The Washington times., 1911-05-17
HENRY STIRS UP BIC
INSURGENCY WAVE
Rules Chief Arbitrarily Names Trust Investigating Com
mttees, and Angry Democrats Fire Broad
side of Protests

bag" said Mr.. Martin, with warmth.
II was not consulted about these COM
mittee selections. i am interested IN
the investigation of these trusts. and
want to know who gave the gentleman
from Texas the right to name these
special committees. Why hasn't eau
Gus been called"
Representative Henry said his selec-
tions We're merely nominations, and
that the House could amend the reso-
luton II 1t chose.
Fitzgerald Wrathy.
.It's useless to talk of amendment"
hotly interposed Representative Fitz-
gerald IF / disapproved of any Of
your selections, I would not come out
in the open and say so here. Suppose
that l, as chairman of the Committee
on Appropriations. had assumed the au-
thority to name these committees. They
would have been rejected by the House.
and rightly so. And l have the same
right as the, chairman of the Committee
on Rules. / do not cGncede that the
Committee on Rules has any jurisdic-
ton. 1t was an unwarranted assump-
ton on your part" Mr.. Fitzgerald add
The Committee on Rules knew moth
ing of these selections?" said Repre-
sentative Lenroot, a member of the
committee. Z >,
continued Mr.. Fitzgerald. but do offer
a most emphatic protest against any in
dividual or any committee of this House
usurping such powers as this. 1t will
be elected by the House or named by
the Speaker. We caucauSed on the
members of the Ballinger- -Pinchot in
vesttgating committee. By what right
does the chairman of the Rules Commit
tee take this power to himself now?"
Representative Sisson, Mississippi
took exception to Mr.. Henry's defense
that he had consulted various members,
perhaps a hundred
Il venture 20 say that not one-tenth OF
the membership now here ever heard of
these selections before" said Mr.. Sis
son. Il never did: you took me by sur
prise. as you have taken many Of US
by surprise"
you never consulted me-" Joined in
Representative Cox of Indiana. Il am
in thorough accord with Mr.. Fitzgerald,
and / protest against such an assump-
ton of authority"
to name these committees?" demanded
Representative Cox, Indiana Democrat,
addressing Mr.. Henry.
All Against 1t.
You had no authority" yelled sew
eral Democrats. Representative Sisson
moved to refer the whole matter to
Leader Underwood asked him to with
| draw the motion. as he, as chairman
of that committee. did not want to have
| anything to do with naming the Steel
trust investigators. Mr.. Sisson refused
| to withdraw, but agreed to modify his
| motion by naming some other commit
| lee. He was interrupted by demands
for a caucus.
That's the thing" shouted Represen-
tative- Shackleford OF Missouri Let
the caucus decide. ] did not know of
these selections until this minute, and
protest now against the gentleman
from Texas making the selections.
respect his judgment and have no OBJ
! lection to the personnel of this investi-
eating committee, but we are not goinG
to turn backward and vest such power
| in the hand of any one man.
| 1T Is Just such practices as this that
will bring the Democratic party into
| disrepute. and justly so. | protested
| four years against such methods as
| this, and l protest now when my own
party employs them. 1t is not Demo
| cratic. and Is un-American."
| Unable to reach compromise. Mr.,
| Underwood finally moved an abrupt ad-
! journment, and thus terminated the war
\ of words.