Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-04-25

Democrats followed their leader and
voted to adjourn, cutting Mr.. Muir
| dock off for that day.
Then Mr.. Murdock formally intro
duced his resolution. Such matters
usually 20 to the comm ittee on print
ting, but for some reason this one was
referred to the committee on accounts
where 1t Is still slum bering. This was
the status Of the matter when, at the
opening of the session on April 17th,
the Speaker laid before the House the
Teport of the clerk, for the purpose Of
th6sing it printed.
#Mr. Murdoch promptly asked Mr..
Clark If the report included these
statements of contributions and ex-
penditures. The Speaker replied that
it did not, and explained that he did
not think he had authority to direct
the clerk to include them, but he
would entertain a motion to have
that done. Immediately Mr.. Muir
dock made that motion, and then the
fun began.
Hardwick, of Georgia, Democrat
of the old school, promptly raised
point of order against the motion. He
said that il Mr.. Murdoch would ask
unanimous consent to have the state
ments printed he would not object.
Mr.. Murdoch knew plenty of other
Democrats who would object, how
ever. so he did not fall into that trap.
Sherley, of Kentucky, one of the
most adroit members of the Demo.
cratic machine, jumped to Hardwick's
support. He declared that the duty
laid on the clerk by the law was to
file the statements, not to print them
and that If it was desired to have the
statements printed the proper proce-
dure would be to change the law. Mr..
Sherley is firm believer in the liter
al observation of the law.
Mr.. Murdoch replied that the House
has complete power over the clerk
and could direct him to print the
statements II 1T desired
Mr.. Lloyd, of Missouri, another old
school Democrat, who, from having
been chairman of the Democratic
Congressional Committee knew pretty
well what sort Of disclosures will be
made II these statements Of congress
sional campaign funds are ever print
ed, got into the fracas then with the
assertion that publicity had been
given already.
Mr.. Murdoch at once exploded that
by showing how little publicity there
really had been. He added that the
statements should be put into docu-
ment form SO that the constituents
of members and the people generally
could gain easy access to them, and so
that they could be permanently pre-
served.
All this time the Republicans had
sat silent. But now Mr.. Mann, their
astute floor leader, jumped in with a
cogent argument to show that the
Murdock motion was in order. Having
done that he went on to complicate
the situation by injecting "a new
technicality as reason why the state
ments should not be printed.
The controversy finally brought the
Democratic leaders, Underwood and
Fitzgerald, to the floor. Fitzgerald Is
the Pat McCarren machinist who de.
serted his party to help Uncle Joe
Cannon the last time the ex-czar from
Danville was elected Speaker. Since
then Fitzgerald has been made chair
man of the great committee on appro
priati0ns and now he is being good a.
far as the Democratic machine in the
House is concerned.
With this array Of leaders In action
it was apparent that the motion O
Mr.. Murdock was doomed, and it oc
casioned no surprise, therefore, wher
. Speaker Clark sustained Mr.. Hard
wick's point and declared out of or
der the motion which he had invited
Mr.. Murdock to make.