The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-08
Circulation Statement.
MIR. Hanna on CIoture.

Although busy preparing instructions
10 several State Legislatures concerning
how they must act IN the matter of Sena-
torial elections. the great MI Hanna. in
New York yesterday. found time to as
sure interviewers that the cloture rule
would he taken up by the Senate at the
beginning OF the next session of Congress
and passed He is reported TO have made
this statement with complete seriousness.
Mr.. Hanna, as everybody knows by this
time. is the motive power. the man at
the wheel. and the conscience Of the Ad-
ministration- What he insists upon has
TO lie done. as far as executive action
can control the situation We have no
doubt whatever that, as he says, des-
perate attempt will be made next winter
10 throttle the Senate, just as the House
has been StTangied and compelled To sur
render its constitutional rights, Hbert es,
and functions Whether the effort viii
be successful or not is another question
1t would be undoubtedly if all the
Senator's on the Republican side could be
counted upon to support it; but we do
not fancy they can be We think we could
name several of prominence and influence
who would be very apt to kick over the
traces at the first sign of a deliberate in
tention TO put the cloture harness upon
them There are more than few of their
colleagues who are too shrewd observers
Of political phenomena not to calculate
upon the pOssIyniJv Of tidal wave one
Of these days. which might change the
present majority in Congress to a minori-
ty, and then no one would resent tie ex-
istence of buck and gag rules more than
Mr. Hanna himself. But he is NOT the
kind of man 10 look far beyond his inlme
date object. He wants cloture and VIII
TT. to secure It. but he viii not gain his
end, if at all, without 3 fight in his own
camp.
CIotuTe in the Senate would nearly COM
pIete the work of the national politicO-
trust combination to slIbvert American
popular institutions II would put Con-
gress helpIessis- in Hanna's hands eN-
aCtIy as the House o. Representatives. is
now With cloture, = barefaced steal
like the Subsidy bill could be damned
through both Houses in a day; and, on
the next day, the Government could be
forced by legislation TO take the old De
LesseI,s ditch of the hands Of the Pana-
ma syndicate at a profit TO them Of fifty
or sixty million dollars CIoture would
render it an easy matter TO get law
passed increasing the number Of Supreme
Court Justices from nine 10 twenty-one,
after which the bench could be packed
with creatures Of the trusts Then the
triumph Of the oligarchic combination
wou!I be indeed complete
For that matter there is no escaping
from the evidence that the oligarchy rules
The country today. Lacking absolute con-
troll Of the Senate, and as Yet unable 10
reach the Supreme Court. its grasp upon
the throat OF the country is not satisfac-
tory TO the oIigarchs. They will try to
make il more so. AS the masses see only
the outward and visible sign of our new
governmental system in the person of Mr.
Mckinley they fancy that it is in his
hands the imperial power has been plac-
ed but although this idea may be theo-
reticaIIy correct. il is not SO practically
In Great Britain. for example, King Ed
ward reigns; but for the ruler of the EN-
pIre we must look behind him 10 the
House of Commons which exercises the
real imperial power through a Prime
Minister responsible 10 it alone Here in
America the amiable' William Mckinley
reigns, but does rot rule. When We peer
ever his shoulder the familiar and pleas
ing faces Of the Lords Of the Combfna-
ton appear They are our actual rulers.
with Marcus a. Hanna as premier and
they look very much as if their names
might be Morgan, Rockefeller. Have
meyer. Duke. and so on
The country is already sitting Up and
taking notice Of the cloture project in
the Senate Before the first session OF
the FItty-seventh Congress. it VIII be
fully informed Of the uses 10 which such
q rule. If adopted. will be put It is pos
sihle that some Senators who are nov
understood 20 favor the plot may. dur
Ing the long vacation. become conscious
that they can only vote 10 suppress free
speech in the Chamber At the cost Of
gTrecking their popularity at home