Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-22
HOUSE STANDS FIRM
Popular Election Measure
Goes Back to the Senate.
PARTISAN FEELING SHOWN
Several Clashes During Five Hours
Debate-Action Lengthens
Session.

Just ne IL the United States Senate
didn't have troubles enough already. the
House yesterday afternoon handed back
to K the resolution prpvidin., for The eie,.-
ton Of senator's BY popular vote. Ry the
decided majority 81 Il. to IL. the House
decline, II concur IN tl.c ErIstow amenl-
mcnt placed IN Tho resolution III the Sch
ate. While? leaves with Congress the
power 10 regulate tie TING and manner
OF holding these elections. The resnlu-
ton. originally passed by the House
anG Oh which that body stands firm.
would amend the Constitution so that
'the times. places and manner OF hold
Ing elections for senator's shall be pre-
scribed III each state by the legislature
thereof
With two exceptions. the vote on the
amendment. was a strictly party affair
Representative Sells of Tennessee. re-
publican. voted with the democrats, and
Representative Burke Of Wisconsin, a
democrat, voted with the republicans.
Action Lengthens Session.
This action by the House returns the
direct elections resolution to the Senate,
which undoubtedly Will ask for con-
ference on II.
II was said when ting resolution was
before the Senate that il could not pass
without a federal-control amendment. The
action of the House creates a deadlock.
but in view OF the closeness Of the vote
on the Bristow amendment in the SEN
ate it is believed that that body will
make concessions. The probable outcome
will be that the resolution in its original
form. giving the states control over the
elections. will be adopted All OF the
southern senator's are against the fed
eral-control amendment, and its oppo-
nents in the Senate will now need to re-
cruit only one vote to beat 1t.
The action of the House further COM
plicates the legislative situation in Con
gress and puts the date OF adjournment
more remotely in the future.
During the five hours of debate i'm
mediately preceding the vote on the
resolution there were some lively ex-
changes and considerable partisan feel
ing was shown. Representative Helm
of Alabama took exception to some
comments by Representative Cannon OF
Illinois in support Of the Bristow
amendment and went after the veteran
hammer and tongs, declaring that he
had always been an enemy of the
south. Mr.. Cannon retorted that the
negro had been kept in politics as a
scarecrow to brighten the people OF the
south and that this scarecrow was re-
sponsible for keeping certain gentle
men In Office.
The burden OF the democratic argu-
ment against the Bristow amendment
was that the people of all the states
could safely be intrusted with the
power of controlling the elections Of
their representatives in the upper
House. The republicans commended that
such delegation of authority would take
from Congress power that it should
properly and rightfully retain. Repre-
sentative Olmsted of Pennsylvania was
in charge Of the republican time, and
Representative Rucker of Missouri.
chairman of the committee on election
Of President, Vice President and mem
bers of Congress, led the successful
opposition.