The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-02-28
WEATHER YESTERDAY.
LIMIT DEBATE IN THE SENATE.

In standing for rule limiting de-
bate by any member OF the Sen
ate TO ten minutes the Independents
have taken a position which is for the
best interests OF the Territory. There
is much important legislation to be
enacted this session and the work OF
the Republicans in the Senate thus far
indicates that they do not propose to
permit any legislation to be enacted
If tney can prevent il. The way TO
stop their dilatory tactics is TO limit
debate So far Messrs. Achi. Carter
and Brown have done nothing but act
as obstructionists and yesterday they
afforded a good example of what they
hoped to accomplish by wasting one
nour and a half of the Senates time
discussing Rule "a.
All three OF the gentlemen named
were loud in their denunciation of
gag rule" and Mr.. Brown attempted
to turn scold and brighten the hide
pendents by pointing his finger at
them, while Mr. Carter brought out
that old threadbare bug.a-boo about
the effect on Washington" The way
in which the Republicans of the Sen
ate are working. the effect on Wash
ington viii be TO cause the authorities
there TO believe that the Republican
members of the legislature of Hawaii
are about the biggest 10 tof nincom-
poops ever chosen 10 legislative
body Mr.. Carter also gave an exam
pie OF sophomore oratory in describ-
ing how he and his associates had
been the defenders of liberty in these
Islands. or course this caused the In
dependents to smile. as they remem-
bered how Mr.. Carter and those with
whom he has associated politically,
tried to prevent manhood suffrage in
Hawaii. Many OF them remembered,
that less than .. 500 votes were cast in
1897 in the election of legislature
for the soealled Republic of Hawaii,
out of population of over 10000,
because the people who held the reins
OF government of that Republic Ia
bued manhood suffrage and permitted
only the property holder TO vote. Hay-
ing their liberty now they do not pro-
pose to have II destroyed by scold-
ing minority who proposes to talk
every bill to dean IL they can.
The proposal to limit debate is no
new thing in legislative bodies In
the American Congress today every
important measure is reported under
a special rule limiting the debate. As
a general thing the rule provides for
two hours for each side for the leaders
of the respective sides Of the house
and then a general debate of from
one to two hours under the iveminute
rule. un0er this last no member can
speak for longer than five minutes IN
less by unanimous consent of the
house.
IL is customary in every legisla-
tire in the land to limit debate and
particularly is this so in the closing
days Of busy session when il is the
almost invariable rule to limit debate
to FIVE minutes in order that important
measures may become laws before
the time for final adjournment. The
Republican members OF the Senate
have shown themselves thus early IN
the session to be obst-uctionists
whose purpose il is TO defeat ali legis-
laiion il possible. and in order to de-
feat that object. the Independents in
troduced the ten-minute rule which we
trust will be promptly passed the first
thing this morning.