Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-08
DRIVES THE HOUSE 1
DER THORNY PATHS
Representative Mann Again
Prevents Body From
Doing Any Work.
SPEAKER CLARK AWAY.
SHERLEY YIELDS GAvEL
Many Legislators Hasten Back to
Capital, But Quorum Is
Lacking. ~

Blocking every attempt to do bu.i.
ness without a quorum in tho House
or Representatives. Jim" Mann. repub,
lican floor leader. proved himself again
TO-DAY TO be master OF the parliamentary
situation In the House. and an apt
| hand at driving the majority willy
hily over hard and thorn-strewn
paths
Representative Mann blocked another
attempt TO do any business with the
| urgent deficiency bill. with it's sa.-
| 100000 i'm appropriations and its i'm
portant legislation concerning thu
Commerce Court and the civil service
protection in tho internal revenue
| service.
Sherley Acts as Speaker.
| Speaker Clark still being away. Rem.
resentative Sherley acted In his place.
and from the moment he took HIS
gavel In hand there was trouble for
him. The slim attendance of yester-
day was augmented today. Twenty
members of the House who had been
at the Knoxville exposition opening had
| returned and about twenty-five others
telegraphed that they would be on
| hand. Speaker Clark was said to be
making an address I'm Wheeling. w.
Va
The democrats suffered keenly under
| the parliamentary 1ashes OF their An
| cient enemy, Representativ Mann, and
the absence of a leader on the majority
| side was distinctly noticeable.
Strife Starts at Once.
| The trouble began as soon as Repre-.
sentative Swagar Sherley raped for
order from the Speakers chair. 1t was
| a moment after noon, a few seconds later
| than the precise hour set for the meeting
| of the House. Representative Sherley,
before the prayer, offered letter to Jerry
South. acting as clerk in the absence Of
| South Trimble. clerk The letter was
dated i'm the Speakers room. October 8.
| today. 1t designated Swagar Sherley as
| Speaker pro tenn for today.
| Representative Mann arose: us that
| letter signed by the Speaker he said.
/ "It is said Representative Sherley.
Does it bear his signature?'
| at does"
81 merely suggest that it would be an
limpossibility for the. Speaker TO sign II.
as he is out of the city today
/ Several democrats offered suggestions
Representative Mann continued:
| IF IL is true that some one has fraudu-
llently signed the Speakers name to this
letter it should be recorded"
/ Does the gentleman make that ac-
cusation?' said Representative Bartlett
IT said II It is true:' - replied the RE-
publican leader.
Letter Properly Signed.
Representative sherley, acting as chair
| man, held the letter to be properly
signed, and said SO.
| oh all right" fnterposed Mr.. Mann.
| II just want to call attention TO the.
/ fact that it would be an in1possibflity
for the Speaker to sign that letter. and
that it appears to have been signed by
his secretary
moment, but the lights were turned on.
/ soaring bat from his resting place
somewhere in the skylight crevices.
AS the fluttering animal caxorted
l around In the air. soaring women In the
galleries and attracting more attention
| than any one on the floor Of the legis-
lative chamber. Representative Mann
/ made another suggestion.
| would 1t be in order he asked, ito
| have the Journal record the fact that ow
/ ing to the large number of absentees
| bats have taken possession of the
House?"
| Without a Leader.
tative Underwood being away on
| three-day vacation = the democrats
seemed utterly unable to cope with the
tive Mann, who handled the situation
single handed and upset the best de-
Tense the democrats could make. Rep
resentative Mann, be IL known, has no
objection to lawmaking, but he has an
nounced that he does not intend to let
the democrats chase off all over the
country and pass bills with mere
handful in the Capitol His tactics are
aimed at keeping quorum together In
the Capitol
Representative Fitzgerald. chairman OF
the appropriations committee, endesrored
TO get action on the urgent dehciency bill,
which has important differences between
the House and Senate. The big patronage
fight in the revenue service is contained
in one of the Senate amendments.
Starts a Wrangle.
Representative Fitzgerald wanted to
send the bill to conference, but a long
wrangle followed. Mr. Mann wanted TO
vote on some of the amendments sepa-
rately. He blocked every move made in.
opposition to this. and STAYED off the
democrats for thirty minutes. The TACT
that Representative Underwood was away
developed half dozen Self-appointeds
democratic leaders, each of whom shouted
and cavorted about the House, only to
be tripped up by Mr.. Mann. He had them
all in a hole and none could escape There
was so much noise and confusion ana
speechmaking on no subject at all that
Representative Metz of New York. a dem
ocrat, objected:
Il don't propose to stay here all
day and listen TO hot air Of that sort.
elected simply for home consumption"
he complained. Representative Serene
Payne suggested that Mr.. Metz be ex-
used from further attendance today
IN order TO assuage his burning feel
ings.
Unable to arrive at any conclusion as
to getting action on the deficiency
bill Representative Hardwick OF
Georgia suddenly thought out a bright
idea. He remembered IL was calendar
Wednesday, or ''holy Wednesday"
IL is called because on this day all
business is suspended until bills on
the calendar are disposed OF.
Resolution Taken UP.
That saved the situation somewhat,
as far as appearances were concerned,
but still the House could not take up
the conference report on the deficiency
bill. The House had to go into COM
mittee on the whole and consider a
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