430 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL

 Apparently, as the Chair is advised by the Parliamentarian, whoever drew
 the rules of the Senate was not willing to trust the presiding officer to determine
 the germaneness of an amendment of this kind, as, under the rules, the Chair
 does not have the right to determine the germaneness of an amendment to legis-
 lation on an appropriation bill. The Chair, therefore, submits to the Senate
 the question, Ia the amendment of the Senator from Arkansas germane to the
 amendment of the committee?
 Mr. VAnummaB I ask for the yeas and nays.
 The yeas and nays were ordered, and the legislative clerk proceeded to call
 the roll
 Mr. Bnao (when his name was called). I have a pair with the senior Senator
 from Iowa [Mr. Dickinson]. Not knowing how he would vote, I transfer that
 pair to the Senator from Alabama [Mr. Bankhead], and will vote. I vote "yea."
 Mr. DAvs (when his name was called). Making the same announcement as on
 the previous roll call with reference to my pair and its transfer, I vote "yea."
 Mr. McNAar (when his name was called). Again referring to my pair with
 the Senator from Mississippi [Mr. Harrison], I vote "yea."
 The roll call was concluded.
 Mr. Romasox. 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 Massachusetts
 [Mr. Coolldge], the Senator from Illinois [Mr. Dieterich], the Senator from
 Pennsylvania [Mr. Guffey], and the Senator from Connecticut [Mr. Lonergan]
 are detained in Important committee meetings.
 The Senator from Washington [Mr. Bone], the Senator from Ohio [Mr.
 Donahey], the Senator from Oklahoma [Mr. Gore], the Senator from Illinois
 (Mr. Lewis], the Senator from Kentucky [Mr. Logan], the Senator from New
 Jersey [Mr. Moore], the Senator from Maryland [Mr. Tydings], and the Senator
 from Indiana [Mr. Van Nuys] are unavoidably detained.
 The result was announced-yeas 5, nays 21, as follows:
 Yeas: Bachman, Bailey, Barkley, Benson, Bilbo, Black, Borah, Brown, Bulow,
 Byrne, Caraway, Chaves, Clark, Connally, Cousens, Davis, Duty, Fletcher,
 Praieer, George, Gibson, Bale, Hatch, Johnson, La Follette, Loftin, Long,
 MeAdoo, MeKellar, McNary, Maloney, Minton, Murray, Neely, Norris, Overton,
 Pittman, Pope, Badcliffe, Reynolds, Robinson, Russell, Behwellenbach, Sheppard,
 Shipatead, Thomas of Oklahoma, Thomas of Utah, Townsend, Truman, Wagner,
 Walsh, Wheeler, and White-3.
 Nays: Adams, Austin, Barbour, Bulkley, Burke, Byrd, Capper, Carey, Cope-
 land, Gerry, Glass, Hastings Hayden, Holt, Keyes, King, McGill, Metcalf,
 Murphy, O'Mahoney, and Vandenberg-21.
 Not voting: Ashurst, Bankhead, Bone, Coolidge, Costigan, Dickinson, Dieterich,
 Donahey, Gore, Guney, Harrison, Lewis, Logan, Lonergan, McCarran, Moore,
 Norbeck, Nye, Smith, Steiwer, Tydings, and Van Nuy--22
 So the Senate decided Mr. Robinson's amendment to be germane to the
 amendment reported by the committee.
 The Vzri PHmassT. The question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by
 the Senator from Arkansas [Mr. Robinson] to the amendment reported by the
 committee.
 Mr. RomIsoN. Mr. President, I should perhaps make an explanation of the
 amendment During the course of the debate on the parliamentary questions
 which were raised there were references to some of the provisions of this amend-
 ment. If I may have the undivided attention of Senators, I should like to con-
 dense my discussion of the amendment as much as may seem practicable.
 It is perhaps not necessary to state the circumstances which have prompted
 the introduction of this subject at this time. Every Member of the Senate, prob-
 ably, is familiar with the essential features which are involved In the questions
 raised by the amendment.
 Last year the Congress passed a large work-relief bill and gave the President
authority to Initiate the construction of projects with one controlling purpose in
mind, namely, to provide employment for a large number of persons who were
on the relief rolls. Among the projects which were Initiated under that authority
were two very large ones, namely, the one pertaining to the Florida ship canal
and the other relating to the Passamaquoddy tidal power plan. The completion
of these projects, it appears from the record, would require, in the case of the