Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-20
WAR CLAIMS BILL PASSED
AFTER 40 MINUTES TALK
No Need for Extra Session So Far
as House Is Concerned.
MINORITY HOLDS VETO POWER
First Proposition Of Rules Commit
tee for Passage by Majority
Vote Is Rejected by
Democrats.

by the adoption at noon today Of q
rule to permit the consideration OF all
legislation under suspension Of the rules.
the House of Representatives made i'm
possible any further filibustering and dis
posed Of the rumor that a goodly pro-
portion Of the old guard intended to en-
force an extra session. The House at
once got down to business ana at 12:45
pm. passed the omnibus claims bill by a
viva voce vote.
AS at first brought in the rule pro-
vided for the passage of measures un Ter
suspension and by a majority vote. The
democrats refused to accept this. The
rules committee then went into session
and produced a modification, providing
for the passage of bills under suspension
by two-thirds vote.
This was accepted. The democratic side
voted almost solidly for it after Repre-
sentative Underwood of Alabama and
other leaders had pointed out that the
two-thirds requirement practically gave
the minority the veto power on all legis-
lation for the rest of the session.
As result of the adoption of the rule
it. is expected that the congestion OF busl-
ness in the House. which has been grow
ing for periods Of late. will be Immediate
ly relieved and that so far as the stage
os business in the lower branch OF the
national legislature is concerned there
will be no necessity for an extra session.
Majority Vote Plan Rejected.
When the House met at 10 o'clock this
leaders to put an end to the three-day
consideration of all remaining business
under suspension of the rules. This
would mean that all measures, big and
$4OODO,OOO must be voted upon after
only forty minutes of debate, and that q
majority vote would prevail.
Mr.. Dalzell Of Pennsylvania, chairman
OF the committee on rules, presented this
proposition. which raised such storm Of
protest on the democratic side that 1t
was withdrawn.
The rules committee then went into
session again and in a short time re-
ported a rule providing for the enact
ment OF business under suspension. but
by a two-thirds. instead of a majority
vote. Most of the democrats. including
Champ Clark. the Speaker-to-be. and the
other leaders, gave assurances that they
would support this.
In the meantime, while waiting for this
rule to be produced, the House, on motion
of Representative Law of New York.
chairman OF the committee on war claims.
had gone into committee of the whole to
consider the war claims bill, which after
the persistent filibuster by Representative
Mann of Illinois was substituted early
Sunday morning for the Senate omnibus
claims measure.
Mr.. Aliens Death Announced.
The committee had hardly started on
consideration of this measure. the filbus
ter by Representatives Gardner of Mas
sachusetts and Bennett of New York. who
took up the work where Mr.. Mann
dropped it. being still in progress. when
Representative Roberts of Massachusetts
offered the French spoliation claims as
an amendment to the war claims bill.
Mr.. Mann made q point of order that the
was not germane. but before
this was passed upon by the chair the
committee was notified of the death, at
o'clock this morning, of Representative
Amos Allen of the first Maine district,
and then proceeded to consider the modi-
fled gag rule brought in by Representa-
tive Dalzell.
In reporting the modified rule Mr.. Dali
Zell explained that, under the rules OF
the House. the last six days OF the ses-
sion are suspension days, when any
motion may be entertained by the Speak
er. and when appropriation measures,
conference reports and general legisla-
tive matters may be voted upon after
forty minutes of debate. This rule. he
added merely added five days to the sus-
pension days, permitting the House to
begin at once to get rid of the conges-
ton of accumulated business.
Democrats Pledge Support
Representative Underwood of Alabama.
the democratic chairman-elect Of the
ways and means committee supported
the rule and indorsed Mr.. Dalzell's state
ment. He declared that the rule, as
should not be considered OBJ
jectionable by the democrats inasmuch
as the provision that bills called up under
must be passed by a two
thirds vote gave entire control of the
situation to the minority.
He expressed his belief that it was the
duty of the democratic side, within rea-
sonable limits, to make certain Of the
passage of the great annual supply bills.
so as to obviate. if possible. the necessity
tor an extra session so far as the lower
branch of Congress was concerned
Representative Flood of Virginia DEM
that there was an insurgent
minority of the democratic side on the
proposition of the gag rule.
An extra session has no terrors for
me- Mr.. Flood declared. in the course
Of a speech denouncing the rule
Suppose there is an extra session" he
cried. "Will the democrats be held re-
;ponsible? 1t is inconceivable. But I do
not believe the failure of this rule would
mean an extra session. Ever
since last Friday the democrats of this
House. and many republicans, have tried
% pass a claims bill that no member of
he body has questioned. Now, after
wasting three days. the republicans pro-
luce a gag rule the like of which ! have
never seen in my twenty years expert
nee in Congress.
Holds Republicans Responsible.
IAN extra session has no terrors for
ne. It has been stated that unless the
,enate yields and passes the reciprocity
ill there will be an extra session OF