CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-Holtse. )F Y 29
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400 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOlTSE. )f y 29, Henry ~1ooGey, of ~ew Orleans, L;t.,. to be United States at-. and that control is being exercised by the Po tmaster General tol'ney, ea tern <li trict of Louisiana, vice Joseph W. Mont now. gomery, resigued. (:r-..~ow serving under recess appointment.) · The Committee on the Post Office and Po 't ltoa<ls belie>es that Thomas D. Warren, of Newbern, N. C., to be United States this is a postal function an<l feels that inasmuch a the control attorney, ea tern <listrict of.North Carolina, vice James 0. Carr, has been under the Postmaster General and all the activiti · resigned. (Now serving under recess appointment.) , have been by him, the Committee on the l'ost Office an<l Post D. E. Simmons, of Houston, Tex., to be United Stat~s attorney, Roads ought to hfive jurisdtction over the legi 1ation that is southern district of Texas, vice John E. Green, jr., resigned. proposed to be enacted for the return of the wires to their (Now serving under recess appointment.) owners. UNITED STATES M.ABSHALS. Mr. MOORE of Pennsyln.nia. Mr. Speaker, will tb gentle man yield Bruce Alexander, of Booneville, Miss., to be United States Mr. MADDEN. Yes. marshal, northern district of Mississippi, vice W. S. Var~aman, Mr. MOORE of Penn ylvania. Dld not the bill providi11g for term expired. (Now serving under recess appointment.) . the taking over of the telegraph and telephone companies ori~i Floyd Loper, of Lake, Miss., to be United States marshal, nate with the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commen:c'? southern district of Mississippi, vice John G. ·Cashman, term ex Mr. MADDEN. That is just what I said. It dld. pired. (Now serving under recess appoint~ent.) l\fr. MOORE of Pennsylvania. So that the action of Congre;os in taking o>er the wires was based on a report from the Com. mittee on Int~rstate and Foreign Commerce, and not on a report from the Committee on the Post Office an<l Po t Uoads? HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. · Mr. MADDEN. That is true. But all the precedents go to TnmsDAY, jfay 29,1919. show that on all matters that have to do with postal affairs the Committee on the Po~t Office and Post Roads ha jurisdic The House met at 12 o'clock noon. tion, and the committee has already :;iven con ideration to thig The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the follow- question with a view to reporting a bill to return the wires ~o ing prayer: . their owners, and I believe that committee reported a re olutioil Our Father in heaven we bless Thee for a b·eautifnl world, a just at the close of the last Congress, which I think would have beautiful day, and the grand opportunity we possess for making been enacted had the Congress remair.ed in ession a few days life more beautiful for ourselves and for others. longer. Enter into our souls, we beseech Thee, with all Thy trans Mr. DENISON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield? forming power. Make us great in thought,' great in love, great Mr. MADDEN. Ye . in all our undertakings for all that is highest and best in life. Mr. DENISON. Does my colleague from Illinois think that: Under the leadership of the Prince of Men. ' Amen. the Committee on the Post Office anc.l Post Roads woulc.l have The Journal of the proceedings of yesterday wus read and ap had jurisdiction to bring in this measure in the first place? proved. Mr. MADDEN. Oh, certainly; without doubt. It has to do TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE LINES. with the communication of intelligence. You can call it inter state commerce, if you will. Mr. MADDEN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee Mr. DENISON. Of course, my colleague knows that the action on the Post Office and Post Roads, I move that the reference of was not taken as a matter of communicat~on of intelligence but joint resolution No. 2, transferring the telephone and telegraph as a war measure. lines back to their owners, be changed from the Committee on Mr. MADDEN. It was to control the communication of in- I~rstate and Foreign Commerce to the Committee on the Post telligence. Office and Post Roads. Mr. DENISON. If the President had cho en to exercise this The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Illinois moves that the power through the Secretary of Labor, does my colleague think reference of the resolution referred to be changed from the then that this matter ought to come up through the Committee Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce to the Commit- on Labor? tee on the Post Office