The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-14
First Time the House Ever
Passed Tariff Measure
Over a Veto
DEMOCRATS REJOICE
OVER THE VICTORY
Republicans Claim Vote Was Uncon-
stitutional in That the Necessary
Two-Thirds Majority Was
Not Given-Clark Firm

Washington, August BY the mar
row margin of FIVE votes, the House
today passed the wool tariff revision
bill over President Taft's veto. The
vote, 174 to so. was made possible only
by the detection of 81 republicans who
voted with the democrats. The ar
nouncement of democratic success ere
ated wild scene in the House and
amid great confusion the republican
leaders protested that Speaker Clark
must count as voting 10 members who
answered present to their names, n
ruling which would have defeated the
democratic programme by overcoming
the fve-vote margin over the necessary
two-thirds. This the speaker declined
to do.
Less than an hour after the wool
bill had been repassed in the House,
conferees on the sugar tariff bill met
and disagreed. They determined to re-
port to the House and Senate that 1t
had been found impossible to reach a
compromise between the Underwood
and Lodge -Bristow bills.
This action is expected to mark the
end of the sugar tariff consideration
In the present session and the excise
tax bill, which was framed to make
up revenues that would have been lost
by the reduction of the sugar tariff,
also probably will remain in conference
when Congress adjourns.
While democratic and progressive
leaders of the. Senate do not believe
the wool bill can be passed in that
body over the Presidents veto, they
will continue the demand for action on
the cotton tariff measure.
Surprise to Republicans
The vote on the wool bill came as
a surprise to House republican lead
ersE When they discovered that de-
lection from their ranks was to be
expected it was too late to prevent
it. AS a result the following repub-
licans went over to the democratic
camp and with their votes made vie
tory possible for the majority.
Representatives Akin, New York; An
derson, Davis, Lindbergh. Miller. Steen-
erson and Stevens, Minnesota; AM
skDny. Reed aud Young. Kansas. coop-
er and Morse. Wisconsin; Haugen and
Woods, Iowa: Helgerson, North Da-
kota; Kent, California; Lafferty, ore
gon; LaFollette and Warburton, Wash
ington; Norris and Sloan, Nebraska
Unprecedented Action
Not In the memory of the oldest mem
Der of the House has a tariff measure
ever been passed over the President 5
veto by the lower branch of Congress.
When Speaker Clark announced the
vote and declared the bill again had been
passed, "the Presidents veto TO the con-
trafy.' there was wild outburst Of ap-
plause from the democratic side. The
tumult was increased BY demands of half
a dozen republicans that the ruling was
unconstitutional. When semblance of or
der was restored, Representative Gard
ner of Massachusetts insisted that the
constitution provided that a two-thirds
vote of the House was necessary ana
That the ten members voting present
should be counted, for they had recorded
their presence in the House Representa-
tive Olmstead of Pennsylvania, one of
the foremost parliamentarians in Con-
gress supported the contention.
Those ten members who voted pres
eni.'' said the speaker after a lengthy
examination of the precedents, are rec
cgnized as being present only to constitute
a quorum. The constitution, as interpre-
ted in the past, clearly provides that all
vote"
Representative Fitzgerald of New
orlS, democrat, supported Mr.. Olmstead
and Mr. Gardner in their contentious
while Minority Leader Mann supported
the speakers position. The speaker
when the debate broke out with the re-
neweG vigor, quickly put damper on It.
Clark Is Firm
You may talk all you want, he said
t1sa q haE na infanfinn
later of changing its ruling"
shortly before the vote was taken Mi
nority Leader Mann appealed to his fol-
sowers to stand by a republican party
md protect the tariff principles. He
urged upon them the necessity to remain
with the minority in order 10 safeguard
II great American industry which, he
said. would he destroyed under the terms
of the democratic bill Mr.. Underwood.
who followed Mr.. Mann and closed the
debate, exhorted wavering republicans
TO ioin with the democrats in passing the
la3ll over the veto of the President, who
believed he could dam back the demands
of the American people with veto mes
eaees''