Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-07-02


Brewster Explains Vote.
Brewster voted yesterday and also
today against the death sentence
clause He insisted in his statement
to the House today that he was strong
ly in favor of regulation of holding
companies. His vote, he said, did not
indicate any lack of appreciation of
the serious problem which the public
utility holding companies present in
the concentration of economic power.
If their abolition involved only
the punishment of the miScrcantS.
it would be easy TO say amen," said
Brewster. The interests of many
innocent and honest investors how
ever, is also involved and seems to
require pause.
In the roll-cail vote by which the
House substituted the House bill for
the Senate bill, l65 Democrats and
40 Republicans voted aye" Voting
no" were 1870 Democrats, Rtpub
licans, ProgreSSiyes and Farmer
Labor. The vote, as announced by
the Speaker. was 257 to lat.
The House also voted down a mo-
ton made by Representative Holmes,
Republican, of Massachusetts,. to re-
commit the bill with instructions to
strike out section IL. This Is the
much controverted section, which in
the Senate bill carried the so-called
death sentence clause, eliminated
an the House section |
Burns OverruIes Rankin.
A final effort was made by Repre-
sentative Rankin, supporter of the
President in the fight for the death
sentence" clause, to obtain record
vote on that section of the bill alone.
He demanded that Representative
Eicher of Iowa. another supporter OF
the President, be permitted to make
the motion to recommit instead of
Representative Holmes.
Speaker Byrns, however. overruled
Rankin's point of order. The Speaker
pointed out that Holmes was men,
Der of the minority party in the House
and also that he was opposed to the
bill. The rules of the House, the
Speaker said, have been written to
protect minority rights and, therefore
he had recognized Representative
Holmes.
Before the record vote in the House
On substitution of the House bill for
that of the Senate. the House in COM
mittee OF the whole voted 246 to 1873
in support of the same proposal. The
vote in committee of the whole was
taken by tellers.
In vain did Representative Rankin,
Representative Connery and other
Democrats supporting the President
plead.
Representative Sam Rayburn Of
Texas chairman of the House Inter-
state Commerce Committee, who yes
terday voted with the President in
support of the Senate death sentence
clause. before the vote today an
nounced to the House he would sup
port the House bill with the hope
that the difference can be ironed out
in conference The President might
be able to obtain concessions from the
conferees.
Along with Rayburn, in the vote
today, went number of Democrats
who have been inclined to support the
President in his fight for the death
sentence clause The effect may be
to soften somewhat the blow to the
Presidents prestige in the House, aris-
ing from his defeat on the death SEN
tence clause.
Speaker Byrns, at his press confer
ence before the House met today, said
he was by no means sure the House
bill would be vetoed by the President
If it is finally sent to him. This was
contrary to the warnings which were
issued from the White House, how
ever.
The so-called death sentence clause.
under which public utilities holding
companies deemed unnecessary" by
the Securities Commission could be
adopted in the Senate by margin Of
only one vote.
Democratic Leaders Split.
The House Democratic leadership
has split over this bill. Speaker
Byrns, for example, has supported the
President. Representative Boland Of
Pennsylvania, the Democratic whip,
on the other hand, voted against the
President yesterday.
The defeat of the President in COM
mittee of the whole yesterday, by a
vote of ZIG to 146, was a rude jolt
to the prestige of the Chief Executive.
For two years the House has accepted
the legislative recommendations Of the
President. Only in veterans legisla-
ton has the House been recalcitrant.
Meanwhile. Representative Hoeppel,
Democrat. of California said in a
statement to the Associated Press that
work-relief funds were being used to
whip recalcitrant members of Congress
into line with the Presidents views
ITS the damndest thing I've ever
heard Of" he added
He said he had been interviewed by
some one high up this morning and
told that his vote Ought to have been
cast the other way"
1T was indicated to me-" he said
that my vote against the President
may have some affect on the works
relief appropriation for California
- I'm opposed to any form of
Nazi-ism. or the use of public money
in the alienation of human misery
as a club on me to control my vote.
There is a concerted move on foot
to intimidate Congressman to support
the President in the utility fight and
they are using Federal funds for re-
lief purposes as the club"