The Washington herald., 1907-03-03

So Think Leaders Oh Both
Sides of Senate.
START SUCCESSFUL FILIBUsTER
Democrats Adopt Policy OF Delay
Which Subsidy Advocates Cannot
OVercOme-LasT Effort TO Save the
Measure to Be Made To-day-The
Democrats Ready for Siege.

The ship-subsidy bill. mutilated and
bearing hardly q resemblance 10 its form
er self was taken up by the Senate yes
terday Immediately after it was reported
from the House. It went on the rocks
from the moment the attempt was
made, to put it on its way to final pas
sage
hibuster By the Democrats was in
stituted at once, and so successful was
this that the consideration OF the bill
was postponed until this morning at II
O'Clock, when last desperate attempt
to save Ii viii be made probably without
success.
The advocates OF the subsidy bill in the
Senate have little, If any, hope that It
viii become a law. BY many of them
it is regarded as already dead, and to
days debate, It Is claimed. will be mere
" in the nature of wake" Under the
freedom Of action and speech permitted
in the Senate. the Democrats, solid in
their opposition TO the bill, apparently
viii have things their own way. and they
are eiated over the prospect of victory.
When recess was taken by the Senate
az o'clock yesterday evening. the friends
OF the measure were perfectly willing to
have 1t give way for other legislation.
Al the conclusion Of the reading OF the
bill Senator Galllnger. chairman Of the
commission which framed the original
subsidy measure, made "a formal motion
10 concur in the House amendments. thus
avoiding the pitfalls Of a reference to the
committee. This motion was the signal
Tor one of the most interesting and in
strucuve eXempliications OF diIatorv tao
ties that has ever been witnessed in the
upper branch of Congress.
Mr.. SDooner, evidently in good faith
had moved that the consideration Of the
BIZ be postponed until o'clock i'm the
AFTERNOON to permit it 20 be reprinted. His
motion was made a spindle on which 2
ceaseless round Of dilatory procedure
moved for more than an hour. Mr. car
mack moved TO amend bv making tho
Hour O'Clock, and asked for a roll call
on the vote
FiIibuster Successful.
When his amendment was voro5 dow,
hr' Rayner was ready with an amend
ment fixing another hour at night The
plan OF the opposition was so plain that
The seasoned parliamentarian, Mr.. FRYE
president pro tenn Of the Senate. sug-
gested 20 the minority Senators across the
party aisle.
why don't yen consider minutes in
stead Of hours la your amendments? You
could hEbuster more successfully.
We are doing very well as il is" smH-
ingly retorted Mr. Culberson, one of the
parliamentary insurrectionists.
something much like a parliamentary
blockade occurred when Mr.. Spooner's
motion was made the subject of a pro-
posed amendment. and pending that a
motion was made for a recess. an amend
ment offered TO that motion. and a roll
call demanded.
Seeing the hopelessness Of the DarIia-
mentaTy situation, Mr. Spooner asked to
withdraw his motion. which swept awav
the amendments, but Mr.. Dubois came
promptly TO the rescue with another mo-
ton TO take a recess, and asked for
roll call on his motion
IL was agreed then that the bill should
be laid aside until o'clock The Senate
improved the interim by disposing OF the
general deficiency appropriation bill but
when O'Clock came Mr. McLaurIn had
the floor. Mr. Callinger. in charge of the
subsidy bill, asked unanimous consent
that the subsidy bill go over until II
o'clock to-day. and il was so ordered
The opponents of the bill discussed the
advisabilty of holding d conference last
night 10 decide on a plan for tO-day's
battle, but an Informal discussion among
themselves in the cloakrOom convinced
them that the opposition 10 the measure
was sufficiently compact 10 maintain a
successful hlibuster to defeat the meas
md llG M al
Bill Probably Dead.
II was the general opinion among lead
ers on both sides Of the chamber when
the Senate took d recess at o'clock last
night that the bin had little or no chance
Of passing. Senators Culberson. Dubois.
Carmack, and Rayner. who are leading
the opposition to the bill, expressed con
ndence in their ability to prevent its
passage in the twenty-five hours that
viii remain of the legislative life of the
Fifty-ninth Congress, assuming that the
Senate will remain continuously in ses-
sion from II O'Clock to-day until noon
tomorrow, when it expires by law.
There are a lot of important bills and
conference reports 10 be disposed or.
These cannot be DELAYED without the
possibility of entailing an extra session
Such Republican leaders as Messrs.
Spooner. Frye. and Hale expressed the
opinion last night that the outlook for the
bill was dubious.
The roll calls yesterday disclosed that
the opposition 10 disposing Of the bin
came principally from the Democrats.
They were compact and Unvarying and
twenty-thTee in number. showing exactly
that strength on repeated roll calls. That
probably does not indicate the real oppo-
sition 10 the bill for many Republicans
Who voted against the dilatory motions
ihterposed to-day are unwilling 10 admit
they viii vote for the bill on its passage
AIR. SpOOner expressed himself as oDDosed
20 flibustering. but said he was not pre-
pared TO say how he would vote on the
passage OF the measure. He voted against
tne subsidy bill when il passed the
Senate.
His colleague. Mr.. La Toilette. who was
detained IN his room by illness, sent word
10 the Senate that he desired 10 be haired
on al votes in opposition to the bill The
announcement was made by Mr.. TiUman.
Democrats Ready for Siege.
The Democratic Senators are arravjn,-
themselves for q series Of speeches that
VIII delay or defeat the consideration Of
the Bill Mr. Carmack, who led the fiji
clustering yesterday brought a suspicious
looking package Of manuscript into the
Senate and placed 1t on his desk Just be-
fore the recess last evening. Nothing so
formidable has been seen in the Senate
since the late Senator QUAY produced his
remarkable tariff speech that used to be
brought out occasionally. and the mere
threat OF which served TO make terms
favorable 10 the Senator from the Kew
stone State ON more than one occasion.
Mr. Carmack ard other Southern sena-
tors are prepared, If necessary, TO talk