July 15, 1911

Mr. RUCKER of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to consume six or seven minutes in making a personal statement.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Missouri asks unanimous consent to consume six or seven minutes in making a personal statement. Is there objection? [After a pause.] The Chair hears none.

Mr. RUCKER of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, before making the statement which I desire to make, I send to the Clerk's desk and ask that he read from the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD a colloquy that occurroo on the 12th of this month.

The Clerk read as follows :

l\ir. BORAH. Mr. President, I desire to call attention to another matter for a moment. I should like to ask, if proper to do so, and I presume it is, wh eth er the conference committee on House joint resolution 39 can advise me if there is likely to be a report from that committee soon?

The VICE PRESIDENT. The chairman of the conference committee is not in the Senate Chamber at the present time.

Mr. DALZELL. Mr. Speaker, I make the point of order that it is not proper to discuss in the House anything that took place at the other end of the Capitol.

Mr. RUCKER of Missouri. What is the point of order?

.Mr. DALZELL. The point of order is that it is out of order to discuss anything that takes place at the other end of the Capitol.

.Mr. RUCKER of Missouri. To read from the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD?

Mr. DALZELL. I think so.

l\1r. RUCKER of Missouri. I do not think so, Mr. Speaker. l\fr. JAMES. .Mr. Speaker, the gentleman obtained unanimous consent.

l\1r. DALZELL. There can be no unanimous consent in vio ­ lation of the rules of the House.

M:r. RUCKER of Missouri. It is not my purpose to reflect on anybody or to criticize anybody, but I merely desire to lay n foundation for the statement I want to make. If there is objection, however, I will forego the reading of the RECORD and also the reading of the RECORD of the 12th, which I expected to h a ye read. But I will state, Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my · friend from Pennsylvania [Mr. DALZELL] and others who may be interested, that the colloquy which has occurred elsewhere than in this Chamber is somewhat misleading.

Mr. DALZELL. Mr. Speaker, I do not want to be misunderstood. I have no interest in the matter at all. I am simply anxious that a precedent shall not be established.

Mr. RUCKER of Missouri. I only wanted to make my statement more intelligible and more clearly understood.

Mr. DALZELL. I do not think we ought to establish the precedent.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would prefer not to rule on the point of order.

Mr. RUCKER of Missouri. If the gentleman makes the point of order, I will withdraw the RECORD which I desired to have read.

Mr. DALZELL. I make the point of order.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The point of order is sustained. l\fr. RUCKER of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on the 12th of this month there was a colloquy somewhere, not in this Chamber, referring to the failure of the conferees of two bodies to meet and consider House joint resolution No. 39, relating to the election of Senators by direct vote.

In a colloquy which occurred, not here but elsewhere, it was stated that the universal custom had been for members of a certain body having many members to appear at the door of another body having a much smaller number and let it be known that the conferees of this other body were ready to confer with the conferees of the smaller body, and that certain gentlemen appointed on a conference committee had been resting quietly for 10 days or such a matter waiting for the members from the larger body to go somewhere and make such an announcement.

I want to say. Mr. Speaker, that immediately after the Speaker of this House appointed conferees on the resolution referred to I myself went to another body, and I violated no rule of the House in going into that body, and announced to one member of that conference committee that the House conferees were ready to meet with them then, at any time, and to confer; and I was told by that member with whom I was talking that the chairman of the conferees appointed in tlle other legi sla tive body was then temporarily absent, but that when he returned he would be advised and we would be notified of a time and place to meet.

I want to say further that folJowing that up, I appeared in a distant portion of this Capitol every day, where gentl eme n were assembled and transacting business until I left town on a committee appointed by the Speaker, and !:mt around there hoping that some Senator would advise me they were re <Hly ; but I ha·rn not until this day, until I read the REconn this morning, found that they were waiting upon us.

Now, I want to say, l\Ir. Speaker, that the conferees on the part of the House, my colleague, the gentleman from New York [Mr. CONRY]' · and the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. OLlr ­ STED] are both absent from the city, and have been prob a bly most of the time since the conferees were appointed; but in justice to them, I want to say further that before leaving town they conferred with me, advised me where they would be, so that they could be reached by wire, and assured me they wou l d return here immediately upon telegraphic notice that the conference had been set, so they are practically in attendance.

I want to make one other statement, in order that it may not be understood that the House conferees are derelict in duty. I want to say that the House conferees, all of them, are ready now, and will be ready each and every day from 9 o'clock in the morning until 6 o'clock in the evening, to meet with gentlemen in some other body to confer upon this bill and report back here, if they will agree to it, a resolu- - tion which will meet with the approval of this House and of the entire country.

I want it distinctly understood, 1\Ir. Speaker, that the House has not been derelict, but, on the contrary, has been somewhat persistent in its efforts to secure a conference, and · before nightfall I shall take occasion to advise each of the conferees of another body that the C-onferees of this body are ready to meet with them whenever they consent to meet. [.Applause.]