The sun., 1894-12-06
CLOTURE IN THE SENATE.
sESA1oR TEsr OF MISSOURI URG rs
ITS ADOPTION.

ne Contsssss 60 = Chsses OF opiuior, but
Appeals to the Senate 60 EstabItsh =
tioturc Rule ir It wishes 90 Avoid Pub.
lie Contempt - PoIptes References 20
the TariT Fight or the Last ses.io-.
wAsntaGroS, Dec. 5.--The feature OF chief
Interest in the proceedings OF the Senate to-day
was the speech Of Mr.. Vest dem. Mo- in sup
port OF the cloture resolution which he had Of.
fcrcd yesterday, but which he modified to-day
~ ~ to instruct the Committee on Rules to re-
Tn"t before tho 18th inst-a plan putting IL
within the power OF tho majority to force
vote on any pending bill, resolu-
tion, or motion. Mr.. Vest confessed To
change Of opinion on the subject
o. unlimited debate. and appealed To the Senate
to establish cloture rule II 1t wished to avoid
public contempt and TO keep abreast OF the ag-
Rrrssve and progressive principles Of the Amer
lean people. His illusions to the tariff fight of
last session, to parliamentary blackmsiling by
some senators, and to the waste OF time by
others in reading or having read census reports,
last years almanacs, and biographical sketches
wpte very POINTED and somewhat amusing. He
said:
There must he a change OF the rules. so that
the interests of tho immense domain which we
are here representing can be al justed to final
hy. and not put under the control Of minority
OF this body even of a factional few. much less
than respectable minority. Under the pres
ent rules debate is stfed by the very necessities
of the case that arise in regard to any important
measure. Take the position OF Senators in
charge OF any great bill in which all the In
terests OF the country are involved, and
passions and prejudces are Mt work on
both sides of the chamber. without
any rule that can limit debate, without any
possibility OF bringing the measure to q finality
until absolute physical and me ntal exhaustion
intervenes, Senators in charge of . measure are
compelled to remain silent, and are afraid to
defend the measure because such defence would
excite attack and give occasion for debate. |
know, and every Senator who has had charge OF
important bills knows. that to be q fact. They
have been compelled to remain silent, with the
country clamoring for redress on the issue to DO
determined. So that the present rules stihe the
freedom of debate. They coerce Senators in
charge of bills into silence. The present rules
facilitate parliamentary blackmailng Take the
case OF Senator, or OF a coterie OF Senators,
representing . sectional or large Individual in
terest of their constituents, and desiring to place
certain amendments on bill. Under the rules
now they are able to stop the progress of the
measure unless their amendments are acceded
TO or . compromise effected which meets their
views. l assert 1t as a fact that amendments
have been put upon important measures In this
body under the threat that otherwise debate
would lie indefinite or almost intermina-
BILE. use the word debate" but It
il not debate. Census reports. last years
almanacs, biographical sketches. and books of
when one Senator Is physically exhausted an
other Senator steps forward and takes his place,
debate in the senate Of the United States. fGe
result Is that under this parlame ntary compul-
klDulu them. a
Of the business of the Senate OF which we have
heard so much for so many years.
But, again, my serious objection to these
rules is the fact that they have brought the Sen.
ence. When the senate Of Rome gave It's ITSELF n M
@ precedent and to close privilege IL lost its In
IT. 'f The %
the United States that this is an obstructive
rnd progressive spirit of our " ciyillastion4
know that that impression has largely come
I'm I'm Sc, sensational national newspaper statements tate e. H and
Senate as a millionaire club But the fact still
that the senate Of the United states is no
lonfer abreast of the aggressive and
sage; and no mere oratoTicsl appeal to the con, on
cnpy can remove this impression from the pub
lie mind. More than that. these rules attack
Government is based-the rule OF the majority.
II half dozen or a dozen senators are able, Iy
delay and procrastiaation in debate, to defeat
I he will of the ma iOrity and TO keep measure
tagging In thus hall until public patience is ex-
iran,ted and the measure. together with this
D. h'iy, II brought into general npprObrium, that
f. dcfeatof the Fundamental doctrine on which
our institutions rest; Who can deny that in q
IL absolutely dies, so far as public interest is
concerned, the rule Of the majority is defeated
have changed my opinion in relation to the
question involved in this resolution 1t should
We are told now that the shadow Of the Force
bill is upon us because the Republican party
% S,o SSqT E q h shf haYS sS, % fssT
Senator 10 preserve these rules productive Of
evil as they are-by attempting 10 alright us
how obnoxious it may be- to any senator. IL is |
said that these rules are now 70 be changed in
Iiii.;' from the House @f Fepre,enIstives. |
sariI vote for these bills, but avow here
Rat body Il the OeSTs Vote wars s4sy to SS"@ Ss
;"r"n the next hour, or the next day, or the
ny w%ek; T. And 80 neisyinS sr csnno, 1e IN.
these ills through the Senate. have no other |
object than to relieve the senate Of The United
states from the obOquy into which IL has been |
br"ught by the rules'as they now exist. Until |
W. put oni selves into the great column Of adj
teach the people of the United states that we |
nrc not a body Gf obstructionists but that we |
are willing to perform the functions which the |
viii "t the people has imposed upon us, the |
eila .e "ll iali M 70 meet lis higIi mission or ihe
rloe will cuatent myself with simply asking |
The yeas and nays on the adoption OF the resolu-
ti0n.'
by the time that Mr.. Vest had finished his |
remarks the morning hour had run out, and |
nnder the rule II enforced, the resolution would |
have gone to the calendar: A proposition, how !
eyer, was made hy Mr.. Harris CDen., Tenn |
Lat IL retain its place on the table subject 10 |
The call Of its author. That suggestion was ac- |
rrrted ly Mr.. Vest, but was objected TO by Mr.. |
AdriCh tltep., II. H., and the resolution went TO
nc calendar.
Finally Mr., Vest gave notice that he would |
tomorrow move TO take the resolution from the |
calendar and have a vote of the Senate upon IL. |
House OF Representatives.
The House to-day entered upon the cOnsiderA-