Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-22
NO LIMIT TO TALK.
Platt Says That Is the Case in
the Senate.
MINORITY HOLDS THE WHIP HAND

And No Practicable Remedy for This
Estate of Thing."-voorhees Agrees with
the Connecticut Statesman, and Then
Gives Short Illustration of the Way
the Thing Works, Retiring in Good Or
der After Some Filibustering.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22-The senate at
last has cloture resolution before 1.-THE
one OF which notice was given Tuesday by
Platt of Connecticut, and the substance
of which was printed in these dispatches.
In offering the resolution Platt made
speech in which he demonstrated the i'm
possibility of the majority transacting any
business in the senate except with the
consent OF the minority. unless the same
was accomplished by the process Of sitting
! 1t out-a process which Platt said was
brutal, and did not always succeed, as the
majority was at such a disadvantage in
these kind of contests, being forced to be
present with quorum all the time, while
the minority could keep one or two on
watch while the others rested
What the Rules should Do.
The rules OF the senate, Platt said, ought
to facilitate the transaction of business.
That proposition would not be denied.
The rules OF the senate as they stood today
made 1t almost or entirely impossible to
transact business. The senate was fast
losing the respect Of the people. 1t was
fast being considered body that existed
for the purpose Of retarding and obstruct-
ing legislation. 1t was being compared in
the minds of the people to the English
house of lords. And the reason of il was
that under the rules it was impossible--or
nearly impossible-to obtain action when
there was any considerable opposition to
! measure.
How Cloture Could BE Adopted.
He knew that it m ght be said that in
the present condition OF affairs in the SEN
ate the resolution could not be adopted
But he believed that it could be adopted
just as easily as the repeal bill could be
passed, and just quickly. He had not
| consulted with senators on his side of the
| chamber to any great extent, and yet he
thought he might safely say that there
was a large majority of his side Of the
chamber would favor the adoption of the
resolution at this time. If a vote on the
| repeal bill could be reached, vote on the
| cloture could be forced. II the considera-
| tion Of the rule was passed and delayed
| factionally, that facs would demonstrate
| most clearly that the opposition was OBJ
structing anu filibustering against the re-
peal.
No Limit to Senate Debate.
The trouble was that the senate rules
permitted unlimited debate Ii was not
"the courtesy Of the senate" as was gen
| orally supposed, that was involved. 1t
was the right, under the rules, of any
member of the senate to speak when he
pleased, as long as he pleased, and as often
| as he pleased on any pending proposition.
When measure was up on which the
senate divided with great interest, which
| the opposition believed to be to the detri-
menu of the country, and on which the
feelings of senators were enlisted, there
was no practical way in which the debate
could be limited
The Meat of the Present Case.
The only way of coming to a vote other
| than the way of physi al exhaustion was
| to come to an agre ement as to time to
| take the vote. This plan was unavailable
| in this case, because if voorhees, were to
| offer to agree to take vote on Nov 10 the
| opposition would not agree. II they would
it would be satisfactory. IL is significant
| right here that tn opposition practically
| admitted this by saying nothing neither
vi
| not present his resolution on the author
ity of the minority, but he offered it in
| good faith as the only way vote could
| he reached. The Republican members
| were, he knew ready to second Voorhees,
| in any practicable plan to get a vote on
| the bill.
Lodge Digs Up Another Right
Hoar thought that Platt's resolution put
| too much on the vice president, and prac-
| tically gave one state three senators He
proposed that when a bill had been de-
| bated more than day any senator shall
be in order to demand the close of the de-
bate, and If seconded by majority the de-
bate shall be closed. VOORHEES, thanked
Platt for his lucid statement of the situa-
| tion, and Lodge said there was another
right more sacred than the right to debate,
and that was the right to vote. 1t was to
be assumed that it, by unwritten law,
there was to be unlimited debate, there
should be no obstruction to vote. When
it appeared that unlimited debate "a right
conceded by courtesy was used for the
purpose of obstruction, then that system
of courtesy became impossible When a
minority not only did not allow a debate to
come to close, but would not even name
any date (no matter how distant) at which
it would assent to close Of the debate.
then it was obvious that courtesy had be-
come entirely one-sided-that unlimited
debate was to be permitted, but that the
right of vote was to be taken away
BEGAN TO LOOK LIKE A FIGHT,
But Voorhees, Seems Only to Have Rean