Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-02-25
House Rules Bar
on ~,
Rayburn Holds
Specific Authority
Required TO Air
Sessions, He Says
BY Robert X. Walsh


Speaker Raybufti today cracked
down On breakfasts and teleCasts
of H0use committee hearings tii1s
less The House specifically ate
thetlBeS such procedures.
He declared present rules Of the
House give no authority for
bf6adeastif1s or teievlsifla House
proceedings Such proceedings, he
explained, Include not 6hiy seS.
Sl6fs OF The House Itself, but Of
committees and subcommittee,
fhe same answer applied when
Mp HavbYpn was asked ab8Ht
tape recordings
His statement arising fP9m A
dispute ever q request 20 teleVlse
IN nearing Of \ subcommittee Of
tho House UnHAmePlean Activities
Committee In Detroit today,
caused considerable surprise bei
cause such heaFlnes frequently
have been broadcast on teleVlsed
IN recent wears,
nv, RayhuFR insisted, however,
that no was not laying down any
arbitrary new ruling, He e0n'
ceeded there have been hToadeasts
and telecasts OF committee hear
lngs In the past, but no declared
House rules do not authorize
them,
Martin Questions Authority,
He put the issue up to the
House Itself and said the House
could, II " chose TO do 30, adopt
a specific rule authorizing such
programs. Asked about the
broadcasting and teleVislng OF
congressional sessions attended by
the President or other dignitaries,
Mr.. Rayburn said those were joint
sessions OF the House and Senate.
As soon aS the House met 10.
day, Republican Leader Martin
questioned Speaker Rayburn'S az.
thority In the matter.
Mr.. Martin cited O rule stating
that 1T Ia for the committee to
determine In Its discretion whether
hearings shall DO open or not"
The Republican leader said this
clearly implies" that committee
should DO the Judge OF whatever
publicity itS hearings should have.
Mr.. Martin also said no cues.
tened the Speakers authority 70
hold that O committee hearing
outside OF Washington could not
Ibe televised or broadcast.
Speaker Rayhurn, replying from
the rostruin, said:
1T Is true that some committees
and subcommittees Of the House
have sometimes had their hearings
te!evised. In each and every In.
stance the Speaker has called the
attention Of the committee to his
belief that the rules Of the House
do not authorize television. There
Is no authority and no rule, so far
as the Speaker knows, that allows
this. II the House passes such Q
rule, the Speaker will try to abide
by It,"
Revision May Be Sought.
Mr.. Martin remarked that the
issue occupies a twilight zone" in
which the Speakers authority Ia
not clearly defined" He indicated
that he or some other member
might sponsor a revision Of tha
rules.
Members Of the Michigan dele.
cation in the House and several
representatives Of television sta.
tons protested earlier today to
Speaker Rayburn and House
Democratic leaders. They said
they were informed last week that
today's scheduled hearing Of the
subcommittee In Detroit could be
broadcast and televised. when
Committee Chairman Wood ara
rived In Detroit this morning with
Representative Mouider, DemoS
efat. Of Missouri Jackson, Demos
efat, Of washington, ana Potter,
Republican, Of Michigan, he afis
il6tiheed that the proceedings
could not be broadcast Oh teie.
Vlsed
Speaker RaybuFh teld reporters
later he Thought he had made hls
p9sltl6R clear last week when sehe
teleVlsleR company representatives
asked him whether the BetFeit
hearing eeHld be teieVisedl Mr.,
RaybuPn said he teld them HeVse
rules glVe no authority for teles
vlsleH including metieA pictures,
taken at hearings and later teles