The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-12-09
HOUSE HAS HARD TIME DOING SUM;
 DONOVAN HELPS
Seven and Two Make What? Speaker Clark Counts
 His Fingers
Refuses to Recognize Mem bers Till He Arrives at
 His Own Solution
CBy Our Staff corres.)

Washington, Dec 9-Seven and two make what? Nine? No the sum is eight.
 It was this perp1exing problem in arithmetic which upset the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, and it was not until Representative Donovan of Connecticut solved the problem and prevented the House from doing certain business a day ahead of time that the House was able to proceed with the regular order of business.
 During the debate upon the prob lem in mathematics Speaker Clark found it necessary to consult pre- cedents, and to join with about every other member of the House in count ing up on his fingers. The cause of all of this counting was that Repre- sentative Gardner of Massachusetts, who has probably not recovered from the shock received in the recent Bay State gubernatorial contest, was ex- ceedingly anxious to have the House take from the committee on imm1gra- ton resolution calling for certain information regarding the landing of defective aliens in the United States. In order to discharge a committee from deliberating and reporting on any measure 1t must have been in the committee seven days. After consid- erab1e parliamentary fencing and a 45 minute roll call Representative Mo ore of Pennsylvania asked if it was in or der to discharge the comfnittee.
 Seven days have elapsed said | Speaker Clark.
 MT, Donovan of Connecticut gain ed the floor and said: ."This reso1u- l ton was introduced on the second of the month. How could seven have elapsed when today is only the eighth l of the month ?'
 | thing about not counting the first or 1 the last day, having fallen into the | same trend of thought as the mem Der of Massachusetts, but all of the | students of higher mathematics began to do a little counting after the man ner; that primitive man took his first | lessons in numbers. Suddenly there were about two dozen members of Congress who wanted the privilege tC | declare that the gentleman from Con- necticut was correct.
 But the speaker was not going to allow anyone to settle the question from the floor. The gave1 fell with a bang and MT. Clark said: 'fThe chair is not going to recognize any body until he counts this thing uE himself.''
 He then began to check off his fingers with his gave1. Although he gave @ practical demonstration that lseven and two make nine, and was about to announce it Representativ Gardner from the intellectual atmos- phere of Boston beat him to it, and broke the rules of House by failing to address the chair. He shouted-
 '"The gentleman is right. Seven days have not elapsed.''
 Seven and two make nine,' echoed the speaker, lowing to the gentleman
 from the Fourth Connecticut A fev minutes later Victor Murdock of Kan
 sas and MT. Fitzgerald of New Yorl became involved in a, discussion owe
 patronage and MT. Donovan of Con necticut addressed the chair and said
 ttNGr. Speaker, I rise to a point of orde
 and move that the remarks of the gen
 t1eInan be withheld from the Recort 1 until such time they address thei1
 remarks to the c1air.'
 '"The point of order is sustained,
 roared the speaker, 'ttl1e gentlemen
 will address the chair" and the mem
 Der from the Fourth Connecticut wen
 down in the Record as having bee1 sustained by the speaker of the Hous
 of Representative twice fn live min l utes.