Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-26
Long-Winded Debaters Rally
on Both Sides When House
Convenes Today.
STUBBORN FIGHT is MADE
AGAINST gag RULE" LIMIT
Senate Supporters of the Admins
tration Launch Contest With
Resolution.

All the long -winded debaters in Con-
sress rallied round the standards on
both sides of the Panama canal tolls
question at IL o'clock this morning,
when the House convened. and in a
preliminary skirmish-a clash of out
posts as it were-the filibusterins
crowd in the House showed themselves
fully equal to stave off the tolls debate
until late this afternoon. Score one
for the anti-repeal faction
Every seat in the House galleries with
the exception of the diplomatic section,
was occupied long before the prayer, and
committee meetings in the House office
building were cut off in time to give the
members a chance to be in their seats to
see the fun begin. 1t became evident
early in the day that there will be as
stubborn fight against a gag rule to
limit debate on the tolls question as
there will be against the Sims repeal bill
itself This feeling is particularly acute
on the part of large number of new
members of Congress of all political per-
suasions.
The rule as prepared by the rules com
mittee provides for twenty hours debate
of which long stretch of words two hours
VIII be devoted to the attack and defense
Of the rule itself. Early in the day Rep
reSentative Henry of Texas, chairman of
the rules committee, appeared with the
rule sticking out of his pocket as con-
spicuous as an Ulster flag in Dublin. and
leaned casually about in the offing. How
ever he soon found that he could retire
to the lobbies. if necessary. for hours.
Men who wanted to filibuster found
plenty of material when Representative
John j. Fitzgerald of Brooklyn. chairman
of the appropriations committee, and
also. incidentally. strongly opposed to the
repeal, brought in the conference report
on the urgent deficiency bill and asked
for its adoption.
These reports are privileged and took
precedence over the rivers and harbors
appropriation bill. which has been hang
ing fire for a vote for two days
F1tZSeralds action caused an elderly
matron i'll one of the galleries. evidently
onto the ropes to take a large wad
of knitting material out of her old fash
loned reticule and go to work a pink
shawl. She said to her neighbors that
before. Johnny Fitzgerald gets done with
this here filibusterin' business | guess
this. shawl will be keepin' me warm
Some One Calls for Roll Call.
Some one with an evil gIeam in his eye
yelled for a quorum. and forty minutes
were consumed in answering names while
the roar of talk and laughter in the
House made Patrick J. Haltigan's voice
from the reading desk sound like a far
away whisper. After that Representa-
tive Mann of Illinois asked single ques-
| ton as to why the United States Army
should spend half a million dollars on
Mexican refugees.
1t was simple question. but it re-
| aulred an hour for answer. during
which Representative Bartlett of
Georgia referred to the Constitution,
the jefferson Manual and Digest and
to large collection of sheepskin- bound
volumes behind which he had been am
ammunition gave out he retired with
honor, and Representative Mann asked
Representative Fitzgerald whether the
British parliament had been invited to
attend the opening of the Panama
canal
The appropriations committee has
attended to its own business, and that's
all. was the reply.
And then Representative Buchanan of
Illinois. who has been jamming labor
unions down the throats of the appro-
priations committee ever since the De-
partment of Labor started, got in long
criticism of the urgent deficiency appro-
priations because he said they don t
carry enough money for the great cause
of labor. At least that has been the
trend of his complaint on this thing be-
fore. Today it was utterly impossible
to hear him from the press gallery as
desk, and the roar of talk practically
drowned what he had to say to every one
except to Representative Fitzgerald, who
hade an ugly face at Buchanan and said
The gentleman's charge is utterly un-
justifiable. and / would like to say that
| do not array my affiliations with labor
as my sole political asset as some gentle
men whom | could name are in the habit
of doing.
However. an added wrench was thrown
MT he rbar
called for a second roll-call vote on the
adoption of the urgent deficiency bill,
which put forty more minutes in between
the schedule and the Panama canal tolls.
And after that there was a chance for
more roll calls and more filibustering on
the rivers and harbors bill.
Possibly the pink shawl will be finished
before the repeal after all.
Supporters in Senate Busy.
While the House was battling over the
question, supporters of the administration
in the Senate got busy. Senator Lewis in
troduced a resolution which went over
until tomorrow without debate. 1t was
as follows:
BE it resolved by the United States
Senate, that in pursuance of the true
American doctrine of equal aud exact
justice to all, special privileges to none
that it is eXpedient and just that all
vessels or tonnage passing through the
Panama canal shall bear and pay sum
of compensation so adjusted as shall
compensate for expense and upkeep of
the canal.
THAT the amount and method of pay
ment of such tolls shall be regulated
jointly by the Secretaries OF War and
Treasury with the approval of the
President of the United States"
Carnegie Called Traitor.
In closing his speech on the tolls aues-
ton in the Senate yesterday afternoon
Senator Chamberlain assailed Andrew
Carnegie, declaring that if he were the
citizen of any other country than this
he would be regarded as a traitor
1T is inconceivable to me-" said the
senator, ''how any man who loves his
country and his kind can vote to yield
to Great Britain the control of the Pan
anna canal. I will not stand on this floor
and plead the cause of Great Britain,
which is generally recognized the world
over as not the friend of America.
IF Andrew Carnegie, who continually
asserts the cause of Great Britain, were
the citizen of any other nation he would
be charged with treason. He has never
hesitated to spend his millions in en-
deayoring to inculcate a reciprocal feeling
for Great Britain in the minds of the
people of the United States
Quotes Senator Williams.
To show that the democrats, like the
rapuhlicopc ,Dnrecjat red what they vera