Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-09
Compel Further Conference on
the District Bill.
POINT OF ORDER SUSTAINED
Item for Fairgrounds Goes Back to
Conferees.
SUBJECT OF SPIRITED DEBATE
Half-and-Half Principle Ignored by
the Appropriations Committee
of the House.

of the House.
The friends of the Washington public
Fairgrounds in the House succeeded yes
terday in preventing the adoption Of the
conference report on the District appro-
priaton bill whereby the appropriation
for the Fairgrounds had been stricken
out. Although they were unable to get
the House to agree to the Senate amend
ments. which changed the form of the
SIT 900 appropriation for the Fairgrounds
so that half the money would come from
the national Treasury, instead of all COM
ing from the District revenues and that
also provided for ''supervision'' of the
grounds, they caused the bill to be sent
to conference again with instructions that
the House further insist upon its dis
agreements with the Senate amendments.
Parsons Point of Order.
When the conference report was called
up by Representative Gardner of Mich
igan. who is chairman of the subcom-
mittee on District appropriations of the
appropriations committee, was about to
ask for the adoption of the report, when
Representative Parsons of New York
made the point of order that the con-
ferees had entirely exceeded their au-
thority in striking out all provision for
the play grounds in making their report.
He declared that both the Senate and
the House had made an appropriation for
amount. The. conferees, he declared.
were therefore powerless to strike out
this provision as the only means of
agreeing on the item without further sub
hitting the question to both houses. In
this he was backed up by Representative
worth of Ohio and Representative Foster
of Vermont.
Mr.. Tawney's View.
On the other hand, Representative
Tawney. chairman of the appropria-
lions committee. declared that the con-
ferees were well within their rights
when they struck out the playground
item. A long wrangle ensued over the
parliamentary situation and the power
of the conferees. Speaker Cannon
finally sustained the point of order
made by Mr.. Parsons, and the effort Of
the conferees to have the report agreed
to was defeated.
Mr.. Tawney then tried to defeat the
efforts of the supporters of the play
grounds by Offering a motion to refer
the bill back to the appropriations
committee with instructions to agree
to the Senate amendment regarding the
Fairgrounds appropriation. but to make
the money payable out Of the District
revenues for the fiscal year 1915. This
would have absolutely nullified the ap-
preparation. A point Of order made by
Mr.. Parsons against this motion was
also sustained.
Moves for Recession.
Mr.. Parsons then moved that the House
should recede from it's disagreement to
the Senate amendments and agree to
them. A spirited debate followed this
motion, in which charges against the
management of the Fairgrounds were
made by Representatives Tawney and
Gardner. The motion was finally de-
feated by 142 to Ill, ID voting present
and 100 not voting. Mr.. Gardner moved
that the House further insist on its dis
agreements to the Senate amendments
and ask for a conference. This was
agreed to and the bill was thus ordered
to conference.
Discusses Use Of Term.
Mr.. Gardner declared during the de-
bate that previous Fairgrounds funds
have not been properly administered; too
much of the money appropriated has been
spent on supervision and too little on
equipment. He said, in part:
Mr.. Speaker. this word supervision
is an exceedingly important one in this
connection. l may say, general
proposition, that that word has brought
the whole playground question j. to dis
repute in this District and has discred-
tied it not only with the committee,
but with the House. Year after year
we have this word supervision in the
appropriation, and the funds have been
diSSiDated which have been annrOnri-
ated by the House-by the District on
the one hand, and by the citizens on the
other. 1 am entirely within the truth
when 1 say that very large percent
age of all of the money that has been
appropriated in years preceding this
has been dissipated through the word
supervision If that word rests here
you can expend $4,000 for supervision,
it.; 80. ~. 10, so per cent of the money
which has been appropriated in pre-
vious years has been paid out for 'su-
pervision.
of salaries; and I may say that there is
a gentleman whose salary is involved in
this $1,000 who has given certain men,
bers of this House no rest since this mat
ter has been in question, and members of
this committee can testify that in other
years, where the gentleman was getting,
as stated in the Senate hearings OF 1909,
an aggregate, not out of this appropria-
ton entirely. but an aggregate Of $1,000
for the supervision of Fairgrounds of the
District and as secretary of the Playground
Association of America; that he went to
room after room. visiting members by day
and by night. beseeching them to vote for
the appropriation that should have the
word supervision in it. well knowing that
not only he, but every employee whom he
might 0. K, could draw his money under
that word, and the equipment has gone
begging.
Origin Of the Movement.
"a voluntary association of good peo-
ple-and / have nothing to say against
them-came together and organized chill
drens playground association. They
were busy business men. Like such men
they turned the matter over to their
agent, an imported man, at a large SAL
airy, who divided his time and interests.
drawing salaries from other sources writ
ing books on Fairgrounds and giving his
time and strength to other work, and vet
drawing from this alone $2,4CO a wear.
He stated in the Senate committee two or
three years ago that his aggregate in
come was $4,000 per year. We could get
no report from anybody. We knew that
the money was being dissipated We have
sought to know where the money of the
people went. and we have said to some of
thes.; people, when you get an organized
body of men to whom this matter can be
and you can make a detailed statement
OF your expenditures year by year and
what for, then we will be ready to report
ont on approprfa tjOp FOR this ,,roo.a -