Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1914-08-10
Entered at the Elko postorie foS transmission
through the mails as:secoud-class matter
LOCATING THE BLAME
FOR DELAYS

1t is evident from the tone of
the. republirsn press that an attack
is to be made on the democranc
party for not having enacted legis-
lation on all the subjects covered
by the platform. For fear that
S me democrats may by misled by
these attacks, it is worth while to
point out the real reason for delay.
The president has been diligent in
season and out of season; he has
kept the members of congress to-
gether in continuous sessions ever
since he entered upon the duties of
the office. Surely no blame can be
attached to him for he has kept the
hopper full Of remedial legislation.
The fault has been with the mill
stones the two no Uses of Congress
which must concur in legislation.
And the fault has not bes with the
house Of representatives either, be-
cause that body has promptly pass
ed the measures recommended by
the president: there has not been
the slightest discard between the
president and the house. Even
where, as in the case o. the tolls
bill, a few democrat, opposed tn
measure action has been prompt.
1t is in the senate that the delay
has occurred and here the fault
does not rest upon the majority il
is to be found in the rule which
permits unlimited debate. This
rule may have been good enough
in its time, when the senate was
small and when the number Of
m ,asures demanding attention was
few. But times have changed. In
the beginning there were, thirteen
states with twenty six senators:
now there are fnrty-eight states
and ninety-six senator's. In the
beginning Congress had three mill
ions people to legislate for; now
there are ninety millioas thirty
times rs many as in l776. There
is no doubt that the time is near at
hand when the senate rule will be
changed SO as - permit the m.-
jority to rule and TO rule within q
reasonable time, but when the at
tempt is made to change the rule
there will be debate on the new
rule and it will be conducted under
the rule allowing unlimited debate.
1t has been impossible to take up
the change in the rule without sus-
pending, for an indefinite time, aIl
hrpe of legislation.
This rule is not q democratic
rule MOI is it a republican rule; it
is simply an ancient rHlP that has
outliveA its usefulre S. Upon it
must rest the blame for the fact
that congress will adjourn wi h
some of the platform pledges yet
to be carried out. Tits fact should
be known and democrats s'1ruld be
In position to answer the argu.
ments which republicans are maxi
ing. The rule which now obstr cts
Legislation Under q democratic ad.
ministr existed under a repub-
lican administration, but it worked
no such hardship then as it Dies
now because the republi IN party
was not urging jemc ill legisla-
ton.
The rule allowing unlimited de-
bate is harmless when there are no
reform bills pending; but such a
rule is a real injury to the country
when the people have voted fer re-
forms and when the party in power
is honestly attempting, as it now
is, to redeem the pledges made
At this time the rule giving On.
limited debate operates in the in
terets OF the minority because by