Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1914-01-02
FOR CLOTURE RULE.
CURRENCY BILL DELAY IN THE
SENATE PROVOkES LEADERS
OF THE MAJORITY.
MAY ADOPT THE HOUSE PLAN
Shutting or of Unlimited Debate,
However, Wcu!d PC ~Strenuouslr y
Opposed by Many Senators.
of Both Parties.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-The somewhat lag
gard consideration OF President Will
sons currency bill may be the cause
of forcing an issue on the mi of
the United States, that of the wisdom
OF the adoption OF a cloture rule SINH
lar to the one which has been in oper-
alton in the house of representatives
for years out of mind.
Is the Glass-Owen currency law, for
as such it will be known although it
might have Wilson" imprinted on it,
to bring about a change in the pro-
cedure of the senate of the United
States? Is the senat to lose its
name as the most deliberative body
IL the world, or Is K to be 0 " to
go on in its old way, a way of talk
at times seemingly amending, talk
that on more than one occasion a
caused the death of bills which the
people would have preferred to be
endowed with life?
Leading Democrats in Washington
are advocating the adoption of SEN
ate rules which will give the majority
the power to fix the day OF which a
bill must be voted upon, to limit de-
bate to any measure and to make GER
tain that March 8 and Marcel 4 in the
years Of short sessions, and h last
two days Of the ear Of long sessions.
shall not witness senators spelling
Il another IN speech IN order to
compass the failure of some piece of
legislation to which three or our of
them object.
Once Threatened by Republicans.
Republican leaders are criticising
limit senate debate. Republican lead
ers are saying that never did they
threaten or even suggest that he
right of free and unlimited speech
should be denied to any senator Of he
United States. The old party men
have short memories.
By coincidence it was the IS cur
rency bill which was passed by he
United States congress which brought
from the Republicans a threat that un-
less opposing senators should foreSo
their intention to talk the bill to death
it might be necessary for the Republic
an majority to adopt the cloture rule
CT the house and to- prevent such a
talking to death" occurrence In the
future.
1t was during the Roosevelt admin
istration that the Aldrich currency bill
was passed. Senators La Toilette, Re-
publican, n Stone and Gore, Demo
Gratis, were opposed to the bill and
they entered into a compact to relay
one another In speech until the close
of the session. so hat the bill could
not be put to a vote. This compact
conspiracy, the Republicans called 1t
failed only because Senator Gore
was blind. He thought Stone Of Mis-
souri, was in his seat ready to take up
the Talk at the point where the Okla
homan should drop It, Stone was not
there. There vas a lapse, and the
vice-president put the bill to a vote
and it was passed. only a few hours
before the close Of h session would
have brought its death.
The Republicans on this currency
bill have been doing just exactly what
they condemned in La Toilette, Stone
and Gore on another occasion. Now
the Democrats are doing the con
demning and it Is the give and take
of the party systems.
Would Arouse Opposition.
There are Republicans and Demo
Gratis both, who maintain that cloture
for the senate would be a good thing
provided it could be limited in it's
scope, but this admittedly is impossi-
pie. No party majority in the senate
,~,,I I--1 70 al that ~nrfaf Iii,
should be voted on at a certain date
and that debate should be restricted,
while giving sanction to as much talk
as any one chose to engage in on
other measures. Such an elastic rule
would bring trouble in a minute, not
only from the minority, but from mem
bers of the majority, perhaps few in
number, who either wish for for full
expression on a clotured bill or else
wanted cloture on some bill to which
the rule was not applied.
There Is some Democratic opposi-
ton to the application in the senate
of the house rule for closing debate
and forcing a vote, but in the main
the leaders seem to be in favor of a
change which will enable the present
majority 10 get all OF MI. wilson 8
legislation through in due season.
Most of the Republicans will oppose
such a change in the rules. The ques-
tion Is whether the Democrats will
attempt to make a party measure of
their plan and to force it through by
a party majority. If they do this, Mr..
Wilson's legislation will be expedited
His Mule Up a Tree.