Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-23
The Platt Resolution Again Dis
cussed in. the Senate.
MR. wRPIES ARGUMENT AGAINST IT,
It is Finally Referred to the Com.
mittee on Rules.
MATTERS IN THE HOUSE
THE. SENATE.

Mr.. Stewart (Nev) offered the following
resolution and said he would address the
Senate next Monday:
Resolved, That the independence Of the
coordinate departments of the government,
the legislative. the executive and the judi
cial, must be maint tanned. and the use Of the
power and influence of one department to
control the action of another Is a violation
of the Constitution and destructive of our
form of government.
MIR. Turpie Against ClOture.
The cloture resolution was taken up and
Mr.. Turpie Qnd,) addressed the Senate in
opposition to 1t. There had been. he said.
but one way since 1906 Of bringing about a
vote in the Senate on any measure and that
way was ION unanimous consent" TheO-
retically it might be said that under 1t
one member Of the body might at any time
prevent vote. But such a case has been
very rare and uncommon in the Senate.
1t would be seen that. practically. the one
member ObJecting to unanimous consent
became conspicuous object OF attack. SO
that whatever effect the rule of unanimous
consent had had, it had not had the effect
of menacing important legislation. 1t had
been said that the majority in this country
ruled; and that, therefore, the majority In
the Senate should rule. That statement was
II uch too broad. when applied to the whole
country, or to the Senate. 1t would be
much better put In this way: THE Will Of
the majority as expressed under the forms
OF law should rule" The first form Of law
for the Senate was the Constitution Of the
United States. and the second form was the
rules established by the majority which
controlled action. 1t was impossible and In
conceivable that debate in the Senate should
ever cease, or a vote be ever taken, as long
as there was dissenting unit In the
chamber. assisted by one-tifth OF the num-
Der to ask for roll call.
III a al n.
tire body OF rules in the Senate and an
amendment to the Constitution pere,hp-
torily to create what seemed to be aimed at
by the resolution Of the Senator from Con-
necttcut, and the amendments suggested to
II. Cloture, he declared. was suppression,
repression, and a statesman suppressed. A
member Of the Senate represSed was sure
TO be sent back by the people, no longer IN
the minority, but in the majority. A vote
by force was not a vote. vote by COM
pulsion was not free action. He cited cases
In the reigns Of the Stuart kings of Eng
land. and argued from them that obstruc-
ton was an extreme remedy. But in his
mind there was no reason for either ex-
treme-that of cloture or that of Otstruc-
ton. A middle ground could be found and
adopted with much greater case than
either.
Some Questions Asked.
Mr.. Villas (Wis.) commented on state
ment of Mr.. Turpie that the only rule In
the Constitution governing the Senate was
that providing that on the demand Of one
fifth the roll should be called. He suggest-
ed to Mr.. Turpie that there was still an
other rule in the Constitution applicable to
both houses and that was that either house
might, with the concurrence of two-thirds.
expel a member. He asked whether Mr.
Turpie did not consider those two rules
somewhat antagonistic and contradictory.
Mr.. Turpie replied that he did not con-
slider them at all contradictory. because the
rule as to one-fifth applied only to legisla-
tive business.
Mr.. Hoar (Mass) asked him whether he
made any distinction Qn the matter Of clo-
ture) between the Senate and the House.
Mr.. Turpie admitted that ne did, because
he regarded the Senate as the refuge and
asylum of minorities: and he wanted that
asylum to be inviolable.
Opposed to ClOture.
Mr.. Dubois Qdaho) was opposed to the
Introduction of a cloture rule in the midst
Of an exciting debate.
Mr. Call F'la.) opposed the cloture resolu-
ton because he regarded 1t as a proposition
to forbid debate. and to close the only ave-
nue. OF intercourse between the Senate and
the great mass of the people-the press
being in the control and ownership of the
spoke OF the Congressional Record as one
OF the most important instrument talities for
the preservation of public liberty and for
the development of the business and welfare
OF the great mass Of the people,
Referred to the Committee on Rules
At the end Of long discussion the cloture
resolution was. on motion of its author. Mr.
Platt Conn.). referred to the committee on
rules. Mr.. Platt stating that he Intended to
go pefore that committee and state at
greater length than he had stated them to
tne senate, the arguments in favor Of
utive business.
THE HOUSE.