New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-02
DEMOCRATS PLAN
CLOTURE BATTLE
Committee Will Present
Proposed Rule to the
Caucus To-day.
WILL START FIGHT
AS SENATE OPENS
Advocates Hold That Incoming
Body Cannot Be Bound by
Previous Congress.
from The Tnsun. Bureau

Washington. Dec. 1.-The Democratic
committee appointed last spring TO
draft some plan 70 make impossible the
practice of talking bills 70 death. or
hlIbusterlng, agreed tonight on a re-
port which II will make to the Demo
cratic caucus tomorrow. Except on
one point, the report is the plan out
lined in The Tribune this morning
as that urged by Senator Owen. chair
man of the caucus committee. The
exception is that the Senate must vote,
before the cloture remedy may be ap-
piled, that 1T is the sense of the SEN
ate that an attempt is being made TO
obstruct, hinder or delay a vote"
Any Senator can obtain at any time
a roll call on that proposal as applied
10 any bill which may be pending.
Should the Senate state its belief that
a flibuster is in progress, the next
thing in order will be to fix a date on
which a vote on the bill itself shall be
taken, which must not be within two
calendar days Of the first vote. These
two days or more shall be divided
equitably between the proponents and
opponents Of the pending question by
the presiding officer of the Senate, who
will allot the time TO the various speak
ers.
The committee plans to force the
adoption of this rule, or at least
vote on It by the Senate, by the plan
outlined by Senator owen in The
Tribune some months ago, Of assum-
ing on the converting % the Senate
that it is not q continuing body and
therefore has no rules, but must adopt
new ones. AS the rules of Jeifsrson's
manual would govern in the absence
OF other rules, and as Jetferson's man
ual contains a motion of the previous
question, il is thought that vote could
be obtained on the cloture rule by this
plan at any time following a debate
considered by the cloture advocates 70
be adequate.
Committee States It's Case.
In addition to announcing the text
of the proposed rule. the committee
made the following statement:
This resolution proceeds upon the
theory that the incoming Senate, with
the newly elected members, have a
right TO establish thei- own rules for
the conduct of the busi-ess of the SEN
ate, and that the rules III the Senate of
the 9th Congress are not tXed by the
Senate Of any previous Congress.
1.-THE opposition TO "a change in the
rules so as TO abate the filiDuster in
the Senate will insist that the rules OF
the former Senate are controlling on
the members of the new Senate, regard
less of the consent of the new members.
Senator Owen began this fight four
years ago. Ii remains TO be seen what
the Senate will do with regard 20 the
control of its business by majority
vote under the doctrine of the right Of
the majority of the Senate to transact
it's business according TO the wishes OF
the majority Of that body.
"Ihe rules of the Senate when IL was
organized provided FOR the previous
question, but il was omitted from the
rules in 1906 on the theory that no Sen
ator would be SO discourteous TO his
colleagues to abuse the right of un-
limited debate and to the extent Of
using that courtesy as q means Of pre-
venting his colleagues who extended
him the courtesy from ever arriving at
vote.
Combination Of Proposals.
"The resolution is a combination OF
different proposals made TO the commit
tee. especially that of Senator Will
Jams, of Mississippi, and Senator Owen.
1t was intended by the committee to
propose very moderate form OF
cloture which it was believed would
be unobjectionable to any one who
wished merely to have the right Of sin
cere debate"
"The purpose Of the new rule is to
allow the majority to act after reason
able debate" said Senator Owen. THE
majority and minority both make mis-
takes. When the majority makes mis-
take it becomes a minority, and when a
minority is right it becomes ma