Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-04
ON Job ALL NIGHT
Weary Senators Struggle to
Break Legislative Jam.
ONLY TWO HOURS OF REST
Chance for Maps Between S and Z
O'Clock This Morning.
TWO FILIBUSTERS AT ONCE
Owens Against New Mexican Con-
stitution and Roots Against
Reapportionment.
TWO FIL1BUSTERS AT ONCE
Post Office Bill Is Passed.

Post Office Bill Is Passed.
Persisting in the effort to get through
with the appropriation bills. which it
had begun with the beginning Of yes
terday's session at 10 o'clock. the Sem
ate took up late in the afternoon the post
Office appropriation bill. and two of the
few remaining hours of the session were
consumed IA it's consideration.
Chief interest in the bill centered on
the amendment providing for an increase
from l to cents per pound In the post
age on second-class mail matter. The
committee had previously decided to
withdraw it. but it was not put out of
the way before several senator's took the
to make some comment on
it. Senators Cummins. Bristow and
Owen were particularly prominent in the
discussion.
Inherited Bad System.
Looking straight at Postmaster General
who sat in one Of the seats
on the republican side of the chamber,
Senator Bristow declared that the deficit in
the postal service was not due to the ex-
pense of handling second-class matter,
but to ..ineficiency and mismanagement
in the department" He denied that he
was criticfsing the present management,
and he explained that the present Post
ma ster General had inherited a bad sys-
tenn thai had been growing up for years.
Senator Penrose secured the floor few
minutes later. and offered the substitute
for the committee amendment. 1t pro-
vides for the appointment Of commission
OF three. to be appointed by the President,
to investigate the entire subject Of hand
ling second-class mail matter. One is to
be a judicial officer Of the government
and the other two are to hold no Office
in the Post Office Department nor have
any connection with magazines. The
was agreed to without discus
SIGN and without objection.
Fight Over Rural Delivery.
Hardly had that been disposed of and
another amendment read. than another
discussion was started. An amendment
proposed to consolidate the appropria-
lions for rural routes and star routes,
and Senators Curtis, Swanson, Simmons
and Bankhead were vigorous in their OPP
position. 1t was charged that the amend
ment was an insidious scheme to allow
the post Office department to substitute
star routes for rural routes in many
places. and to such action the senators
took exception. They contended that Con-
gress had directed the building up and
extension Of the rural delivery system.
and that the Post Office Department
should not be given the chance to stop IT..
extension. Oil was poured on troubled
waters when it was suggested that the
amount of the total appropriation for the
two services be SO limited that only
specified amount, small in proportion to
the total, could be expended for star
Senator Penrose, who was in charge of
the bilk as means toward the final
passage Of the measure. The bill was
agreed to about $50 O'Clock.
. 49,, n,t.A 1,n% >In~ 80 hN
post office bill would be the signal for a
recess. but Senator McCunber interrosed
He moved the consideration of all the
pension bills on the calendar-and there
were six of them. The Vice President,
the reading clerk and practically all the
united to get them through as
soon as possible So much OF several Of
the forty-page bills was skipped in the
reading that practically nothing but Sug-
gested committee amendments were read
The Senate voted many hundred pensions
and increases Of pensions to war veterans
in half an hour.
Given a Brief Rest.
A recess from o'clock until 8 O'clock
offered an opportunity for a brief rest
from the continuous session from 10
o clock in the morning-quite siege for
a body that usually meets from IL
o clock until 4:30-with day off now and
then.
The general deficiency bill was the Or
der. Immediately after the session was
The reading clerk droned
the bill with slow progress. Sena-
tor Owen, who has been conducting
fiIibuster on the appropriation measures.
keeping close tabs on the reading to see
that not a word was sighted. Whenever
his attention was attracted by converse
ton with another senator the reading
1ovlr "a
of paragraphs on nearly every page. Sena-
tor Owen looked surprised at the progress
made since he was last following the
but he remained silent for the
most part.
Senator Chamberlain proposed small
and called for a division.
Three senators stood. to indicate they
were for 1t: seven or eight OF the re-
publican regulars rose when the noes
were called for and many others nodded
their heads
ION the amendment announced the
Vice President, 1.-The ayes are three and
the noes are forty-three." Every one in
the chamber laughed and Senator Cnam /
berlain did not prot st the decision. The
provisions of the bill. as finally agreed
to, are set forth in another column
Unopposed Bills Taken Up.
1t was about II o'clock when the gen. |
eral deficiency measure was finally pass |
ed and the Senate agreed to take up un- |
opposed bills on the calendar. Senators !
for recognition to get through :
ocal measures before the session adjourn |
ed, and for two hours a bill was passed |
every Two or three minutes.
Senator Bailey made an initial attempt |
to get the resolution ratifying the New |
Mexico constitution UP for consideration |
shortly after II o'clock. A single objec- |
tiCn was sufficient TO prevent the consid- |
era ton of any matter that was called for |
Senator Owen furnished the single OBJ |
lection to the request made by the Tex
an senator, and Senator Bailey retorted |
that If the democratic senator from Okla |
homa was to pursue such tactics the dem
ocrats of New Mexico might just as we'll |
be thrown in the river.
Along about ] o'clock Senator Bailey !
a sked If it was in order to move to take
IN the New Mexico constitution resolu-
lion. and he was informed 1t was in or
der. He at once made the motion. Sen /
ator Kean tried to get In an executive
session, and ne made the motion. The /
Senate. however, on division Voteo
against the executive session, ~ to %
and the New Mexico constitution was
aid before the Senate.
Fitting Close to Session.
Both Senators Bailey. democrat, and