Evening star., 1915-01-22
Appropriation Measure, Com
ing Up Tomorrow, Promises
to Cause Row in House.
FILIBUSTER BY CARlIN
NIPPED BY UNDERWOOD
Virginia Representative Opposes Oc-
coquan Reformatory Being Lo-
Gated in His District.

Because there is prospect OF an alt
day fight on the District appropriation
bill when it comes up to be sent to con-
ference House leaders have been han
ding tho bill as if 1t were live coal,
and Majority Leader Underwood him :
self had to leap into the melee, which
was going on in an undertone on 'ne
floor of the House today to prevent the
continuance of n lusty young n1uous-
ter. which had just been started by
Representative Carlin of Virginia. The
fact that the bill has every promise of
precipitating long row when 1t Is
sent to conference is the reason why
Chairman Page has been putting Off
this request from day to day
House leaders who don't want to have
the regular legislative program interfered
with have been threatening Mr.. Page with
all sorts of horrors, in d friendly way, II
he should dare to break up the debate
on the military bill with the inevita BILE
row on the District bin.
When the House met at IL O'Clock to-
day Representative Page was on hand
with the papers in the case. while around
wood. johnson of Kentucky. Foster of H.
linois and Carlin of Virginia, all having
deep interest in the District bill one
way or another.
Nearly every one of these veteran
Legislators had been comforting around
the corridors and had reached tentative
agreements with one another as to time.
etc, but as each one> has a different
viewpoint from which he sees the bill.
the result was that no agreement could
be reached to sidetrack the District bill
except that Chairman Page served
notice that positively and notwith-
standing he intends to call up the bill
for conference tomorrow at noon.
Representative Carlin, who is bitter
ly opposed to having the Occoquan
reformatory in his district, started a
filibuster in general as soon as the
clerk had completed the reading Of the
journal today. The bill contains the
Kern amendment, which provides that
no brick or other building material
produced by prisoners at Occoquan
shall be sold in competition with the
products Of free labor.
Carlin Favors Amendment.
Mr. Carlin is very much in favor Of
that amendment, inasmuch as. 1t would
kill the Occoquan Institution deader
than door nail if it were enacted.
Having made the reformatory worth
less, there would be no use for It in his
district, and therefore Mr.. Carlin will
probably lead strenuous fight tomor-
row in an effort to have the bill go to
conference with instructions to retain
that Kern amendment. Representative
Page, chairman of the committee and
means disposed to take any such sug-
gestion without having it forced on
him by a majority vote.
When Mr.. Carlin made his point of
order that there was no quorum pres
ent. he was clearly right, as there
seemed to be scarcely fifty men in
sight in the House, but Representative
Underwood, who is having heartrend-
ing time keeping his majority together
all in one place at the same time, leaped
over the aisle and had an animated ue-
bate with the Alexandria man in an
undertone. Other members with inter-
ests in the bill began buzzing to one
another, and finally Representative
Page made the announcement that to-
morrow would be the limit to which
he would be pushed on delaying the
bill.
Representative Foster of Illinois was
interested in keeping the bill back as
far as possible, as he Is opposed to the
Gallnger Hospital amendment, being
possessed of an antipathy to municipal
hospitals in general However, in the
general sub voce debate Representa-
tive Page Quieted him by assuring the
Illinois Congressman physician that
he, Representative Page, would not ac
cept the hospital item, because the act
of year ago provided money for
plans which have not Daterialized.
Wants His Amendment Back.
Added to these complications is the in
sistence of Chairman johnson Of the
House District committee that amendment
No. l should be allowed to come back to
the House, SO that the lower body should
be given another chance at it. Amend
ment No l is the Senatorial refusal to
accept the johnson plan that the expenses
of the District shall be paid out of the
revenues of the District to the extent that
they are available, the balance to be paid
out of the federal Treasury-which is the
attempt to nullify the half and half plan
Representative Page proposes to ask
that the House shall disagree to all
Senate amendments, which would salts
fy Representative Johnson for the pres
ent. but he hopes that the conferees
will prove adamant. so that the House
will have chance to vote~on the SUBJ
ject again.
The chances for the Bills passing by
a House member who is in a position
to know.
This member spoke OF the manner in
which a commission Of inquiry could
be created by Congress by an amend
ment to the appropriation bill in it's
present form.
THE conferees have no right to add
legislation to the bill which has not
been considered by either house." he
said, but a section creating this COM
mission could be added by the conferees
following a vote of instruction by the
two houses"