The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-08-11

to the wn e committee until the end
Of the end congress. Mr.. Aiken was
not present al any meeting OF tae com
mittee. Moreover, t.is bill vas bit
ter,v foaght, and the chairman tod
me tha, lie was unable for weeks tQ
set quorum as the opponents OF the
bill w-uid not attend the meetings,
and t,at Mr.. Aiken was in Washington
YET ne would not attend to make a
quorum.
Did Not Vote on Liquor FraHic Bill.
When the District OF Columbia ap-
preparation bill passed the senate,
senate bill No. 5461 was made amend
ment 1872. On February 2S, 1913, Mr..
Burleson made motion in the house
to suspend the rules and discharge the
committee on appropriations from fur
taer consideration of the bill, dis
agree to all of the senate amendments
except 132, and to concur in senate
amendment 132 with an amendment,
and send tie bill to conference. Nr.
Aiken is recorded as voting nay. On
March 3, 1913, Mr.. Burleson moved to
agree to the conference report on the
district appropriation bill, and the
conference report was agreed to With
out yea and nay vote. This record
discloses the fact that Mr.. Aiken did
not do one single thing to aid the pas
sage of tle Jones-Works bill, watch
was to regulate the liquor traffic in
the District Of Columbia, and drive
out all tie low barrooms.
Failed to Attend Committee.
On January Is, 1913, senate bill
No. 1851, konwn as the Kenyon Red
Light BILL which was to abolish illeg-
ally licensed houses of lewdness in the
red light district was referred to
the district committee. This bill was
Favorably reported by the committee
on Febraury IA, 1913. Mr.. Aiken was
not present. The bill was reintroduc-
ed in the next session and passed the
house January 26, 1914, without yea
and nay vote. This bill was of great
interest to those who we're in favor
of uplifting tie morals of the district
of Columbia, and great interest was
manifested in it here and throughout
the country. And yet Mr.. Aiken did
not even attend the committee meeting
to report it.
Was No Longer Made Chairman.
At the beginning Of the 63rd en-
press. Mr.. Aiken was not made chair
man OF any subcommittee, because it
was the opinion Of the chairman Ct
the committee on the District of Co
lunlbia, as expressed to me, that such
bills as would be referred to any sub
committee If which Mr.. Aiken might
oe made chairman, would not be gi7en
due consideration.
Attends Only One Meeting.
Mr. Aiken has attended only one
meeting of the district committee in
the 6Srd congress. That was when he
voted for the Crosser municipal owner
ship bill. His vote on this bill was,
in effect, to saddle upcn the people
of the District Of Columbia a debt o.
approximately fifty millions c. dollars,
without those people having an op-
portunity of saying whether or not
they desired t. assume the burden OF
paying such an amount. The records
of the District. committee SOW tat
the committee had % meetings from
June 26, 1918, to Deceber 19, 1913, and
not one of item did ne attend. The
records also show that there were %
meetings O. the committee fr- m jan
uary %, 1914, to July Is, 1914, and taat
he is recorded as absent except at one
meeting o. June 6, 1914, when he voted
for the Crosser bill.
Shows Neglect of Public Duty.
The above record, showing such
neglect Of public duty, was a subject
of much comment by tie members OF
tie house, and here is what Senator
Ollie N James Says which was publish
ed in the Washington Evening Star OF
May Is, 1913, page 8:
What Ollie James Says.
'It was commonly understood in the
ways and means committee that Mr..
Aiken did not seek the Craftsmanship
of the district of Columbia committee
because he had not been regular at
tendant on the committee hearings,
was not familiar with the work, and