Evening star., 1909-02-15
KNOX STILL BARRED
Bill Fails of TW0-ThirdS Vote
in House.
SPECIAL RULE NEXT TIME
Committee Provides Way for Passage
by Majority Ballot.
CONSTITUTIONALITY AssAILED
representative Mann Principal Re-
publican to Voice His Objections
to the Measure

a member of the Taft cabinet.
The bill was called under suspension of
the rules and required a two-thirds vote
for passage. The vote on roll call was
l79 to 123. tYenty-three votes short of
the necessary two-thirds.
Immediately after announcement of the
result by Speaker Cannon the committee
on rules of the House held a meeting and
agreed upon a rule to permit the consid-
Grafton of the Gaines bill, a substitute for
the Hale bill. passed by the Senate in the
open house. This will permit of its pas
sage by a majority vote instead Of two
thirds
Opposition to Special Rule.
A number of republicans who voted for
the Gaines bill today are said to be
against special rule on the subject
One member of prominence sad this
afternoon that while he had voted for the
Gaines proposition he thought it was
about time for Congress to stop trying to
shove Senator Knox into the State De-
partment by punching hole i'm the Con-
stitution.
Immediately after the meeting of the
committee on rules. Representative Dal-
zell brought the rule agreed upon into the
House. At the first opportunity he will
bring 1t up with the expectation of pas
sage at once.
This result was not reached until every
| minute of the brief time allotted to each
side had been exhausted. While the yea
and nay vote showed fairly strict party
alignment, at the same time there were
some notable exceptions
For instance. Representative Clayton OF
Alabama. a democrat and member OF
vored the Gaines proposition; Representa-
tive Mann of Illinois, known as the
Speakers right hand upon the floor, re-
publican, opposed it.
Representatives DENLY of Michigan and
Roberts and Mccall of Massachusetts
were among the republicans who voted to
defeat the bill.
Bill Called UP Early.
morning Mr.. Gaines called up from the
House committee on the election of the
President. Vice President and members
of Congress. of which he is chairman, his
substitute for the Senate measure re-
ducing the salary of the Secretary OF
State to $4,000 year.
Representative Henry of Texas imme-
diately asked that instead of the ordi-
nary twenty minutes to a side de-
bate be extended two hours to side.
To this Mr.. Gaines objected, as he did to
later request from Champ Clark OF
Missouri. minority leader. for one hour
to each side.
Mr.. Gaines asked unanimous consent
that second be considered as ordered.
This was objected to by Representative es
Henry of Texas and Rucker of Missouri.
vote was then taken by tellers, result
ing 1I6 to so.
Many brief speeches were then made on
both sides of the proposition. Repres enta-
tive Clayton led off with a defense of the
proposition on constitutional grounds. and
was followed by Representatives Gillespie
of Texas, Clark Of Missouri and Laffiter
of Virginia, the last named declaring that
the question at issue was not a party one
and could not be settled on party grounds.
Mr.. Rucker insisted that the purpose
of the Gaines bill was to suspend in mid
air and TO rend and despoil the COnstitu-
ton of the United States.
He spoke of the telegram from Presi-
dent elect Taft urging the enactment of
the legislation in question. and asked If
it possibly could be true that there was
only one man in the United States who
was fitted for the office of Secretary of
State. He said that every member vot-
ing for the Gaines bill would be violating
the oath he had taken as a member of
Congress To support and defend the Con-
stitution of the United States.
Hackett Opposes Bill.
Representative Hackett of North Caro-
lima opposing the bill. declared against
"a cheap man in any office" He sug-
gested that the fact lnat Senator Knox
does not need the additional salary
made the proposed legislation so much
the worse.
Representative HardWick of Georgia
spoke of the ingenious presentation by
those in favor of it, and declared against
The proposition Ito make eligible man
constitutionally disqualified" He said
stitution by an act of Congress.
Representative Henry of Texas said he
opposed the bill with regret. but that he
had taken an oath to support the Con-
stitution. He considered the Gaines propo-
sition plain evasion He thought
such action by Congress would be vio-
lation of both the spirit and the letter of
the Constitution.
Representative Mann of Illinois had the
attention of the entire House when he
rose from his seat on the republican side
to oppose the bill
II cannot" said Mr. Mann. bring my
self to be a part of the conspiracy laid
to violate the Constitution or to compel the
new President of the United States, after
taking the oath to support the Constitu-
ion to violate one of its provisions. 1t
is too bad this country is SO void Of great
men that it must do this.
Mr. Mann concluded by saying that the
present President of the United States
had been severely criticised for his atti-
tude toward the Constitution. He. for
one. had hoped that the next President
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