The Washington times., 1911-02-18
CLOCK rs STOPPED
BY OMNIBUS BILL
Recess Ruling by Speaker
Cannon Makes Today
Still Friday.
Continued from First Page.)

CONTINUED from flrSl Page.)
by its action last night, and that the
House is still in, session in the legislative
day of Friday"
There was loud Democratic applause.
After Mr.. Foss had been voted down in
his plan to take up the naval bill, Mr..
Mann pursued tilibustering tactics by
demanding a roll call before he would
permit the omnibus claims measure to
be again formally brought to the atten-
tion of the recesser House.
All Night Session.
According to the present temper Of
those behind the claims bill, the House
will continue in session all night and
into Sunday. if necessary. to pass the
bill The parliamentary situation In
the House today is unique, and 1t BODIES
no good to the big appropriation bills
which are yet to pass the House, in
the few days remaining before March 4.
II the Democrats can hold the forty
odd Republicans who have been voting
with them, the legislative day of Fri
day can last Indefinitely and the omni-
bus claims bill will have the right OF
way.
Meanwhile, the House has yet to con-
slider the following big appropriation
bills. carrying hundreds Of millions of
dollars:
Naval military academies. diplomatic
and consular, fortifications, general de-
ficlency. and the sundry civil. the latter
the biggest bill of them all and to
which ordinarily the House devotes a
full week
In addition, the House has yet to dis
appropriation bills upon which Ne
House and Senate have disagreed.
Sunday Cannot Interfere.
Representative Sherley. a recognized
House parlia amentarian, said this after
noon that Sunday could not interfere
with the legislative days of Friday and
that all the Democrats had to do is to
hold the vote and demand that the
claims bill shall pass If it requires a
week.
Tie claims measure consists of $50
pages and its first reading has but fairly
begun, Mr.. Mann during his aiibuster
refusing TO consent TO dispense with the
first reading of the bill.
Next the bill is 10 be taken up by sec
tiOns and If the Republicans conclude to
flibuster still almost unlimited debate
can be had upon every paragraph.
Seeking evidently to embarrass the
Democrats. the Senate inserted in the
omnibus war claims bill a number of
the French spOliatiOn claims, in which
seven Democrats are not Interested
Rather than lose the $I50.0C0 worth of
war claims, however, advocates of these
measures may swallow the Senate bill
and also authorize S2,G0O,GC in French
spOliation claims.
When tho claims bill finally got be-
fore the House this afternoon, Repre-
sentative Mann. who is leading the Re
publican tilibuSter. began to make points
of no quorum again and a tiresome ses-
sior seems iminent Mr.. Mann yes
terday succeeded in obtaining more
than a dozen calls. each requiring about
thirty minutes time.
Motion Is Unprecedented.
Representative Olmsted. who acted as
Speaker pro tenn during the stormy ses-
sion last night. which was marked by
an order to arrest and bring before the
bar Of the House all absentees In the
effort to obtain a quorum, said after
adjournment that the Underwood mo-
ton is unprecedented. Never before, he
declares. has the House taken a recess
until the exact hour for the beginning of
another legislative day.
Incessant roll calls for House
quorum punctuated the House proceed
ings during the reading of the omnibus
claims bill, after Mr.. MannS fiilibuster
could no longer prevail. At O'Clock
last night the Democrats, by vote of
ll5 to II, passed a resolution requiring
thet Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest all abb
sentees.
Speaker Pro Tenn Olmsted issued war
rants for about 200 absent members
Meanwhile the Democrats amused them
selves by paying tributes to the soldiers
OF the civil war and in bantering Mr..
Mann.
Mr.. Shackelford of Missouri arose pc
riodically with a demand to know if the
rests. Mr.. Hefiin of Alabama thought
that Speaker Cannon should be brought
before the bar.
Ignored Cries for Cannon.
Each member of the House should be
present 1 want the regular Speaker to
preside" shouted Mr.. Heflin. Let him
be sent for, too"
Mr.. Olmstead. who had caused to be
read an order designating him as
Speaker pro tenn, ignored the demand.
The stragglers began to come in, and
Mr.. Olmsted finally announced that he
could count 1913 members. a quorum of
the present House Mr.. Mann moved to
dispense with the private calendar, the
war claims bill, and was voted down, 10
to 2S.
All patriots vote mo-" directed Mr..
Clayton amid laughter. Mr.. Mann OBJ
quorum had again vanished. Another
roll call was had and 1913 members
were corralled Then Mr.. Underwood
moved to "recess," which would have
made the claims bill the special order
until the House voted upon il.
Mr.. Mann and a dozen of his SUD-
porters caught the significance OF Mr.
Underwood lapse of memory. Soc.
the chair. The motion to recess unt
IL o'clock today carried without
sent Mr.. Mann laughed heartily and
and a few knowing parliamentarians
on the Republican side applaudea
passage of the Underwood motion.
The Democrats looked bewildered for
a moment. realized their blunder, and
began to congregate in the cloak
rooms after adjournment to devise
a way of regaining the temporary ad
vantage for which they had fou.
all the afternoon and night.