The Washington herald., 1913-01-22
DISTRICT BODY
ADYFOR WORK
House Committee to Pass on
Legislation if Quorum Is
Not Present.
THE DEADLOCK BROKEN
Chairman johnson Writes to Men,
bers, Putting the Responsibility
Up to Them.
THE DEADLOCK BROKEN
BY JOSEPH p. AMIN.

Chairman Ben Johnson, OF the District
Committee of the House. yesterday
served notice upon his colleagues on the
committee that the rule which has pre-
vented a meeting OF the committee since
last May will not be enforced rigidly
in the future In a letter to each mem
ber of the committee Mr.. johnson stated
that in the future, unless the absence OF
quorum is brought up at a meeting,
the members Of the committee who are
present and ready to transact business
in the rooms OF the District Committee
Friday mornings will take action on
whatever measures they deem advisable
regardless OF the absence of a quorum
of the committee.
The letter. in part. follows:
1T has been the custom Of the House
Committee on the District of Columbia
not to transact any business at IT'S meet
ings unless a quorum, ascertained by
actual count, was present.
II beg to advise you that in the fu-
ture, at the regular meetings of the COM
mittee, business will be transacted with
out first calling the roll to ascertain
whether or not a quorum is present, and
will take up and consider such bills as
those present may deem best until a
point OF no quorum has been made"
Responsibility on Members.
This action on the part of the chair
man throws the responsibility for their
dereliction sauarely up to those members
of the committee who for various reasons
have consistently absented themselves
from meetings of the House District
Committee. Also il cuts the Gordian
l. III
in through a misunderstanding be-
tween members of tho committee and the
chairman as TO meetings of the COM
mittee
II is at once a formal notification to
the committee that Friday still is the
regular meeting day Of the committee
and that the committee will transact
business on those days IL il is posi-
BILE thing. II deprives those members
who hav" been eKcusing their absence
on the ground that they have received
no formal notice Of meetings Of this
excuse. which in most cases was nothing
more or less than Q very Transparent
subterfuge. It clears those few mem
bers who have been anxious 10 meet and
have taken il for granted that Friday.
the day agreed upon last session for
District committee meetings. of any joint
responsibility for the notorious indifYer-
cnce which the committee has shown to
the work assigned them by the House.
In concluding his letter. the chairman
quotes the rules Of the House ss au-
thority for his action.
This practice" he sHN~. obtains in
the House itself well as in the COM
nrittee of the White iIUusc.
The ruling of Chairman johnson does
not mean that District business before
the committee will be ground out from
now on without interruption. as any
member at any one meeting where no
quorum is present may adjourn the meet
ing summarily by making the point Of no
quorum against any measure under con-
sideration. But such action will carry
with it individual responsibility for the
member making such objection. In most
cases. the transaction OF business with
out the presence Of a quorum means
that only measures to which no present
member has objection can be reported
out.
Little Legislation Probable.
In view Of the lateness OF the session
and the probability that press of ap-
preparation and other important legisla-
tion will operate against the granting
Of much time either in the House or
Senate to consideration OF District busi-
ness. it is to he expected that bills
which have been acted upon already by
the Senate will be considered first.
There are some fifty measures which
have been acted upon by the Senate and
referred in the House to the District
committee and upon which that commit
tee has taken no action to date.
Among these are some OF the most i'm
portant pieces of proposed District legis-
lation of recent years. including the
Gsllinger public utilities bill, which is
almost identical with the measure intro
duced In the House by Representative
Oldfeld. of Arkansas: the Jones' Works
liquor bill; the bill substituting electro
cution for hanging in cases of capital
punishment in the District: the bill
aimed at joy-riding in stolen vehicles:
the Kenyon red light bill and a num-
Der of other important measures