The Washington times., 1916-03-29
AN INDECENT USE OF THE GAO

Unless the woman suffrage and
anti-saloon organizations have lost
all the intelligence that they have
so amply displayed in the past,
somebody will smart for the disrepu-
table parliamentary trick that was
played on them in the House Judi
ciary Committee yesterday. Several
constitutional amendment resolh-
lions were pending before the COM
mittee. Among them was one to
submit a woman suffrage amend
ment, and another, looking to ma
tional prohibition. By a majority
Of II to 10, the committee, if a
fair vote had been permitted, would
have reported the woman suffrage
measure favorably.
Somebody in authority very evil
IDENTIFY had decided that this resolu-
ton must be defeated at all hazards.
A combination was effected between
the liquor and anti-suffrage forces in
the committee, which, by dint Of
some very raw parliamentary prac-
tice, managed to link all the pro-
posed constitutional amendments to-
gether with a motion that they be
indefinitely postponed.
This was an absolute violation of
the spirit of the rule which declares
that unrelated subjects shall not be
linked together for the purpose of a
single determination. The sound
ness Of this rule is obvious. A
single subject ought to be handled
by itself and on its own merits. The
pretense that prohibition and woman
suffrage arc related subjects" is
about as cheap a piece of buncombe
as could be imagined. They were re-
lated only by virtue. of the fact that
pa constitutional amendment affect
ing each Of them was before the
committee. 1t would be just as fair
an Interpretation of this. rule to
claim that bill to revise the sugar
tariff and another to abolish the
Postoffice Department were related
subjects" because, forsooth, in each
case the object was to be attained
by Congressional action. It would
be just as fair to couple the two
propositions together in one case as
in the other.
Manifestly, when such utterly I'M
related subjects may be hooked to-
gether, legislation is made impos-
sible. Yet the rulings of the chair.
man and the attitude of the unnat-
ural majority which was thus
dragooned together, made it DOS.
sible to defeat both proposals, along
with the other two or three that
were pending.
Just word here for the benefit Of
responsible Democratic leaders who
seem to have forgotten some yer,
recent and suggestive political his
tory. There was time when tn,
House Committee on. Judiciary wal
commonly and contemptuously re
ferred to as the "morgue." Tha
was in the days when Joseph G
Cannon was Speaker and John
Jenkins was chairman of Judiciary
Any measure that the House man
agement wanted to kill was sent t,
this packed committee, and a no,
from headquarters meant it
asphyxiation. That sort of dealing
with subjects in which the publ
was deeply interested was largel,
responsible for the downfall of tn
old regime in the House, and ulti
mately for the Democratic seizur
of control in that body.
Yet it may seriously be doubte
whether the Judiciary Committe
that John J. Jenkins bossed eve
perpetrated anything so raw, so ur
couth, so Outrageously violative O
! the decencies of parliamentary pre-
cedure, as was this performance @
yesterday. It makes the Democrat
. management of the House respor
sibhe for and the protector of a
I unholy alliance which can brin
, nothing but discredit and sham
: upon the party in power.
There will be political results, an
A mighty serious ones, to the Dem'
5 cratic party from this bit of boaste
/ manipulation, for not only was Il