Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-11
House at Midnight Votes
to Obey Court Summons

AS a result of the action of the two
houses of Congress yesterday on the
court order requiring the attendance OF
members of the joint printing committee
on a writ of mandamus issued on the
application of the Valley Paper Com
pany, remarkable situation was de-
yeloped. The Senate, as was published
yesterday in The Star, instructed Its
summoned members TO pay no attention
to the action of the court. But the House
of Representatives, after debating the
question from before o'clock yesterday
afternoon until nearly NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
of a dinner recess OF an nour anu
ha'f-took just the opposite attitude
The proposition offered by Representa-
tive CLAYTON of Alabama, practical fden-
teal with that approved by the senate
was turned down and the resolution IN
dorsed by large majority of the COM
mittee on the judiciary-that the House
members of the joint printing committee
be granted leave to appear In court ana
plead, without instructions-was adopted
by the overwhelming vote OF ia to o6.
Compromise Is Defeated.
\ compromise proposition put FORWARD
by Representative Richard Wayne Parker
OF New Jersey. chairman of the committee
on the Judiciary. to the effect that the
summoned members of the lower oranch
Of the national legislature be granted
leave to appear in court ana pieao oliIy
TO the question of Jurisprudence, with
permission to appeal the matter 10 tne
supreme Court of the United States, was
lost on a viva voce vote
Representative Brantley of Georgia
wrote and presented the report of the
majority of the judiciary committee. Rep
resentatiye Parker of New Jersey. Clay
ton of Alabama and Henry OF Texas CON
stituted the minority. Incidentally, Mr.
Clayton formed a minority OF the MINOR
ity on the matter, as he was the only
committee advocate of the adoption OF
the Senate instruction to its joint pruning
committee members to ignore the ofoei
OF the court.
The record vote on the Clayton amend
metn-for after that had been voted
down the committee motion was adopted
on voice vote-displayed an absolute
lack of party lines. 1t was possible ol
this question, for members TO vote III ac-
cordance with their indiv dual convIc-
tjons. without regard to party or politics.
Applaud Brantley's Speech.
1t is admitted on both sides of the
chamber that Mr.. Brantley's closing
speech in favor of the majority recon-
mendations and against the Clayton SUBJ
stitute was one of the most finished,
clear and complete expositionS of deli
cate legal and even constitutional Ques-
ton that has been heard in the House OF
Representatives for many long day.
Repeatedly he was interrupted by spon-
taneous outbursts of applause from both
sides of the aisle, and when he COM
pleted his address he was given what
amounted to an ovation.
During the debate, which did not be-
come personal at any time, practically
all the recognized legal lights of the
House got into action. The discussion
was academic throughout, but of inter-
est, even to the layman, owing to the
popularity of the quest on involved, and
!. good-sized crowd reInained in the gal
leries of the House until the midnight
adjournment.