St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-21
CLOSE TIE DEBATE

When the GLOBE declared Senator
Voorhees, untitled for the leadership of
the militant Democracy, it did not eX-
pect such unanimous Endorsement as
it has received, nor did it expect that
the Indiana senator himself would pub
licly admit his weakness, as he did on
Tuesday. He claims, however. that
there is no means by which he can
force the pending question to an issue,
and that there is practically no limit to
the debate upon it. 1t is true, as he
claims, that the previous question can
not be ordered in the senate under its
rules. yet there are other means that
might be employed TO stop the fllllbus-
tering tactics of the silver senator's,
and these he ought to enforce. 1t has
been done in the past, when the Repub-
lican party was dominant-as, for in
stance, the closure of debate OH the
force bill, when Mr.. Voorhees, himself
was denied the privilege of expressing
his views fully. Might in those days
constituted right. The pleas for
hearing 10y the handful of De mocrats
who then composed the minor ity were
ruthlessly ana arbitrarily denied, and
the end sought was accomplished.
The GLOBE does not counsel the COM
mission of unlawful acts. even for the
accomplishment of desirable ends. 1t
is a deplorable fact that the senate has
so hedged itself about with precedent,
with false courtesy and with absurd
rules that it may be powerleSS TO give
prompt and emphatic expression to the
will Of a majority of its own members
and of the people. Yet it should not be
IN the power of a minority of that body
to block the wheels of legislation and
leopard the interests of the entire coun-
try. SO hampered, it cannot fulfill the
purpose of its being. 1t ceases to be
legislative body the moment 1t gives
rein and license to obStructioniSts and
is powerleSs to control them. Such
condition of things was not conte nj
plated by the trainers of our govern
mental system, and such perversion of
purpose threatens the very existence Of
popular government. A remedy could
be found in an amendment to the rules
governing the senate; more effectual
remedy would be the selection of sena-
tors by direct vote of the people. But
neither of these eXpedients could avail
! in the present emergency. The senators
| now sitting at Washington feel no sense
! of responsibility to the people. A ma
| iOrity occupy their seats by virtue of
! their wealth and their ability to cor
| ruptly influence the state legislatures.
They are unprincipled and plutocratic-
bound hand and foot by personal inter-
| est. They are representatives of mo-
| nopolies and trusts, and acknowledge
no allegiance to the common people.
Ii there ever was an occasion when
violation of precedent or established
rules was justifiable, the present is that
| occasion. But it need not be necessary
| to proceed to such extremeties. Closure
may be brought about by less arbitrary
| means, and it is time that such an ey-
| pedient be employed, Complaint can
not Justly be made that any senator on
the minority side has been denied an
opportunity of expressing his views on
the pending measure. More than a
month has been consumed by them in a
seemingly endless round of iteration
and reiteration. Senator Voorhees, has
| twice extended the time for pressing
| his motion for close Of debate, and
any further extension would be an
abuse of liberation. He should act de-
cisiveiy and at once, and demand the
close of debate that is profitless to the
participants and prejudiclal to the best
p! interests of the country.