The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-06-18
How a Minority Sometimes Stops
Legislation.
U. S. SENATE FIXES NO LIMIT
On Speech Making-tienry Clay Ap-
proved One Hour .Law-Tried to
Have 1t Adopted in Senate But
Was Called Boss.

OF Wisconsin, have caused calmly
minded people to think and speak
OF the extraordinary occurrence,
and to inquire whether or not
there can be a preventive remedy
for such happenings, if any more
such should occur in that august
body. They have been of infre-
quent occurrence there, it is true.
but there should be none at all,
and there should be some rule or
method to prevent it. The Senate
has great number of rules for its
proceedings. Some of command
ing character, and others of re-
straining nature. The rules ofthe
Senate are in the nature of a code
tor It's government or action, but
they are capable of becoming al
tered or amended as changes of
conditions may require and should
be. The condition OF things now
are very different from what they
were in the early stages of our
government.
Long ago lengthy flibustering
in the lower house of Congress, by
minority members, to defeat or
prevent the passage OF measures
which the majority wished to en-
act. This kind of action was
equivalent to the minority, where
OF right, the Legislative power or
control rested. This evil or OBJ
stacle existed in the house for
some time. But in 1874! that
body determined to put an end to
it. Historic hour rule was then
for the first time established. By
it no member was allowed to speak
more than one hOnr at time.
1t was Wing measure and
strongly opposed by the old Dem
ocratic party. The Opposition to
it was bitter. 1t was called the
gag rule" with other odious
-epithets, but there it stands to this
day. No demand for its repeal or
alteration because it was and is
yet good and useful rule for that
body and is 1t not advisable to
have it adopted in the other branch
of Congress?
About the same time the hour
rule was enacted for the House, an
effort was made to pass it for the
Senate. The mover was tie great
Henry Clay. He Jagged with all
his eloquence, power and influence
but it miscarried. The opposition
was too strong and determined,
even fierce epithets were more
plentiful against it than arguments.
The leader was called dictator.
The term boss was not then known.
This name stung the great states
man to the quick, as was evidenc-
ed by his great farewell speech in
the Senate not long after the de-
feat of his measure. In this fam
Gus speech, he showed truly who
and what a dictator really was or
had heen-the great factor in the
Roman imperial government. This
speech ranks as one or his greatest
oratorical efforts.
At the time mentioned there
were but 20 states in the Union,
now 46. Then 81 Senators, now
90, at that date, 232 Representa-
tiyes, but now 392. The previous
question rule was established long
ago in the House was for the pur-
pose of preventing unreasonable
opposition or obstruction to the
passage of bills or laws. Some OF
the arguments against these curb
ing rules were that neither the
House of Commons or Lords OF
the British Parliament, had such
rules. This was and is still true
there was a remedy for such
speeches-they had to be made to
empty seats instead of listeners.
1t is evident that the evil of OBJ.
struction does now and has exited
in the United States Senate for a
long time, lust as it did in the