The National tribune., 1911-02-23
THE GREAT FILIBUSTER.
Representative Mann, of Chicago,
Shows What May Be Done
Under the New Rules.

Inere mas come a bolt out OF the leg
islative blue. Just when the National
House was humping along placidiy with
its routine work, regarding Itself with
serenity and getting ready TO say to the
admiring country that it was far more
expeditions legislative body than the
Senate, a small cloud on its horizon de-
yeloped into gigantic thunderhead.
The greatest filibuster in 20 years, at
least, was on.
That meant a hard, determined OBJ
struction, which carried the House con-
tinuously night and day from Friday
until Sunday afternoon. Washington
was entranced at the spectacle. 1t
harked back to the splendid fighting
days of the Fifty-first Congress and its
predecessors. when filibustering was fill
clustering, and not the puny affairs OF
recent years. Representative Mann, of
Chicago, led the hostile movement,
the purpose of which was to prevent
consideration on the omnibus claims
bill, carrying total of over 81, 100000.
The House wanted much to get to
the consideration of other pressing
business The remaining days of the
session are few. The Naval appropria-
ton bill had not been completed, but
its friends were unable to get it up in
the face of the vigorous filibuster. There
was a brilliant display of ingenuity at
parliamentary tactics. Roll call after
roll call was forced, consuming time as
days and nights passed The obstrue-
tionists won a victory, for while the
friends of the omnibus claims bill have
forced its consideration they were I'M
able to force the consideration of the
bill which the Senate enacted.
While that statement does not ex-
plain all the parliamentary details, it
means in brief that IL the bill passes
the House 1t will have such a parlia-
fQ fnf fn n fffln NIL
ton at this session of Congress prob
ably impossible. The bill will have to
go to conference, and 1t Is as good as
settled that the conferees will never
agree upon a compromise before the
| life Of this session has expired.
But the two valuable days and more
that the House wasted in this wrangle
enhances the prospects of an extra ses-
sion. An effort to pass all measures
under a suspension of rules, allowing
only 40 minutes for debate, has been
proposed by the House leaders. 1t is
most unusual, however, and is regarded
as very bad practice. The sundry civil
appropriation bill, which 1t will take
quite day to read and which carriers
hundreds of millions of dollars of APP
preparations, must apparently be rush
ed thru in this way. The great fill
bGster has engendered many animosi-
ties Among tine members of the House,
and it looks like an ugly time right
thru till March 4. Probably the House,
willy nilly, will dispose of the neces-
sary bills TO keep the Government run
ming, but with an uglier situation on
at the Senate, there are plenty of pros
poets for a most tumultuous, If not
disastrous, finish.
The Mann Fflibuster.
The Mann filibuster, like the year of
the big wind, seems destined to go into
the annals as an event on which to
base a reckoning of time. 1t will be
ranged along with the big revolution
of mid March, 1910, when much power
was wrested from the hands of Speaker
Cannon after two or three days of par
| Elementary anarchy. BY the same token
the Sixty-first Congress will stand out in
a parliamentary way as something for
folks to talk about rs or so years from
now, perhaps. The pale students, who
delve deep for precedents, in that future
age will find something besides Repre-
sentative Hefiin's Uncle Scion stories to
reward them for their industry.
Incidentally, Representative James r.
Mann has lifted himself as fighting
unit in the estimation of his brethren
of the House. He has been pesti-
vorous but intelligent objector, always
"butting in" on the discussions and al
ways critical of his brethren. He was
diOuHu f1OuSt dS one Oh the
members who are pretty familiar with
the rules, but had not attained the dis
tinction of being sharp" Now, in
| fighting the Southern cotton claims, and
to that end conducting the most notable
flibuster since the days of Carlisle and
Reed, he has commanded the respect of
all participants and onlookers at the
| Capitol. Little else so impresses the
Capitol with ones identity on this earth
as ability to fathom the House rules and
| manipulate the same to hold that great
body at ones mercy.
They do say around the Capitol that
Representative Mann, bespectacled and
gray-bearded. did not earn all the par
liamentary credit which is being be-
slowed. OF course, there are always
critics to the fore with that kind of
talk when some citizen has pulled off
| a big stunt One can locate a num-
Der of wise Representatives who were
going to do the very thing in question
| if Mr.. Mann had not, or who were get
| ting ready just when he first caught the
Speakers eye.
TllsOn, of Connecticut.
Nevertheless and Notwithstanding, the
word goes round that John Quillin Til
son. the native Tennesseean who spent