Evening star., 1937-08-20
WAGE-HOUR BILL
KILLED BY SILENCE
Southern Democrats Attend
Caucus, but Fail to
Answer Roll Call.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Elimination Of sueatshop rage
ard-hour conditions and regulation
OF child labor ,1as sought by ad-
ministrdtion in labor standards bill
sponsored by Senator Black and
late Representative Connerp
After Joint hearings Senate final
ly passed rewritten bill. House Labor
Committee Voted out similar meas
ure, but House Rules Committee
has pigeon -holed measure at in
sistence OF Southern bloc.
BY the Associated Press
Southern Democrats in the House
have killed the Administrations wage
hour bill for this session by the simple
trick of keeping silent
Many OF them attended a party
caucus last night called to consider
forcing the Rules Committee to re-
lease the measure for floor debate
but they didn't answer roll call.
AS a result. the chairman had t.
announce quorum was not present
and that no resolution could be
adopted
Meanwhile the country's two riva'
labor chieftains John L. Lewis of the
c. I. o. and William Green of the
A F. of L., were unanimous in assail-
ing the tactics which seem to have
doomed the bill for this session.
Lewis declared sabotage of the
Democratic party by small group OF
its more conservative members is de
feating the will Of the people of the
United States adding we are wit
Messing a major test Of our govern
mental system"
Green placed full responsibility on
the House Rules Committee After dis
cussing the matter with President
Roosevelt. Green said he told the Presi-
dent 1T was too late now" for House
action unless the Rules Committee
modifies its position.
DO you think they are likely to do
that today?" Green was asked. He
replied, There's always hope"
The bill was virtually dead even
before the Southerners-and a few
others-tried their silent treatment.
The Rules Committee, usually an ad-
ministration adjunct, has blocked Its
consideration in the House ever since
the Senate passed it early this month.
House advocates, however, said Dem
ocratic leaders had agreed to head a
campaign for early enactment of the
bill at the next session.
Moral Victory Won.
II personally feel that great moral
victory has been won," said Repre-
sentative Healey, Democrat, of Massa-
chusetts, one of the self-styled young
liberal bloc which forced the caucus
Some Of that group proposed in
creasing the Rules Committee mem
bership. 1t now has 10 democrats
and 4 Republicans, but at least four
or five of the Democrats Supported
the minority in this instance.
The Democratic split reflected
similar disagreement which had oc-
CURED in the Senate. Most Southern
Senators opposed the wage-hour bill,
although one of their number-Hugo
L. Black, new Supreme Court Justice
helped draft it,
Opponents declare it would hinder
the Souths industrial development
The measure would authorize a Fed
eral board to TX minimum wages As
high as 40 cents an hour and q maxi
mum work week As low as 40 hours.
Rankin Shouts, mo Quorum"
Accounts Of iast nights closed cau-
Gus, IS reported by members, ran like
this:
Chairman Doughton ordered the
roll called.
Healey inquired how many mem
bers had answered and was told l57.
"A lot Of others have come in who
have not answered to their Names"
Healey declared.
Representative Rankin, Democrat,
Of Mississippi, jumped up. Point Of
order. No quorum" he shouted.
Then Democratic Leader RAyburn
Of Texas took the floor. He was quoted |
as saying:
I'VE want to know why the Rules
should be allowed to do
is will against the Democratic ma
|onty. I exonerate its great chair
man. Representative O'Connor Of New
York, completely from any blame, and |
believe I am exonersted."