The Washington herald., 1913-03-04
congress GRINDS
ASN00N NEARS
Continued from Page One.

IN the name of all members OF the
House, presented Representative-elect
Charles r. Crisp OF Georgia. who will be
House parlimentarian as long as the
Sixty-second Congress exists, with an
exceptionally handsome silver fruit dish
and tray Judge Crisp. as he Is famil-
iarly known, was taken completely by
surprise b. the presentation, but Major
ity Leader Underwood. who was in the
chair, recognized the gentleman from
Georgia." and Crisp came up to scratch
with a rafting good pre-maiden effort, a
brand which is almost without precedent
in the House.
The Senate. although still Repub-,
lfcan body, felt a touch of the will of
the President -elect last night, and in
consequence the employers liability
and workmen's compensation bill,
which passed the Senate last session.
was passed in the House Sunday night
with amendments and agreed to in
conference yesterday, was permitted to
die a natural death. When the con-
ference report was brought in the
Senate conferees, accepting all House
amendments. Senator Hoke Smith an
ncunced that he would filibuster
against the measure II II should be
pressed.
Senator Sutherland Immediately an
nounced that he would not press ii.
Senator Smith was brought about by
the latter's knowledge that President
elect Wilson opposed the measure.
A final attempt to clear the way for an
agreement upon the naval bill failed a
little after midnight. when the House
in voting upon a partial agreement on
the bill, refused. by a vote of 16S to
~ to agree to the Senate amendment
providing for two battleships.
Pedpefr of he House
ferees. fought, all day against again
bringing the matter before the House,
but Senator Penrose insisted that there
would be no further discussion of the
bill until the House had been given
further opportunity to vote on the ques-
ton. Padgett finally gave In and won
out on a roll call vote Majority Leader
Underwood led the debate against agree
ing to the two-battleship amendment of
the Senate The bill returned to con-
ference, where it is predicted it will re-
main.
District Bills Pend.
Plans were pending early this morning
for the passage in the closing hour of
two important pieces OF District legisla- |
tion-the Peters bill limiting the employ |
ment of females in the District to eight |
hours a day, except for domestics. and |
the Kenyon red light" bill. which has |
been on the House calendar for two
weeks.
As result Of the unyielding attitude |
assumed by Senators Lodge. Root, Kern |
and others in the Senate on the pork |
barrel public buildings bill the House |
cOnferees finally yielded enough ground |
to procure agreement with the Sen |
ate managers a little before midnight. |
the agreement giving the District one |
large item. 8. 10000 for the condemnation |
nf 1ar 1t-fr oil hAsh sid . pnrll
Creek between Potomac and Rock Creek |
parks. This item is trimmed from $500 |
Go All other District items. and the |
s3.In.So item for the New York court |
house site. go by the board under the |
conference agreement. Previously the |
conferees had reached a partial agree
ment. leaving out the District items and |
the large New York item. but the Sen
ate refused to accept n partial agree
ment. II is by no means certain that the |
Senate will accept the full agreement |
reached by the conferees.
Mai. Ray Loses.
After Two lengthy executive sessions
lasting in all more than fot;r hours.
friends Of Mai. Beecher Ray gave up |
the tight to obtain confirmation of |
his promotion to he lieutenant colonel. |
Maj. Ray. thesenior major of the pay
corps Of The army, was concerned in |
an army scandal involving the name of
the wife Of a civilian subordinate The
affair was hushed by the WaI Depart
rlent ostensibly to protect the name of
the woman in the case. The case was
the subject OF = Congressional! investiga-
tiOr last session when Secretary of |
War StinSon and ranking army officers
refused to turn over to the Committee
on Expenditures in the War Department
the rapers IN the case.
After awaiting for some time the re-
suit of the investigation. President Taft
sent the name Of Maj. Ray up for pro-
motion. Senator Pomerene was success
full last night in his fight against the
confirmation. and the probabilities are
now that Maj. Ray will be retired as
major in order to prevent further block
aiding of the line of promotion in his
corps.
lone filibuster by Senator Fall Of New
Mexico against the acceptance by the
Senate of the conference report on the
Indian appropriation bill opened the pos
sibiltty at an early hour this morning
that this bill. with the pork barrel"
public buildings measure, would fail OF
enactment.
An agreement was reached on the |
Agricultural appropriation bill late in the
evening, Senator Root Withdrawing his
opposition to the amendment which en-
Eouied tHe MCLEAN migratory hlrdS Dill. |
Much interest was displayed at the
Capitol over the probable fate at the
hands of the President of the Sulzer-
Borah bill, creating a new executive
department of labor President-elect
Wilson, legislators have been given to
understand. has planned. in framing his
Cabinet for this new position. but the
tardiness Of Mr.. Taft in acting upon 1t
and sundry more or less authentic bits
of information on the subject. indicated
that the President may decide to veto |
the bill or let II die without his signature /
Representative W. B. Wilson Of Penn
sylvania, chairman of the Labor Com
mittee. who retires with this Congress,
has been selected for the post IL it is
created. 1t is understood.
OF this the members Of the House !
are so certain that IN granting time to
speak last night on the seamen's bill l
Speaker Clark referred to the Penn
sylvania member as the Secretary of II
Labor" II
At midnight the Senate agreed to the
compromise report on the post-office ap-
preparation bill. providing for the ex-
penditure of more than s2S3.0OO,OOO This
is nominally the largest of the great sup
ply bills of the national budget, but as
the Post-office Department is PRACTICAL
ly self-supporting, the appropriation is
in reality compensatory. 1t is the larg-
est appropriation in the history of the
Post-ofice Department.
At an early this morning the confer
ence report on the sundry civil bill was
and was being discussed in the
House. The House previously had agreed
to a $4,000 appropriation for the gov