Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-02
SMOKE LAW BILL
Applying to Locomotives in the
'...- District. --.i.
Mr.. HANSBROUGH TRIED
To Get Vote on It in the Senate
Yesterday Afternoon.
HE FINALLY MET WITH SUCCESS
And the Measure is Voted Down
After q Good Deal Of
Discussion.


Late yesterday afternoon Senator Hans
brough called up House bill 9329 providing
that the smoke law of the District Of Co
lumbia should be applied to the steam rail-
roads entering the District and endeavored
to secure a vote on Senator Kean's motion
to reconsider the vote by which that bill
was recently passed by the Senate.
Senators were on their feet with all the
aIacrity that might be expected had the
Capitol been visited by an earthquake. Sem
ator Depew was the first to struggle for the
eye Of the Vice President.
'Mr. President" he said, and then sub
sided.
Senator Kean was the next to express the
hope that the vote on the bill might not be
reconsidered Eat the present time" as it
would create a great deal of discussion.
He did not suggest that there would ever
be another time to consider the vote on the
bill which had been passed by both the
Senate and House Of Representatives and
was hung up In the air by his own 1libus-
tering motion to reconsider. He contented
himself with the mere hope that the vote
might not be considered Eat the present
time"
Asked Time to Explain.
Senator Hansbrough then asked for a
few minutes of time, and fearing that that
request might be imposing on the Senate
too much in view of the evident eager
ness to save time went on to make state
ment.
Senator Aldrich suggested that debate was
not in order upon the pending motion.
That suggestion apparently suspended Mr..
the proverbial devil and the deep blue
sea-" Senator Kean had hoped that the
bill might not be taken up lat that time, -
because it would lead to debate. Senator
NJ
anything about it because it was not SUBJ
ject to debate.
The ordinary mind would suppose that
with a long list of rules such as govern
in determining the question one way or an
other. But there are ways to catch bill
coming and going" and the Senate's COM
posite mind is not ordinary"
At this critical stage of the proceeding
Senator Penrose endeavored to come into
the discussion.
Mr. President" he said
But before he could proceed further Mr..
Hansbrough said he trusted that the Oppo-
nents of the bill would not undertake to
take him off his feet and thus deny him the
usual cOurtesies of the Senate.
1.-THE rules Of the Senate take the senator
of his feet" said Senator Aldrich.
Mr.. Hansbrough Insists.
81 know" retorted Mr.. Hansbrough, "but
those rules can sometimes be resorted to
for. purposes that are somewhat question
able"
Mr. Penrose again struggled to be heard,
but Mr. Hansbrough asked unanimous con-
sent that he be permitted to address the
Senate for one minute-only sixty seconds.
That seemed like useless waste of time
to Mr. Penrose, because sixty seconds near
the close of session of Congress is of
great value. Mr.. Penrose moved to proceed
to the consideration of executive business.
Then the Vice President suggested that
Senator Hansbrough had not yielded the
floor and that he would recognize the SEN
ator from Pennsylvania when the senator
from North Dakota should yield the floor.
He added that the senator from North Da-
kota had requested permission to make a
statement for one minute, and inquired II
there was objection. No one had the
temerity to further object and Mr.. Hans
brough proceeded.
ION February 49, he said, "by direction
of the committee on the District Of Column
bia 1 reported to the Senate bill which