Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-02-23
JOHNSONFA|LS
.T0FORCE VOTE
ON RIVER BILL
Efforts Will Be Made to
Displace Boulder Canyon
Dam Measure.
CAMERON ACTS
Arizona Senator Launches
Attack On CalifOrnian's
Proposal.

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 R.-After
attempts to round up a quorum at a
! protracted night session had failed, the
senate early today ordered it's sergeant
bring them to the capitol. David Barry,
the sergeant at arms, had expressed
doubt that he had such power. He
had been attempting for an hour and a
half to provide majority so the SEN
ate could function.
While he and five assistants were
attempting to reach absentees by tele-
OH the job during debate on the Boul-
der canyon dam bill twiddled their
thumbs.
Completely tided up during this 90
minute period, the senate voted down
motions to recess and gave more in
creasingly stern commands to the SER
geant at arms to direct attendance of
absentees.
quorum call just before midnight
showed only 81 members present, II
less than necessary. Senators Johnson,
republican, California, CO. author of the
Boulder canyon dam bill, moved that
the sergeant at arms be directed to re-
quest the absentees to report.
Later this was changed and the SER
geant at arms was directed to com
per' the attendance of absentees.
With eight senator's 9till necessary
at 1 o'clock this morning, Senator
Neely, democrat West Virginia, moved
that warrants be issued for the arrest
of the absentees, and this was approved
without discussion and without a roll
call vote.
The arrest of absentee senators was
last resorted to on February 8, 1915,
during filibuster against the bill pro-
posing creation of a shipping board to
operate merchant marine. Senator
Moses, president pro tempore in the
senate in the absence of Vice President
Dawes, signed blanket warrant
authorizing the sergeant at arms to
arrest the senators and bring them into
the chamber.
Previously as a result of telephone
efforts to round up absentees, Mr..
as to what he had found out about
each. He reported that he could not
even locate a half dozen, had found
that the telephone of Senator Caraway,
democrat, Arkansas, had been "discon-
tinued" and that a number of senator's
had gone to bed, some of them refusing
to be disturbed, others volunteering to
come to the capitol, while still others
refused, and said several had reported
they were i'll.
Senator Keyes, republican, New
Hampshire, who had retired, said he
would think it over" Barry reported,
adding, "I think he was serious" SEN
ator Bayard, democrat, Delaware, he
said he had been informed, was get
ting ready to go to funeral"
At 2 o'clock no warrants had for.
nlally- been served on senators, the
sergeant at arms confining himself
to telephone calls to notify senator's
that warrants had been issued for
their arrest.
At no time in the history of the
senate has >the sergeant at arms
ever forcibly brought senators into
the chamber against their will. II
they refuse to honor the warrant,
the practice has been to notify the
senate of the action. I nmost cases
senators have voluntarily come to
the senate when they have been told
that q warrant was out for them.
Senator Gooding, republican, Idano,
was the first absentee to show ul
after warrants had been issued.
Senator Ferris, democrat, Michi4
gan, who had left the floor earlier
in the evening and retired to bed,
reported voluntarily little later.