The Detroit times., 1909-03-16
HOUSE RULES ARE
AMENDED BY VOTE
Of I'll To III
RESOLUTION BY FITZGERALD.
DEMOCRAT, OF NEW YORK,
ADOPTED AFTER STORMY SEES
SloN-iMPoRTANT CHANGES.

WASHINGTON. March l6.-The
house OF representatives yesterday, re
CARELESS OF party alignment adopted d
resolution offered by Fitzgerald
(Dem). of New York. 2ll to l72.
whereby the rules were amended In
several important particulars. The
resolution was a substitute for one
that had been offered by Champ Clark,
OF Missouri. IL was passed after one
of the stormiest sessions in the his
tory OF the house.
The adoption of the resolution was
accomplished only after the 'insurg-
ents." assisted by the Democrats, with
one or two exceptions, had won a de-
cided preliminary victory by voting
down a resolution by Dalzell, of Penn
sylvania, making the unamended rules
or the sixtieth congress applicable 10
those Of the present congress.
Clark got into a spirited colloquy
with Dalzell. who had mounted the roS-
tum 10 read the resolution OF the
minority leader. Clark asked that ne
be ordered away from the desk 10
which Dalzell objected. He claimed
q privilege of knowing the contents OF
the measure.
Three important Changes.
As analysed by parliamentarians'
the amendment makes three import
ant changes. First, II establishes a
calendar for unanimous consents,
the effect of which is To enable meul'
Der to have a proposition brought be-
fore the house without having To go
TO the speaker for recognition. sec
ond. when consideration OF a Dill Is
concluded and the previous question
or ordered the rules heretofore nave
provided for a motion to commit with
or without instructions. The new
rule gives the minority the preference
I'm making such motion and thus en-
ables them 10 get record vote on
propositions which would otherwise De
settled In committee of the whole
house, where no record vote Is pos
sible. Third. it protects the calendar
Wednesday by requiring a twotnlrds
instead of a majority vote TO set IL
aside.
AS adopted, the Fitzgerald amend
ment makes no change In the present
method or the selection OF the COM
mittee on rules. which Is made by
the speaker, nor is there any change
IN the method of selecting commit
tees
speaker tdluOH 10 lhSiihNu "
gard the amendment as slight I'M
provement on the present rules, In
that instead OF throwing the respon-
sibility for recognition on him II sets
aside certain days for the considera-
ton OF measures under unanimous
consent
Says Bryan lnterfered.
In a conversation soon after the &C
ton of the house he commented free
ly on the fact that Mr.. Bryan had in
terfered in the interest of the changes
submitted by Clark and spoke OF the
apoption OF the Fitzgerald substitute
as triumph over the Bryan forces.
saving the conservative Democrats
who really want legislation had prac-
tically stood for the old rules with
the amendments offered by Fitzger-
aid. 1t was he said, IA protest by
the conservative demands against
populism and all kindred things
The election OF house officers pre-
coded the action on the rules. Can
non was reelected speaker. receiving
2O4 votes AS against 166 for Champ
Clark. of Missouri for Cooper, Wis
cousin; for Norris, OF Nebraska;
and one each for Esch, of Wisconsin,
and w. p. Hepburn, Of Iowa, an ex-
member All the Democratic members
voted for Clark. so that the scattering