.. Clark
promised 10 hunt up a few of them and
make q speech about them
Being twitted by Mr. Payne for his ad-
vocacy of the appropriation for the St
Louis Exposition, Mr.. Clark ''ackuowi-
edged the corn" but said he had been
paying the debt ever since, and was not
through with it yet He thought how
ever, Mr. Payne had nothing the best
or him when one remembered the Buffalo
exhibition, which did not celebrate any
thing on the face Of the earth" that he
had ever heard Of
Additional Clerk Authorized.
Mr.. Clark announced his intention Of
voting for the Jamestown appropriation.
which would square him with the present
Congress on account Of the St Louis
Exposition.
The resolution was adopted and Mr.
Cassel presented another creating the Of
fee OF assistant enrolling clerk. at a sal
airy of S.S00, and increasing that OF the
enrolling clerk from $500 10 5000
Mr. sherlcy, of Kentucky, asked why
it was necessary, If additional help was
given the enrolling clerk, to increase his
salary.