Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-07-17
Engineered by Senator Bailey Of
Lone Star State.
EFFORT TO CONTROL VOTE
Declared to Be Violation Of Spirit
Of Constitution.
DEMOCRATS ALL LINE UP FOR IT
Resolution Originally Contained
DIRECT Reference to Taft, but as
Passed 10 Much Milder and,
Less Personal.


today indirectly rebuked President Taft
inner case. Once blocked from vote by
the Archibald impeachment proceedings,
resolution, battle-scarred In a protracted.
bitter debate, finally was adopted. IS to
%, denouncing any attempt on the part
Of a president to exercise hir office to In
fluence vote on questions within the
senate's exclusive jurisdiction."s
The resolution was originally framed
by Senator Bailey, who had arraigned
President Taft. asserting that he had
been ''officious and meddlesome," In en-
deavoring to line up regular republican
senators In the Lorimer case.
The resolution as adopted read:
RESOLVED. That any attempt on the
part OF President Of the United States
to exercise the powers and influence
OF his great office for the purpose of
controlling the vote Of any senator upon
a question involving right to seat
In the senate, or upon any other matter
within the exclusive jurisdiction Of the
senate would violate the spirit II not the
iGtAtE VI tio GOI6tituttuh anu iuNaUS tHC
rights Of the senate
Not a democrat voted against the reso-
lutio. but six republicans voted for II.
Republicans who voted for It were Sem
ators Bourne. Clapp. Fall, Gallinger,
McCumber and Works. Democrats who
voted for the resolution were Ashurst,
Bacon, Bailey, Bryan, Chamberlain.
Culberson, Fletcher, Gardner, Hitchcock.
Johnson, Johnston Martin, MARITIME. New
lands. OGorman, overman, Percy, Po-
merene? Reed, Shively. Simmons. Smith
OF Arizona, Smith of Georgia Smith Of
Maryland. Smith of South Carolina,
Stone. Swanson. Thornton and Tillman.
Lineup of Republicans.
Those republicans who voted against the
resolution were: Borah. Brandege, Bris-
tow, Burnham, Burton, Catron, Crawford,
Cummins. Dupont, Gronna Tones, Ken
yon. Massey, Mclean. Nelson. Oliver,
PAGE, Perkins. Root Smith OF Michigan.
Smoot Sutherland and Townsend.
Senator Bailey. who introduced the reso-
luton, denounced the course 6f President
Taft as described In a letter the President
wrote to Colonel Roosevelt on January 6,
1910. which the president made public IN
recent speech during the Massachusetts
primary The original resolution vas d.
rected at presidential influence OF votes
upon the right Of senators to retain their
seats.
When Senator Bailey concluded he ac-
cepted an amendment offered by Senator
McCumber striking out words Of CT n
demnaton from the resolution aud ex-
tending It to other matters within the
exclusive Jurisdiction of the senate. lie
also accepted an amendment by Senator
Hepburn to insert the word would" SO
as to make the resolution more imper-
sonal
G.l IS. .6uathcmrf gfaf kwakwd xwdkd wd
smith Defends President.
The vote was demanded and for an in
slant It appeared that the resolution as
amended would pass unanimously. At this
moment Senator William Alden Smith
took the floor to declare the president
had done nothing improper. and that 1t
was impossible to disconnect Senator Bal
ley s.argumsnt from the resolution.
Strike out the argument then sug-
gested Senator Bailey "Some of 1t ought,
and some of II may be after considera-
tion," shouted the Michigan senator.
Senator Cummins wanted the resolution
amended SO as to apply to the use Of the
office to Influence votes for or against
a bill. He said people would imply by
this commission that such practice was
approved by the senate. He spoke of re-
ports that the presidents had warned
senator's IL they did not vote in certain
way they would be considered out Of the
party.
Senator Smith OF Michigan demanded
that the senator from Iowa be more
specific.
II make the assertion that such has
occurred" said Mr.. Cummins, "and in
the interest of party harmony I trust
that the senator will allow the incident
to be forgotten as fast as the human
memory will permit.
wilson's Words Quoted.
Senator Borah suggested to the senate
that he had heard that the executive
branch of the government was intruding
on the executive. and thereupon read
at length from Woodrow Wilson's book
on congressional government"