The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-17

Length are Made, and Interrupt
tiOns Permitted in Order 10 Stave
on the Vote on the Measure and,
Also. Prevent Other Bills Being
Brought TO Vote - Weeks Con-
sumed 10 Little Purpose.
(By r. NJ. Larner)
Washington, Feb. Ex-senator Bev-
eridge, the Child of Destiny, CD"
from Indiana. who is supposed to be
leading the sham battle over the ON
nibus statehood bill in the Senate. has
permitted few of his intimate politi-
cal friends to take a peep behind the
senatorial curtain. 1t appears that
the desperate struggle" now raging
in the Senate, and which has been in
progress since the present session be-
gan is great game of political bluff,
to stave off action on other general
legislation, which the Republican
party leaders believe to be inoppor-
tune, and injurious to certain bust
ness interests.
Senator Quay, the Republican boss
of Pennsylvania, backed by the Dem
ocrats. and the far Western Republ-
cans. is the recognized leader of the
advocates of the statehood bill. If a
vote could be had to-day ii is gem
orally conceded that the bill would
pass. The Republican administration
does not want the three territories
admitted to statehood at this time,
and the Republican managers, with
young" Beveridge as filibusterer in
chief, are playing a crafty game at
time-killing, with what seems to be
an understanding with Senator Quay.
Talking Themselves HOnrsc.
Since the debate began, all of the
set speeches have thus far been made
by Beverage and his followers The
Quay people haVee insisted daily and
even hourly that all they desired was
an opportunity to take a direct vote
on the bill. without further discuss
| sion. Now, l happen to know that
| the set speeches have been carefully
| prepared with a view to exciting the
| Democrats and the Western Republic
| cans, who are permitted by the party
| leaders to favor the bill, for local po-
litical reason to reply, and thus con-
| sumo a part of the time of the 'fili.
| busterers."
The scheme has worked to the en-
| tire satisfaction of Senator Beveridge
who states privately, that a complete
| time table has been Kept since the fill
clustering commenced, and the result
| shows that those who are opposing fill
| clustering, but urging a direct vote,
| have actually occupied as much time
| as their opponents with Interruptions,
explanations of statement made in
set" speeches, and the interject' on of
routine private business, in the belly
of prepared speeches.
Want No Final Vote.
It is not the intention of the Repub-
lican leaders to allow a final vote to
be taken upon the statehood bill, and
it is asserted by those in control of the
situation in the Senate that the state
hood bill will probably be the pending
question when Congress adjourns on
March a. With this outline of the Re-
publican programme before the man
of average intelligence and familiarity
with the elastic rules of the United
States Senate, the game of bluff now
in progress is amusing as well as in
teresting.
For instance, Senator Kean of New
Jersey, who has served two terms in
the House of Representatives and who
was elected to the Senate in 1899, de-
llNGiCd HIS UldlueI speech, during
his entire congressional career, last
week against the statehood bill, Of
course it was a carefully prepared ad-
dress, which Senator Kean might have
finished reading in about two or three
hours, without Interruptions. Senator
Kean does not claim to be one of the
most attractive debaters in the Senate,
but he is a practical business man,
popular on both sides of the chamber
Il
Some of his statements called forth
repeated suggestions from the friends
of the bill. With assumed reluctance
he gracefully yielded to all of his in
terruptors, Democrats and Republi-
cans, and the Congressional Record
shows that his speech and Interrupt
tons consumed almost an entire week.
Nelson Spoke Six Days.
Similar tactics have been employed
by the well disciplined filibusterers
during every set speech thus far de-
livered. 1t was so during the six
days speech of Senator Nelson of
Minnesota, and all of the opponents
of statehood legislation at this ses-
sion who have followed him. Senator
Depew was called upon to yield up a
two-hours speech on the subject of
Mormonism in the territories He
could have finished in less time than
was allotted to him. but he baited
the opposition so deftly that for hours
he sat smiling in his chair, contin-
uously yielding to Interruptions and
cross-firing from senators on both
sides of the chamber. When inter-
ruptions were not forthcoming from
other quarters. the wasp-like Bev-
eridge frequently injected a singing
question to the set" speaker which
invariably called for a general dis
cussion from a dozen or more SEN
ators, who were apparently uncon-
scious of the game so deftly planned
to tempt them to take a hand in the
time killing process.
Numerous other incidents in support
of this contention, aside from the adj
missions of several of the Republican
leaders, might be cited to show that
the so-called Quay blockade is not
effective, nor is it intended to be, for
all of the important business, includ-
ing general appropriation billsl the
conference report on the Department
of Commerce bill, with it's antitrust,
publicity rider, have glided gracefully
through in spite of the threatened re-
sistence Of Senator Quay. During the
earlier period of Senator Depew's
speech, he provoked Senator Burton
to ask a number of questions about
1t only required a liberal supply of
bait 10 involve Burton in a protract-
ed defense of the miners of gold, sill
yer and copper Beverage smiled ap-
provingly at Depew. and the New York
Senator signaled 10 his young wife
in the gallery not to grow inn