Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-22
ABSENTEE|SM IN
HOUSE GROWING
Situation Is Alarming and Gov
eminent Business Is at a
Standstill.
LFrom a stan Correspondent.I

WASHINGTON, June 22.-Despite
the orders from the White House that
the legislators must stick to their
jobs until the antitrust bills are dis
posed Of. there is a frequent out
cropping of discomfort The latest to
lead a revolt against the White House
orders is Representative Jefferson M
Levy, of New York. He has a reso-
luton ready to force on the House an
adjournment on July Is. This will be
brought to the House for vote as
soon as it can be extracted from the
House rules committee, to which it
was referred.
1t has been noted that several of
the representatives who openly de-
clared that they were willing to. re-
main in session all summer; in fact,
asserted it was their patriotic duty
to do so, Immediately shook the dust
of the capital from their feet and
hilxed homeward or to where ocean
breezes blow or mountain zephyrs
flow. The noticeable thing is that
they are not here. They were not in
evidence on Saturday, nor were sew
eral hundred other representatives.
Public business was held at a
standstill because of the inability to
maintain a quorum. The business
under way was the sundry civil ap-
preparation bill, one Of the most i'm
portant measures of the session; yet
it was impossible for Representative
Fitzgerald, who is in charge of this
measure, to keep a sufficient number
of members of his own party on the
floor to attend to the business to be
transacted. This measure affects
nearly all the departments, and, in
ginning of the fiscal year, July l. it
was desired to have it disposed of and
sent to the Senate. The absence Of
the members prevented much bust
ness being transacted 1t is almost a
hopeless case now of getting 1t I'm
ished in time.
Representative Fitzgerald was al
most frantic in his efforts to hold his
colleagues to business. One of the
amazing spectacles during the vote
on the question of adjournment,
; forced by the few Republicans on the
| floor, was the sight of dozens OF
/ Democratic members standing in the
rear, holding their hats in hand,
! ready to rush off to the golf links or
elsewhere as soon as they had been
recorded as voting against adjourn
ment. There were three such roll
calls. Finally the small handful of
! Republicans succeeded in forcing an
: adjournment This in view of the
! fact that of the 4S5 members of the
House only 12S members could be pro-
duced to respond to their names.
/ Ordinarily the quorum calls for 21S,
! but while the House is sitting as a
committee of the whole 100 is consid-
! cred sufficient for a working quorum.
| The number of absentees is grow
/ ing every day, so that the situation
/ is becoming alarming to the Demo-
I cratic majority and the minority is
likewise largely absent, but there is
! James r. Mann and a few other
thorns in the side of the majority
who are making the most of the stu
alton, at the expense of the dominant
party.
The matter will probably be
brought to the attention of the White
House today, with the request that it
! use it's known persuasive powers to
! compel better attendance at sessions.
1t is expected that those who had fed
/ the city will be hidden to return by
! the President.