Evening star., 1941-04-28
BIackout Bill
Killed in House,
III TO III
Measures Offered
To Boost D. c. Realty
And Gasoline Toxes
Earlier Story on Page ALL
By JAMES E, CHINN.


BY JAMES E. CHINN.
The House late today by record
vote of I'll to 1T killed a bill which
would have authorized the Commits
sioners to conduct a series of ex-
perimental blackouts here in CO.
operation and with the approval of
the War Department after hearing
charges by some OF the members
that the plan would spread war
hysterla," and indicate to the Nation
that Congress is "hysterical or jit-
terry"
Action was taken on a motion of
Representative Short, Republican, of
Missouri, former member of the
District Committee, who had pre-
viously warned the House that
blackoutS were dangerous to an un-
trained civilian population He
pointed out that in the early days
of the present war many more
deaths were caused in London by
blackouts than Nazi bombs"
Violent attacks on the trial black
out proposal began soon after the
bill was called up for consideration
at 12:40 o'clock. and the criticism
was almost continuous for nearly
two hours.
The measure was one of two
local bills on the House calendar
called up for consideration by Chair
man Randolph of the District Com
mittee. The other, which would
authorize the Commissioners to
establish a canteen at the District
Sanitoria at Glenn Dale, Md, was
first passed without debate and sent
to the Senate.
Tax Bills Offered.
Two members - Representatives
Rees of Kansas and Springer of
Indiana, both Republicans-took ad-
vantage of the District day in the
House to announce during debate
on the blackout measure that they
had just introduced bills to increase
local taxes.
The bill of Mr.. Rees would raise
the present SITS real estate and
personal property tax rate to min
imum of $3.50. The one introduced
by Mr.. Springer would hike the local
gasoline tax from 2 to cents
gallon.
The first attempt to scuttle the
blackout bill was made by Repre-
sentative Fish, Republican. of New
York, who offered an amendment
which read:
The Commissioners are hereby
authorized to furnish sandbags for
the Capitol, the White House, the
Supreme Court: to provide dugouts,
tin helmets, asbestos suits and gas
masks for the members of Congress.
the Chief Executive and the justices
of the Supreme Court; to place air.
Monument, to install AFRAID sirens
on all public buildings except the
Department of Labor, and that
the subways between the Senate
and House Office Buildings and the
Capitol be comfortably furnished as
afraid shelters for members of
Congress only"
Randolph Denounces Move.
Representative Randolph, who
sponsored the blackout bill indig-
nantly denounced the amendment
as IAN attempt by Mr.. Fish to beat
the legislation by ridicule."
The proposed Fish amendment
was subsequently turned down by a
vote of As to 6. Before the vote
was taken, however, Representative
Fish took the House floor in support
of the amendment and described the
Randolph measure as goblin bill"
and charged it was part of cam
paign to spread war hysteria and
propaganda" in this country.
1T is utterly useless" he declared.
'We are not in war and I don't
believe we are going into this war.
But conditions are so bad in this
country now the people along the
Mississippi River are demanding the
protection of battleships and soon
there will be demand for subma-
rines in the dust bowl"
Soon after the Fish amendment
had been defeated, Representative
Short moved that everything in the
bill except the enacting clause be
| stricken out-a move designed to
kill the bill. On a standing vote,
the House approved the proposal,
SO to 35.
Roll Call Demanded.
This vote showed the lack of
quorum, and Representative Ran
dolph in a final desperate effort to
save the bill demanded the roll call.
On this the House membership rail-
lied more solidly behind Mr.. Short
and sustained his motion for the
record by the 171-to-117 vote.
The bill was described by Rep
resentative Young, Democrat, of
Ohio as absolutely unnecessary"
and "a lot of spinach" He said
he feared its enactment would indi-
cate to the Nation that Congress
had become "hysterical and jit-
terry"
Its not my view," he declared,
"that this is war Congress"