The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-02-18
Special Rule introduced
Sending Salary Bill Back
to Conference.
MINORITY MAKES
A HOT ATTACK
Bourke Cochran Declares Fr0ce-
dure Is Lacking in Com
mon Sense.

BY a vote OF 1s2 to Is5. the House this
afternoon again made senator Knox
eligible to serve as Secretary Of state
by voting tOsend back 10 conference the
legislative, judicial, and executive ap-
preparation bin, which through an over
sight stin contained when reported TO
the House yesterday, provision for an
increased salary OF the Secretary Of
State, which was contrary to the con-
sGtutional rsQuirements In the premis-
es.
The parliamentary procedure of send
ing the bill back 10 conference, IN order
that the salary might be put back st
$500 was hit upon by the COMMITTEES
On Rules es being the best way out OF
q badly nlEddled situation
The resolution was not passed, how
ever, until some extraordinarily bitter
debate mad taken place on the floor OF
the House. during which the commit
tee on Rules was accused OF highland
edEess and OF lacking common sense.
me resolution which was the result
of extended conferences Of the Commit
tee on Rules and which had been hit
upon as the best way out Of the pecu-
liar difficulty precipitated a stgl warm
er debate than that of last week when
the same committee put through a spe-
cial order over the protest OF scores OF
members Of the House reducing the sal
ary of the Secretary OF State TO SS000-
Session Enlivened.
The days session was enIivened By
various explanations OF members. es-
pecialIy the conferees on the legislative.
judicial, and executive appropriation bill
as to how they had inadvertently failed
TO change the bin. and had gotten the
House into one OF the worst parliamer-
tary tangles IN its history. These ex-
cuses were received with amusement
in many instances The COMMITTEES on
Rules saw the best way out OF the Sit
uatiOn by sending the whole msltte-
back to conference under the following
special resolution submitted 20 the
House as soon as IL convened at IL
O'Clock:
Resolved, That the conference report
on the bill making appropriations for
the legislative, jujdicii5l, and executive
branches OF the Government FOR the rs
cal year ending June %, 1910. be and
hereby is disagreed to; that the House
insist on It's disagreement 10 the Senate
amendment in the said bill and after q
further conference with the Senate
Resolved by the House of Represen-
JatiVes tthe Senate COncurring} that the
cOnferees on the disagreement Of tha
two houses Of the amendment OF the
Senate be and hereby are authorized 70
take into consideration. as If in disagree
ment, the portion Of the said bin relat-
ing TO the salary Of the Secretary Of
State, and also to report on any pro
vision IN relation 70 the law affecttns@
such salary
Committee Scored.
The Committee on Rules, which
brought in the special rule, quickly
came IN for a scathing arrangement at
the hands az the minority leaders. in
c!uding Champ Clark, John Sharp Will
Jams, Bourke Cochran. and Representa-
/ tive Fitzgerald Even Representative
Mann, Republican, and one OF Speak
er Cannon's right-hand lieutenants- took
several jabs at the members OF the
committee
Mr.. COCHRAN said that the plan hit
upon by the committee TO relieve the
situation was absolutely devoid 81 com
mon sense.
After Congress had Increased the sal
ary IN order TO obtain the best material
for the Cabinet we first find IL deCreas-
ing the salary IN order that we may OBJ
tin the very best material. he said
That IS an operation that may be con
sisteut with the Republican party, but
which IS hardly consistent with any
system Of any civilized government
This rule brought in here seeks TO
adjust differences between houses that
do not exist. Instead you are creating
differences You are sending 10 cen
ference a disagreement where there is
no disagreement / do not know Just
how FAR the committee rules can go.
Taking Liberties.
Mr.. Fitzgerald has told Us briefly
what they can do with the law; the gen
tleman from Illinois, Mr.. Mann. has in
timated what they can do with the Con
stitution. 1t now only remains for the
Committee on Rules 10 take liberties
with common sense.
Il see no necessity for the passage OF
this special rule. Let Us. instead. have
a now appropriation bin, just as the
one now before US except that
clause affecting the salary Of the Sec
retary Of state. Let that 80 TO the
Senate, and that body can pass il iu
three minutes. The Committee on Rules
has exhausted every means OF eN-
traordinary. procedure Now let me, as
q member OF the minority, attempt 10
bring the House back TO some show OF
orderly procedure Perhaps this sug-
gestion viii not strike the Committee
on Rules favOrably, because II sav0rs
somewhat Of common sense.
Representative Dalzel, who brought
in the rule. did not seem 10 relish the
remark Of Representative Cochran, and
others VINO assailed the big five, al
/ though the members OF the House,
Democrats and Republicans aiike-
seemed 70 enjoy their temporary dis
comhture-
Keifer Explains
General lIeifer, OF Ohio, a member Of
the Appropriations Committee, was TIE
next Republican TO set the floor for TIE
purpose of apoIogizing ard explaining.
He said he did not discover that the
legislative bill carries a Secretary's sa%
airy OF $1,000 until Champ Clark was
speaking about the matter yesterday
morning. and, rather than have another
mixup, he promptly called the error 10
the attention Of the House
Referring 10 the remarks Of Mr. Fltz-
gerald about the incorrect manner IL
which the Rules Committee brought n
7