Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-19
WHAT IS A QU0RUM?'
Senate Debates Ruling of Vice
President Sherman.
COUNTED PAIRED SENATORS
Discussion on Subject Lasts Nearly
an Hour.
JOURNAL FINALLY APPROVED
Presence Of Required Number De-
termined Only by Roll Call,
It Is Declared.
COUNTED PAIRED SENATORS
JOURNAL FINALLY APPROVED

A fine rumpus in the Senate. that mani
rested Itself as soon as the upper house
started today's session. has been stirred
up by the ruling of the Vice President
Saturday afternoon that he could count
senators announcing their pairs and with
holding their votes to hold that a quorum
OF the Senate was present.
1t was suggested that the Vice Presi-
dent had usurped the power of Speaker
Reeo IN counting quorum of the SEN
ate. And most of the speeches were
aimed to instruct the Vice President that
he was to determine the presence or alb
sence Of quorum only by responses to
a roll call.
The discussion started with the reading
of the journal of Saturdays proceedings.
1t was therein recorded that only forty
one senator's voted on one call, and that
when it was suggested that a quorum
forty-seven-did not vote. the Vice Presi-
dent held that six senators had an
nounced their pairs. and that, counting
them. a quorum was present.
Will Raise Question.
Senator McCumber announced his in
to whether or not a motion was won or
lost in case a majority of the Senate did
not actually vote upon it, He thought 1t
was not opportune to raise the question
in connection with a question of the ap-
prevail Of the journal
II do not think 1t is inopportune, Sem
ator Culberson remarked, for one SEN
ator to protest against a ruling that is
against
body. That protest can be made by pro-
testing against the approval of the jour-
nal, and that is what I do now
During the discussion, which lasted for
about an hour, there was almost unanim-
ity Of opinion that the presiding officer
Of the Senate could not count 2 quorum,
and that he had done so by his ruling
Saturday. Senator Hale. while granting
that no harm was done by the ruling
Saturday, insisted that the presence of a
quorum was determined only by the
answer to q call Of the roll of senators.
When a senator announces his pair. ii
was held, he makes himself practically
absent.
THE counting of a quorum" suggested
Senator Carter, means the substituting
of sight for sound
Does the Senator from Montana
Think asked Senator Smith Of Michigan,
that senator announcing his pair an
uOuttCeS HIS dDScHCC tHe CudIuDSI.
NO" replied Mr.. Carter, "he is an
nouncing his presence"
Yes" continued Mr.. Smith, land the
Vice President would be blind, indeed. II
he did not detect the presence Of the
senator"
Those Taking Part.
Several other senators, including Hey
burn of Idaho. Bailey Of Texas and Ba-
con Of Georgia, joined in the discussion.
It was their general contention that the
Senate has specifically provided in its
rules that the presence of a quorum
should be determined by only one way
the answer to a roll call. Any other way
and by implication that adopted by the
Vice President saturday-was not proper,
it was held. under the Senate's rules.
Senator Bailey urged that the Senate
should insist that it's presiding officer
execute its rules properly. The presiding
by it and cannot be removed by it's &C.
ton. Therefore, the Senate cannot be
too careful. he thought. to insist that the
Vice President direct the proceedings In
accordance with the fixed rules.
Senator Shively of Indiana suggested
that it had not been commended that the
minutes were inaccurate in recording
some action that was not taken, and that
view seemed to prevail when the ques-
ton of approving the Saturday journal
was put. There were a few no. votes,
however.