The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-03-22

through the Panama canal during the
sixty third congress. and the vote
was only reached because no one
wanted to further debate the meas
ure. Had it been during a session
which closed By limitation Of law. as
is the case with short sessions. the
presidents bill for making canal
charges uniform TO the bottoms of all
nations probably would have died for
want of time.
Rights of the minority should be
respected, is the position of Senator
Owen, but under those rights. the
minority should not be permitted to
ride rough shod over the rights OF
the majority. He believes that 1t is
the right of the majority to do bust
ness when it sees fit to do so.
"The minority vote in the senate"
said Senator Owen, with its power
to prevent the majority from fulfill
ing It's pledges to the American peo-
pie should end The right to OBJ
struct the public business by a fac
tional filibuster should cease. The
power of an individual senator to
coerce or blackmail the senate must
terminate. These national evils can
no longer be concealed by the false
coal cloak of freedom Of debate
Those who defend the antiQuated
rule of unlimited parliamentary de-
bate do so chiefly on the ground of
precedent, but the precedent of the
intellectual world, the parliamentary
world, are entirely against the pre-
posterous rule"
Systems Followed Elsewhere.
Every one of the forty eight states,
while permitting freedom of debate,
Senator Owen says, has set the Uni
ted States senate the example of
permitting control by the majority.
1t also obtains in the house of con-
gress. Senator owen points out that
the cloture rule is in force in the
national legislative bodies of Eng
land, France, Germany, Austria Hun
gary, Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and
Switzerland.
The late Senator George Vest OF
Missouri was an advocate of clo-
ture. The same was true OF Sena
tor David B. Hill of New York, Sena =
tor George Hoar of Massachusetts,
and of Senator Plat of Connecticut
and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge OF
| Massachusetts.
''In the short session of congress-
Senator Owen says, "the senate will
appropriate a thousand million dol
lars in less than $50 working hours
Each working hour means the appro-
priation of $3,000,00O Of the hard
earned taxes taken from the labor
of the American people. Every two
minutes the senate averages an ap-
preparation of 100000 of taxes ant
yet, instead of addressing itself to 8
comprehension of the necessity o.
such taxes for such expenditure, &
! single senator or a small faction o.
a minority may detain the senate fol
hours, days and weeks while grea'
questions of public policy wait, leav.
ing the senate to be thus distracted
by filibustering tactics, discussion:
of immaterial or trivial matters, read
ing worthless papers and statistic!
in a deliberate obstruction of thu
majority by the minority.
Last Stand of Privilege.
The power to obstruct the will o
the people by the senate rules is the
last ditch of privilege.
This thoughtless rule of unlimited
| freedom of debate was adopted il
| 1906, when there were thirty-foul
senators who met together to discuss
their common affairs in courtesy ant
good faith, when only very few bills
were brought before the senate. They
had no conception that unlimited
freedom of debate really meant 8
minority vote. Now that the senate
has ninety-six members representing
100000 900 people. when its interests
are OF the most gigantic Importance
when its modern problems of stupen.
dous consequence are demanding
prompt and yirile action, when hun
dreds of important bills are pending
this hoary- headed reprobate rises NJ
and strikes posture of inscrutablt
wisdom and admonishes the worle
not to touch this sacred principle o
unlimited freedom of debate. The
venerable age of this foolish prece'
= dent shall not save it form the jus
charge of imbecility and Legislative
vice
Il am opposed to legislative black