Evening star., 1935-03-31
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL r. KENNEDY.

A new Declaration Of Indepen-
other day by the chairman Of the
Rules (policy) Committee, Represen-
tative John J. O'Connor Of New York
which has attracted Nationwide
attention and brought Mr.. O'Connor
much commendation for forceful lead
ership. He gave the House an inspira-
tional talk on upholding its own dig
nifty and integrity Of Independent
action.
"The House of Representatives may
well take pride in the fact that 1t can
legislate orderly and expeditiously
I for one do not intend to match
demagogy against demagogy. The
House can legislste without the fear
Of any one man whether he came by
railroad train or airplane, or without
in the House by majority and that
majority can always express the will
of the House. No rule from the Rules
Committee can ever deprive the House
Of that right.
II for one am willing to match the
method Of procedure in this body
against another body (referring to the
Senate). We do not rush things
through to get under the wire before
somebody returns to town. When we
are faced with amendments put on q
House bill that are not put on with
sincerity. or with any hope or expecta-
ton that they would stick in the bill
We, as a parliamentary body, are COM
PEELED to face that situation, and not
be swept off our foundations by any
one man or by any minority.
I'VE have been told here today that
II we pass this rule there will be q
filibuster in another body, which will
occupy weeks. Why, there has been an
unwarranted and a disgraceful fill
buster there already for nearly two
months. We are always able to handle
filibusters in this body. We are proud
of that fact
This rule is test of not yielding
to another body (the Senate) and not
yielding to one man or q group oi
men in another body. We have not
lost that dignity. We are maintaining
our dignity and maintaining the
right to conduct our parliamentary
deliberations in an orderly, respectable
and dignified manner"
His colleagues applauded this firm
stand by Mr.. O'Connor, who recently
was the outstanding contender for
House leader and by a vote Of 265 to
108 supported the rule he was cham
pioning. The applause was really for
his non-spoken Declaration of In
dependence"
X Il q
Unique credit is being given these
days in cloak room gossip to Repre-
sentative John J. Boylan of New York
and incidentally to The Washington
Star. which was the only paper to
print q carefully prepared statement
from Boylan regarding his bill to re-
ment employees. When Senator Nc
Carran offered an amendment to an
urgent deficiency appropriation bill
in the Senate restoring the salaries.
he took the language which Repre-
sentative Boylan had prepared by the
legislative drafting clerk for the
original Boylan bill to restore salaries.
Then, when 1t came to Controller
General McCarl for his decision there
was no report, no hearings, no docu-
ment Of any sort to show the intent
Of Congress or what the language
really meant. Finally, 1t was disclosed
that in The Sunday Star of a certain
date there was q two-column article,
quoting Representative Boylan regard
ing what the pay restoration bill
meant, in detail. So there was the
only record for the controller general
TO peruse in making his determina-
tions. Now his colleagues are hail
ing Mr.. Boylan as both the law
and the prophets"