The Washington times., 1911-03-01
THE FILIBUSTER AND ITS IF.
Feet ON LEGISLATION.

In the processes OF legislation, vast
ing time is often the way to saving
time. That was the underlying purpose
OF the remarkable tilibustcr which be
gan last Friday and ended Tuesday
night with a partial agreement cover
ing the Legislative program OF the rest
of the session.
Not in the memory OF any man now
in Congressional life has there been
such jam of business at the end of
a session, such cOmplcNity of cross
purposes, hostile attitudes. and antag-
onistic party or factional designs. The
one figure that can suggest the situa-
tion is the log jam OH IL forest stream.
when timbcrs piled well-nigh mountain
high take perhaps weeks of the most
difficult work in their disIodgment. and
dynamite is often necessary to break
the crush.
That is the legislative situation
which for weeks has been forcsccn
when the business of this session
should be crowded down into the small
end of the funnel. when hours TO the
fixed adjournment time could be count
ed, when every passing minute brought
crisis nearer.
1t became necessary to Use dynamite: {:
and the tilibustcr was the dynamite.
What is the sum of accomplishment?
There was a pretty we'll defined
group that wanted to prevent a vote
on the Lorimcr exclusion resolution.
because it was believed that a vote
this session would seat him. while Il
vote next session would exclude him.
Very largely the same group wanted Il
vote on the tariff commission bill, be
cause they believed it would pass this
session, but could not pass next.
Again. this same group-allowing al
ways for some crossing of factionaI
lines with each change of the issue
wanted to kill the proposal to increase
magazine postage. They were CON
fident it would be killed if the post
office appropriation bill went over to
next session; they were not so certain
of results at this time.
So it lined up; one element would
seat Lorimer, kill the tariff commits
sion, and raise magazine postage. 1t
was, broadly, the reactionary force
Against it was pitted the progressive
element, which wanted to defeat Lori
mer, save the tariff commission, and
prevent the increase in postal rates
Back in the shadows, looming in
many minds higher and bigger than
any of these issues, was the Canadian
reciprocity measure. In both factions
were men determined to prevent vote
on that bill at this session. They
were animated by very different mo-
tives; but politics never made more
incongruous bed fcllowships than have
snugglcd under the covers in these dy-
ing days of the SiXty-frst Congress.
Senator Lorimcr will save his seat
That is the first result of the agree
ment. There may or may not be a
vote on tariff commission. 1t was made
unfinished business" which, in such
a log jam and log-rolling jam as now
exists, may mean or may not produce
a vote. On vote the commission
measure is sure to pass.
The postal tax is to be withdrawn.
On this the progressives win their
point And finally, all sides seem
agreed that Canadian reciprocity can
get a vote only as the result of a par
liamentary miracle.
We shall see whether the Lorimer
supporters euchred their opponents. If
the tariff commission measure passes,
il will have been a very fair trade, as
legislative trades 60. If tariff COM