The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1891-01-20
CONCERNING CL0TURE.
THE SHREWD PLAN THE REPUBM-
CAN LEADERS HAVE FORMULATED.
To Crowd Cloturc Through in Order to
Pass the Elections Bill-The Meaning
Of Morton's Ruling that an Appeal is
Not Debatable,


Pass the Elections Bill-The Meaning
Of Morton's Ruling that an Appeal is
Not Debatable.
Mr.. Aldrich called up in the Senate at
2 o'clock to-day his cloture resolution,
which has been reposing quietly and in
nocuouslv upon the calendar since its
introduction ON the 23d of December last,
but II went over until tomorrow as un
finished business.
Tho CIoture Resolution.
RtSolgoi, That for the remainder OF this
session the rules of the Senate be amended
by adding thereto the following:
When any bill, resolution or other
question shall have been under considera-
ton for a reasonable time it shall be in
order for any Senator TO demand that de-
bate thereon be closed. On such demand
no debate shall be in order and pending
such demand no other motion except one
motion to adjourn shall be made. Ii such
demand be seconded by majority If the
Senators present, the question shall forth
with be taken thereon without debate.
II the Senate shall decide to close debate
on any bill, resolution or other question.
the measure shall take precedence of all
other business whatever, and the question
shall be put upon the amendments, If any
then pending and upon the measure in its
successive stages according TO the rules of
the Senate, but without further debate,
except that every Senator who may desire
shall be permitted TO speak upon the
measure, including all amendments, not
more than once and not exceeding thirty
minutes.
After the Senate shall have decided to
close debate as herein provided, no motion
shall be in order but a motion to adjourn
or to take q recess, when such motions
shall be seconded by majority of the
Senate. When either of said motions
shall have been lost or shall have failed
of second, it shall not be in order to re-
new the same until one Senator shall
have spoken upon the pending measure,
or one vote upon the same shall have in
tervened.
Pending proceedings under the forego-
ing rule no proceeding in respect of n
quorum shall be in order until it shall
have appeared on n division or on the
taking of the yeas and nays that quorum
is not present and voting.
Pending proceedings under the fore
going rule all questions of order, whether
upon appeal or otherwise, shall be decided
without debate, and no obstructive or
| dilatory motion or proceedings of any
kind shall be in order.
For the foregoing stated purposes the
following rules, namely: VII, VIII, TX,
| X, MI, XlX, xxi. XXVII, XXVIII,
XXXV and XII are modified.
The Debate May Last Indefinitely
| unless some way be found to shut IL
off. The brigade of Democratic orators
can exercise their talent as well on
| that resolution as on the Elections bill
| That the friends of that measure and
some other Republican Senators, especially
| these from the new States, are in earnest
in wanting the. cloture. adopted is well
known: Just how it is to be brought
| about has been matter of much specu.
lation and sore tribulation to the news
| paper parliamentarians They have pretty
| generally settled down to the conclusion
that it will be done by some arbitrary act
| on the part Of the presiding officer. But
the acknowledged fact that the Vice
President is averse to any arbitrary pro
ceeding has been stumper.
Preparing the Ground.
A keen observer of such matters say,
that the ground has been carefully pre-
pared to do away with the necessity of any
such arbitrary action on the part of th'
| Nice-Prcsident as q refusal to recognize
| any Democratic Senator when such recog
milton is proper under the rules and tn,
decisions of the presiding officers. II,
calls attention to the ruling Of the Vice.
President at the all-night session last Fri
day night that an appeal from the de
cision Of the Chair is not debatayle. Wher
that ruling was made, Senators Hoar and
Edmunds exclaimed: That's right, Mr.
President; That's right" And wher
Senator orman attempted to make SOM
remarks Senator Aldrich arose and in EN-
phatic tones declared the Maryland states
man was out of order as an appeal from
the decision of the Chair was not debatable
the Chair had so decided, and voting OF
the appeal must proceed without debate
The Vice-President again announced his
ruling to be that an appeal from the de
cision Of the Chair was not debatable.
Yesterday Senator German, the Demo
cratic leader, attempted to induce TIN
Vice-President to revoke that railing. bu
no conclusion was reached on his IN otioI
to amend the journal.
The Republican Plan.
Now, says the gentleman referred to
the plan of the cloture Republicans is +
allow the debate to proceed for three o
four days, then some Republican Senator
presumably Mr.. Aldrich, will make tn
point of order that the resolution is nc
debatable. The theory on which this rest
being that it Isl resolution to close debate
and stands in the same relation as m
ton to adjourn or to take u recess
There will be chorous of pr,
tests from the Democratic side. TIL
Vice-Prcsident will look surprised an
will override the point of order. Tn
maker of the point of order will appea
from the decision of the Chair. This al
peal, under the ruling referred to, will i
held to be not debatable. The vote o
the appeal will override the decision {
the Chair. That will mean that til
cloture resolution is not debatable. Tn,
proposition established there would /
nothing left to do but to take vote.
The Republicans have Senatorial qu'
rum of their own in the city. Mr.. Hear.
is too sick to be present. This will prol
ably cost the Democrats Il vote, as 1t
understood that pairs will be declared of