and Post Roads. Mr. MADDEN. No; I do not. Of course, it would have been Mr. CLARK of Mis ouri. :r,rr. Speaker, what is the reason for silly to undertake to control it through the Secretary of Labor, the reque t? because the Department of Labor has nothing in common willi l\fr. l\f.ADDEN. I ask unanimous consent, l\fr. Speaker, that the operation of the telegraph and telephone lines. five minutes be given on each side of the question to state the Mr. BARKLEY. l\fr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield? case. · Mr. MADDEN. Yes. The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Illinois asks unanlmous Mr. BARKLEY. If the Committee on the Post Office anc.l consent that five minutes be given on each side for e~'1>lanation. Post Roads had original jurisdiction, why did not that com Is there objection? mittte claim it in the last Congress when this bill was reported l\lr. MOORE of Pennsylvania. Reserving the right to object, out and passed upon a report from our committee? , .Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the gentleman from illinois if Mr. l\IADDEN. It was reported from the Comml.ttee on In- this is the wire-control bill? · terstate and Foreign Commerce before anybody had notice that 1\Ir. MADDEN. Yes. the bill was before that committee. Mr. l\lOORE of Pennsylvania. Then the question evidently Mr. BARKLEY. The CoNGRESSIO AL RECORD indicated it. would be raised in discussion as to which committee it should Mr. MADDEN. It does not matter what the CoNGRESSIONAL go to, llie Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce or RECORD indicated. The Committee on the Post Office and Post the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads. Roads claim jurisdiction, and the bill really belongs to the l\lr. .MADDEN. Yes. Committee on the Post Office ancl Post Roads at this time. l\fr. UOORE of Pennsylvania. ·wm the gentleman tell us l\1r. ASWELL. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield? during the di cussion, in which I presume• he will participate, · l\Ir. MADDEN. Yes. by which committee we are likely to get the speediest action? l\Ir. ASWELL. Does the gentleman recall that in the last ses- 1\lr. l\lADDEN. Of course I can not speak of that. sion the House voted to take it back from the Committee on The SPEAKER Is there objection to the request that each the Post Office and Post Ro:ids and refer it to the Committee on side have five minute ? Interstate and Foreign Commerce? I have a recollection of that. l\lr. CLARK of Mi souri. On the suggestion of Judge MooN, I Mr. 1\IA.DDEN. The House took action upon a resolution re- ask that the time be made 10 minutes on a side. ported from the Committee on the Post Office and Po t Roads. The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Missouri asks unani- The SPEAKER. The time of the gentleman from Illinois llas mous consent that the time be extended to 10 minutes on a side. expired. Is there objection? l\Ir. MADDEN. I reserve the balance of my time, l\Ir. Speaker. There was no objection? Mr. ESCH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have four minutes of l\lr. MADDEN. 1\Ir. Speaker, I will take five minutes, and time. then I ·,,·m yield fiye minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee On the 22d of July, 1918, the House passed a resolution turn- [.Mr. l\IooN]. ing over to the President the control and operation of the wire Some time in 191 the Committee on Interstate and Foreign systems. That resolution did not designate what agency or Commerce reported a resolution authorizing the President to department of the Government should have such control. By a take the telegraph and telephone lines of the United States over proclamation of the President on the 22d of July the operation as a ·· war measure, for the period of the war, and until the procla- and control were placed in the hands of the Post Office Depart· mation of peace. The President of tile United .States exercised ment. As was stated by the Supreme Court of Loui· iana in ·::r the power through tile Postmaster General of the United States, . recent decision regarding wire control, there was nothing in the · ~ 1919. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 401 resolution originally adopted which would prohibit the Pr~si paragraph . in a tariff act to any other committee than the dent from turning it over to the Department of Commerce or any Committee on Ways and Means, that reported the bill contain other department, so that the operation and control of the wire ing the section sought to be repealed.' The Committee on Inter systems under the resolution are not the main thing, but are state and Foreign Commerce considered the whole legislative mere incidents.