Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-03
DISTRICT BILLS LOSE
Street Extension and Police
and Firemen's Pension.
INDIFFERENCE TO NEEDS
Attitude Of House Toward Local Leg.
islation Clearly illustrated Dur
ing Closing Hours.

The attitude of the House of Repre-
sentatives toward the District Of Column
| bia committee of that body was again IL
| Illustrated yesterday and last night when
| the bill providing for a police and fire.
mans relief fund and two other meas
ures providing for the extension o: Tn
! derwood street and of Barry place were
| defeated. The pension bill was lost by
vote of 61 to q. whereas under suspension
of the rules two-thirds majority was
necessary to pass it.
The other measures failed by approx
| mately the same ratio
The only explanation for the passage by
the House yesterday afternoon of the bill
| providing for the extension of Van Buren,
| street northwest from its present eastern
, terminus west of 9Th street to it's present
| western terminus east Of Sd streets north,
lies in the fact that Representative John
| son of Kentucky, who will be chairman of
| the District committee in the next demo-
| cratic House. and who has been Objecting
| consistently to every bill reported from the
| District committee this session, was not
| on the floor at the time when the Van
Buren, street meaure was called up.
| Later. when Mr.. johnson ascertained
what had happened, he made a strenuous
| effort to induce the House to rescind it's
favorable action on the measure. but had
not sufficient strength to accomplish his
object.
Defeat Barry Place Extension.
! Late last night while the House was
waiting to act on conference reports and
on bills passed by the Senate during the
| last day or two another attempt was
made to secure action on District bills.
1t was at this time that the measure pro-
v.ding for the Barry place extension
through the grounds of Howard Univer-
| sity was called up. Representative
Humphreys of Mississippi was the prln-
| cipal opponent of this asure, declaring
| that the passage of the bill would result
in two families having their homes taken
| from them
A comment by Representative Kendall
of Ohio seemed to express the sentiment
of members toward the District commit
tee and incidentally threw tired members
warmest part of Mr. Humphreys speech
Mr. Kendall rose solemnly from his seat
and interrupted.
Does not the gentleman from Missis
| sippi know that this bill has been recon-
| mended by the District of Columbia
committee?" Mr.. Kendall asked.
81 do said Mr.. Humphreys.
Then Mr.. Kendall suggested, you
must realize that your eloquent opposition
| to this bill is altogether unnecessary
Carlin Assists Olcott.
Representative Clcott Of New York,
| who was in charge of the police and
firemens pension bill, was aided in his
efforts to secure it's passage by Repre-
sentative Carlin of Virginia. They ex-
planned that the original Senate bill pro-
vided that all fines including those col
Iected from persons convicted of cruelty
to animals, were to go to the retirement
fund. But this last feature had been
stricken from the bill by the Senate COM
nttee after the explanation that the
Humane Society would find itself cut off
from it's chief source of revenue by the
adoption of such a provision.
Notwithstanding the eloquent appeals
made by Representatives Olcott, Carlin
and others. the House sat on the pension
bill good and hard, destroying all chances
of it's enactment for the present session
of Congress at least
So, although the House idled quite a bit
yesterday, the District of Columbia which
mas been deprived of practically all its
time on the floor during the present ses-
sion, was able to secure the passage of
only one small. comparatively unimpor-
extension bill is intended to further an
improper real estate deal is sufficient to
kill any measure of this sort in the House
at present This was practically the sole
argument advanced against the several
street extension measures called up yes
terday.