DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL


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"general" legislation. Therefore, it has seemed to me that the premise upon
which the Senator from Arkansas argues is unsound.
 I should be willing to concede that if this be legislation opening the gates,
it would open them to germane legislation, and to germane legislation only.
I cannot see that proposed legislation providing for the appointment of a
commission, that commission to go out and engage in scientific undertakings,
scientific investigations, to determine the commercial feasibility of a project,
is germane to an appropriation bill.
 The PsamSING Omrcm. The Chair has not ruled on the question as to
whether or not it must be germane. The only question on which the Chair
ruled was the point of order made by the Senator from Missouri.
 Mr. ADAMS. I wanted it made clear that my original point of order was
 submitted on the ground that the amendment of the Senator from Arkansas
 was general legislation and that it was not germane to the bill.
 The PaImmDx Oamcm. The question is, Shall the decision of the Chair
 stand as the judgment of the Senate?
 Mr. GLAss. Mr. President, what is the decision of the Chair on the point of
 the germaneness or nongermaneness of the proposal?
 The PaBsiDoN Orrzwm The Chair has not passed on that question, and
 the Chair cannot pass on the question of whether or not it is germane. That
 must be submitted to the Senate. The Chair has ruled only on the point of
 order made by the Senator from Missouri.
 Mr. Cran. I ask for the yeas and nays.
 The yeas and nays were ordered.
 Mr. MoNazY. Mr. President, I was just about to express my approval of
 the ruling of the Chair, which does not indicate that I am at all favorable
 to the project on its merits.
 Mr. ADAMS. Mr. President, may I ask the Chair to make a further explana-
 tion? There seems to be a good deal of misunderstanding among Senators
 about me as to what the issue is.
 The PxPaDINo Omnc. The question raised by the point of order made by
 the Senator from Missouri goes only to the committee amendment. The
 Chair overruled the point of order made by the Senator from Missouri, hold-
 ing that, while the amendment did amount to general legislation, neverthe-
 less title II of the bill itself contained many items of general legislation,
 and under the ruling of Vice President Marshall, the Chair, having been
 advised that that ruling has been uniformly followed, held that the House
 of Representatives having opened the door, the Senate could go in. Those
 were the words of Vice President Marshall. A vote to sustain the ruling
 of the Chair should be in the affirmative; a vote against the ruling of the Chair
 should be in the negative.
 Mr. BzBao. A parliamentary inquiry.
 The PreIDIMo Orncn. The Senator will state it.
 Mr. BIao. My understanding is that If the Chair is overruled in his position,
 that would send the bill back to the committee.
 The PmESIDIN Ormca The Senator is correct. The yeas and nays have
 been ordered, and the clerk will call the rolL
 The Chief Clerk proceeded to call the roll.
 Mr. Bn.o (when his name was called). I have a general pair with the senior
 Senator from Iowa [Mr. Dickinson]. I transfer that pair to the Senator from
 Alabama [Mr. Bankhead] and vote "yea."
 Mr. McNA&a (when his name was called). I have a pair with the senior
 Senator from Mississippi [Mr. Harrison], who is unavoidably absent I am
 advised that if he were present he would vote as I am about to vote. I vote
 "yea."
 Mr. MmwrcP (when his name was called). Owing to the absence of the Sena-
 tor from Maryland [Mr. Tydings], with whom I have a pair, I-withhold my
 vote, not knowing how he would vote if present
 The roll call was concluded.
 Mr. RomNsow. I announce that the Senator from Alabama [Mr. Bankhead],
 the Senator from Colorado [Mr. Costigan], the Senator from Mississippi [Mr.
 Harrison], the Senator from Nevada [Mr. McCarran], and the Senator from
 South Carolina [Mr. Smith] are detained from the Senate on account of illness.
 The Senator from Arizona [Mr. Ashurst], the Senator from North Carolina
 [Mr. Bailey], the Senator from Massachusetts [Mr. Coolidge], the Senator from
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