Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-19
AGREE TO PROBE
PINCHOT DISPUTE
CONGRESSMEN ADOPT REPORT
OF CONFERENCE
URGENCY APPROPRIATION BILL
SUBJECT OF DEBATE
Cannon Rules Against Roosevelt, Who
Is Declared to Have Violated
Law 1868 Times During
Administration
ASSOCIATED Pressl

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1S.-Without
debate and by a viva vocc vote the
house adopted today the conference re-
, port on the Ballinger- Pinchot inquiry
! resolution, and then devoted almost
five hours to further discussion of the
urgent deficiency appropriation bill.
Consideration of this measure was
not concluded. The sessions was some
what enltvened by criticism of former
President Roosevelt by Representative
Harrison, who denounced him for ap-
pointing representatives to the third
, maritime congress at Brussels next
April without due authority of law, and
for his alleged numerous violations OF
the civil service law.
1 When Representative Fitzgerald
called attention to a letter from the
secretary of the treasury requesting
that government employees appointed
temporarily and by executive order be
placed on the permanent roll under the
civil service law, MI Harrison of New
York declared President Roosevelt had
violated the spirit of the civil service
law 16S times, or fifteen more times
than any OF his predecessors.
Mr.. Tawney, in charge of the bill, re-
sented Mr. Harrison's charges
Defends Roosevelt
4 Defending the former presidents Rep
resentative Gillett of Massachusetts de-
clared President Roosevelt had except
ed a small number of persons compared
with President Cleveland.
| Speaker Cannon officially ruled that
President Roosevelt had acted without
| specific authority of law in appropri-
| ating representatives to the third in
! ternational conference on maritime war
/ at Brussels. He did this by sustaining
the point of order made by Represent
,F NT0Tr VfYsly a rej
appropriation for the continuance of
the service of these representatives. Ac-
cordingly the paragraph asking such an
/ appropriation was stricken out.
By a vote of 43 to 80 the appropria-
tion for the employees for work in COIL
nection with the emergency currency
/ was sustained.
The increased cost of living was
brought into the debate by Represent
ative Fitzgerald when the provision for
an additional appropriation for army
rations, because of the advance in price,
was discussed.
| Because of the maladministration of
the Republican party, it has caused
| these increased prices" Mr.. Fitzgerald
declared, amid laughter on the, Repub-
| lican side. You may as weE confess
now,' he added, "and be turned out of
office instead of attempting to offer
pretenses and hypocrisy as an excuse
for your guilt"
Make No Reply
The taunts did not draw any re-
sponse from members of the majority
the additional money for the army
being allowed.
After cleaning up the calendar by
passing about forty bills, majority
of them of private character, the sem
ate today adopted resolution re-
questing the secretary Of the treasury
to advise the senate if newspaper re-
ports were true that the customs
| house at Newport News, Va, was to
be closed tomorrow in observance of
the birthday anniversary Of Gen. Rob-
ert e. Lee.
The senate adjourned at 2:45 p. M
and the house at 5:08. Both houses
will be in session again tomorrow.
A new and interesting turn was
! given to the "insurgent' movement in
/ the house today. Representatives
Hayes of California, Murdocll of Kan
sas and Gardner of Massachusetts,
hastened to the White House to tell
the president in effect that they were
afraid they had been used" by the
Democrats in the Ballinger- -Pinchot
! investigating committee, and that the
| Democrats We're taking advantage of
the opportunity to put two of their
most partisan members on the COM
mittee for the purpose of making po-
liticaI capital Of the affair.
Hayes Explains
Mr.. Hayes was the first of the in
surgents to reach the White House.
He told the president that while he
| was an insurgent he did not intend to
be placed in the position of helping
| the Democrats to throw mud at a
Republican administration" This he
was afraid might happen.
Messrs. James of Kentucky and
| Rainey of Illinois We're selected by the
Democratic caucus for appointment
under the action of the insurgent-
Democratic combination, which took
the power of appointing the commit
tee away from the speaker.
Hardly had Mr.. Hayes left the eX-
| ecutive offices when Messrs. Murdoch
and Gardner walked in. They later
issued a statement saying:
I'VE called on the president and
spoke to him about the personnel of
the investigating committee, but moth
ing definite was decided. The presi-
dent felt it was not for him to in
dicate his choice as to the future ac-
ton of the house in this respect, but
| urged that it was of the utmost inn
| portance that the members of the COM
mittee be recognized by both sides of
the house as fair and impartial from
the investigation"
Call for Caucus
call was issued today for a Repub-
lican caucus of the house Wednesday
night to select the house members of
the Ballinger-P Pinchot investigating
committee The call stated that the
house members would be named, which
many people believe foreshadows an
effort to defeat Representative James
and Rainey, selected as the minority
| members.
Ten bills relating to the public land
and conservation policies of president
Taft and Secretary Ballinger were in
troduced today by Senator Nelson,
chairman Of the public lands commit
tee. The measures are not the same as
those which Representative Mondell of
| wyoming, chairman Of the house COM
mittee on public lands, declined to
champion, but they relate to the same
subjects.
They are notifications of certain
provisions of the former bills, and it
is said many of the objections raised
against the others have been elimi-
mated. 1t is understood Secretary Bal
linger will withdraw the bills sent to
Mr. Mondell and will substitute those
, presented through Senator Nelson
To Act on Statehood
; No time will be lost by the senate
in taking up the question of admitting
| New Mexico and AriZOna as SenaFa te