Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-24
Will Grasp Opportunity.

eral parliamentary law which permits
the moving of the previous question,
ing a vote. Supporters of cloture
rule believe that if this course is fol-
lowed a majority of the senator's will
vote for the proposed cloture rule and
unlimited debate and filibusters in the
Senate will be a thing Of the past.
There Is no doubt that Il large num-
Der of the senators are in favor of
putting an end to the old, unlimited
debate which in the last few years
has held up and prevented legislation
which has forced Congress to remain
in almost continuous session. The So
called progressive element in. the Sem
ate on both sides of the chamber has
been in favor of cloture rule for
some time.
Lining Up for Change.
which caused the defeat of the ship
purchase bill. many Of the older and
more conservative senators on the
democratic side have announced them
selves in favor of some kind of a rule
to limit debate. Men like Simmons of
North Carolina. Martin of Virginia and
Stone of Missouri are now lining up
in favor of a rule. that will make 1t
possible to fix time for a vote on
a reasonable amount" of debate. but
when it comes to fifteen hour speeches
by senators, during. which the senator's
may range over the history of the
world for subjects Of discussion, rele-
want or irrelevant. they draw the line
Senator Owen of Oklahoma is chair
man of committee of democratic SEN
ators appointed at the last session to
frame cloture rule. The democratic
caucus of the Senate will be asked to
give its approval to this rule, after
which it will be laid before the Senate.
Senator Walsh of Montana Is another
member of this committee, which will
meet a week or two before the session
of Congress opens in December.
Senator Walsh's Queries.
'It seems Incredible" said Senator
Walsh last night. that the question of
whether the Senate is a continuing
body and whether its rules hold over
from one Congress to another has new
er before been argued In the Senate.
But that is the case, so far as / can
learn. The rules of the Senate have
been accepted tacitly from one Con-
gress to another. II the Senate is a
continuing body. why is it necessary
that the Senate committees should be
appointed with the converting of each
new Congress-? Why do all bills in
troduced in the Senate die with the
close of each Congress? Why do these
measures not continue in existence
from one Congress to another?
When the hour of noon arrives upon
March 4 at the close of a Congress, the
Vice President announces that the Sem
ate stands adjourned sine die. With
that declaration the Senate, as an Or
ganiZed body, is as dead as the House
at the other end OF the Capitol. II it
were not SO. why does not some sena-
tor move that the Senate adjourn until
he syn trn,r
other intervening date? Such a motion
could not be made.
Question to Be Raised at Once.
This question will be raised imme-
diately upon the assembling Of the
Senate in December, and II our contsn-
ton Is sustained the revived rules pro-
viding for a Limitation upon debate will
be offered. .....
Unless something is done to prevent
1llbustering in the Senate this body
try Instead of the majority ruling in
the Senate, as II should, unlimited de-
bate as it has been practiced has given
the control to the minority Unless the
passage of measure It cannot be
passed by the Senate without weeks
and weeks OF debate, to the detriment
of all other public business. and in
is foreign to every principle of Ameri-
can government, which declares that
the majority shall rule. It is said that
/ the filibusters in the Senate have done
good in the past. But If they have 1t
has only been by accident. A policeman
might arrest you and put you In jail
without justification. His act might
prevent you from taking a railroad
train destined to. be wrecked and there
by save your life. In some similar way
| a filibuster in the Senate might do good
by defeating the will of the majority"
Senator Walsh pointed out that unless
Senate were found the bills for increas-
ing the national defense might be held
up for weeks and months. bills design
ed to upbuiid the merchant marine. to
open up government coal, oil, phos-
phate and other mineral lands under a
satisfactory leasing system, to provide
much needed system of rural credits,
| might be delayed or even prevented Of
passage.
The converse of this proposition ap-
pears to be true. II a cloture rule is
adopted in the Senate all of these meas
ures will go through Congress at the
next session. and many others of inn
portance also.
| nearly all the republicans-perhaps by
all, though Senator Norris Of Nebraska
offered a resolution providing for q
| modified form of cloture during the
last session. and several of his republi-
can colleagues favored it. I,
Some of the democrats-including
Senator Overman OF North Carolina
and probably Senator Hoke Smith of
Georgia and a few others from the
south opposed cloture, They are afraid
| power again they might put through a
measure which would reduce the rep
resentation of the southern states in
Congress.