Evening star., 1919-06-26
SENATE CONDEMNS
JOHNSON'S SPEECH
Calls on House for Action Re-
garding Kentuckian's At
tack on Pomerene.

The Senate today unanimously
adopted a resolution offered by Sena-
tor Robinson of Arkansas, calling
upon the House to take some action
with regard to a speech by Repre-
sentative Ben Johnson Of Kentucky,
delivered Tuesday. in which Mr.. John
son charged Senator Pomerene with
aiding rent profiteers in the District
of Columbia. .-..-. .t
The action of the Senate was taken
after Senator Robinson had quoted
precedents to show how such matters
had been handled. in the House in the
past. when theSstFfefNst RttGAt tion wan
paid to the prevention of;asI. tnpaf&
liamentary language in connection
with any senator or the Senate.
Denounced by Mr.: Lodge.
Senator Lodge Of Massachusetts, re-
publican leader Of the Senate, strong
ly denounced the proceeding in the
House.
I'm the proper transa ction of public
business" he said, there Is nothing
more important than that courteous
relations be maintained between the
two houses Of Congress. Otherwise
the public business could not be car
ried on, but there would be constant
has rule making it out Of order to
attack any senator, or the Senate In
the Senate we have an unwritten rule
relating to the House which has been
scrupulously adhered to.
During my service in Congress
there has been no such case of an at
tack of member of one house upon
member of the other as this. 1t is
more than a personal matter. 1t is
an attack upon the Senate itself, and
Congress. and the proper conduct of
public business"
reflection on Committee.
Senator King of Utah, a member of
the Senate District committee, told
the Senate that he considered the at
tack upon Senator Pomerene to be a
reflection upon the entire committee
and the Senate. The committee, he
said, had approved the Pomerene bill
to which Mr.. Johnson had reference,
and the Senate had passed it.
The attack upon the honor and
good faith of the senator from Ohio, !"
said Senator King, lis an attack upon
the honor and good faith of the Sem
ate"
Mr.. Robinson's Resolution.
Senator Robinson's resolution, which
was introduced in the Senate late
yesterday afternoon. and at the re-
quest of Senator Robinson allowed to
go over until today. sets forth:
That the language published in
the Congressional Record Tuesday,
June "a, pages 1855 and 1886, in the
report of an address to the House of
Representatives by the gentleman
from Kentucky, Mr.. Johnson, imput-
ing dishonorable motives and conduct
to the senator from Ohio, Mr.. Pom
creme, is unwarranted, unjust and
untrue and that said. language cor
stitutes breach of privilege and is
calculated to create unfriendly rela-
tions and conditions between the
House of Representatives and the
Senate;
THAT copy of this resolution be
transmitted to the House of Repre-
sentatives and that the House be re-
quested to take appropriate action
concerning the subject"
Proateering Bill Started Trouble.
The trouble between Senator Pome-
rene and Representative johnson is of
q years standing. It grew out of
Mr.. Johnson's insistence that his bill
proposing to prevent rent proflteerinR
in the District should be adopted
rather than the Pomerene bill, which
was passed by the Senate. Mr.. John
son charged that the Pomerene bill
was framed in the interest of the
profiteers. The Senate took. exception
to his remarks and excused its con-
fereee on the bill from further service,
SO that they would not have to serve
The result of the row was that no
1ori fion Uaa