Evening star., 1936-05-23
REVEALS
BODY HAS POWER
TO END DEADLOCK
May Move to Discharge or
Instruct Conferees Who
Fail to Agree.
THOMAS TO RESUME '
CONFERENCE TUESDAY
Question Is Whether Leaders Will
Support Roosevelt or Blanton
Recommendation.

TOSSlDlllLy JIldC Tie rouse mig MT
step in to break the deadlock be-
tween conferees on the 1887 District
appropriation bill developed today
as participants in the controversy
marked time before making another
move to break the impasse
The House. 1t was revealed bv
Speaker Byrns. is in a position to
instruct its conferees to adjust the
differences with the Senate group, and
thus pave the way for the District
to get funds for the coming fiscal
year.
Speaker Byrns called attention to
a comparatively new rule under which
any member may move to discharge
or instruct conferees who fail to re-
port within 20 days. Such motion
would be in order now as the House
conferees were appointed April "a.
1t would have precedence over all
other House business as a motion Of
highest privilege.
The problem thus appears to have
boiled down to question of whether
House leaders will support the rec
ommendation of President Roosevelt
or of Representative Blanton, Demo-
crat, of Texas. who is the leading
ton, but also of complete elimination
of the Federal share toward the
expenses of the Capital.
The Senate conferees are fighting
to sustain the Presidents budget ms
sage, which recommended continual
ton next year of the present $780,
900 Federal lump sum, and Mr.. Roose-,
velt made known yesterday that he
is still for his budget accommodation.
Blanton Challenges Press.
A challenge to Washington news-
papers to print statement about the
dispute over the bill which ne de-
scribed as "a Senator Thomas smoke
screen" was issued today by Blan5n.
The statementread.
Whoever, before, ever heard Of
Senator Thomas prating about or
preaching the doctrine of standing by
the Presidents budget?
If the House were to call mis- bluff,
to adopt the Presidents budget, It
would eliminate about Sc of the 81
Senate amendments. 1t would pre-
vent appropriating for the new East
ern High School, the new Chain
Bridge, the new badly needed fire
trucks and fre-fighting apparatus, the
new Police Court Building, and a
lot Of other new projects, all Of when
were put into the House bill by the
House Subcommittee and passe1 ny
the House, but not one of which wefe
authorized by the Presidents budget.
If the cry of stand by the Presl-
dents budget is not just sham and
subterfuge. then Senator Thomas
should likewise demand that all new
construction items and projects not
| approved by the Presidents budget
should be eliminated from the bill
There is not a newspaper in Wash
ington that pretends to give all news
to its readers. that will dare print the
above statement without emasculating
it, because the Washington newspapers
do not want the Washington people to
know the facts as they exist"
Senator Thomas is chairman of the
Senate Conference Committee on the
appropriations bill. Blanton heads the
House conferees.
! Text of House Rule.
The House rule follows:
After House conferees on any hill
or resolution in conference between
the House and Senate shall have
failed to make report within 20
days. it is hereby declared to be a
motion of the highest privilege TO
discharge said House conferees and
to appoint new conferees or to in
struct said conferees."
BY a ajority vote, the House. under
this rule, could instruct its conferees
to agree to the S5,700,000 Federal
payment as demanded by the Senate
as we'll as other items in conf1ift. 4
Before leaving last night tot o.
liver an address in Iowa, SensN> '
Thomas, Democrat, of Oklahoma,
chairman of the conference, reiter-
ated his statement that if the dead
lock continues administration lead
ers will have to step in and take a
hand. Under Blanton's leadership.
the House bill slashed the budget
recommendation to $2,700, 900. and in
the last conference meeting Thursday
the only concession the House con-
ferees offered was to make their
figures S2,800,000.
Will Resume Conferences.
On his return Tuesday, Senator
Thomas will inquire as to the pos
sibility of resuming conferences. It
is believed other differences in the
bill could be adjusted without diff
Guilty, but there are no indications
that the Senate conferees will
abandon their position in support OF
the figure the President recommended
on the lump sum.
If the impasse continues on the
bill, Senator Thomas said the only
alternative would be a continuing
resolution to meet the bare main
tenance requirements of the city. 1t
has been indicated, however, that
the Senate would provide for con-
tinuation of the $5,700,000 Federal
payment in the resolution. If the
same deadlock occurred on the resO-
luton, the Senate conferees believe
administration leaders will have 10
intervene.
In refusing to yield to further cut
in the Federal payment Senate con-
ferees not only are supporting the
Presidents budget message, but also
are contending for the principle that
the Senate should not be required "a
yield always to the House on this
issue.
Representative Blanton declined ia
comment on what developed at the
Presidents press conference yester.
day.