The Washington herald., 1915-01-21
DEMOCRATS MAY
USE GAG rule
Expected to Adopt Clever
Plan to Prevent Filibuster-
ing on Ship Bill.
WILSON SENDS ORDERS
Wants Senate to Push Vessel Purchase
Measure Ahead of Rural Credits
Proposition.
WILSON SENDS ORDERS

Under orders from the White House,
Democratic leaders i'm the Senate yeSteT-
day decided to withhold any report from
the Committee on Banking and Currency
on the rural credits bill until after the
ship-purchase bill has been passed. That
the ship-purchase bill as amended will
be forced through the Senate within the
next two weeks is generally conceded.
Republicans expect to make a desperate
resistance, but most of them ConCede the
Democrats probably will be able to put
the bill through by methods they have
decided TO employ. Continuous sessions
of the Senate may he insisted upon. The
Democrats kept the session going last
night until nearly the hour when their
Senatorial caucus was to meet, and then
took a recess until II o'clock today.
Beginning today. night sessions Of
the Senate probably will be insisted
upon by Democratic leaders and a
form of "cloture" invoked to prevent
Republicans from successfully carrying
on their tlibuster against the bill.
May Halt Objections.
The plan is to hold that when a call
is made for a quorum of Senators In the
course of a Senator's speech the effect
of the call will be to take the Senator
who is speaking from the floor. and
when he resumes later it will be to
speak for the second time on the same
subject on the same parliamentary day.
Under the rules a Senator Is not per-
mitted to speak more than twice on
the same subject in one legislative day
without unanimous consent. and by with
holding this consent Democrats can COM
pei a Senator occupying the floor to con-
tinue speaking to empty seats until he
concludes or is exhausted. The e1ect
of this ruling will be to cut out calls
for a quorum and enable Democratic
Senators and others so disposed to re-
pair to the cloakrooms or their com
mittee rooms while a Senator is speaking
and not be hastily called back by de-
mand for a quorum. Republicans ad-
mItted yesterday 1t would be impossible
for them to maintain a successful fill
buster against the ship-purchase bill
with such a ruling.
Senator Burton, of Ohio. who holds
the record for leisurely debate, con-
tinued to attack the ship-purchase bill
YESTERDAY The Senator held the floor
until 5 o'clock and showed little signs
Of fatigue His speech did not dis
close a filibustering note. Everything
he said was pertinent to the ship-pur-
chase bill The speech was not with
out its humorous features. At one
time Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah, in
terrupted the Senator from Ohio to
pass him a glass tumbler containing
two raw eggs. Senator Burton swal-
lowed them with apparent relish. The
Democratic Senators looked on at first
with curiosity which gradually de-
veloped into merrimenr.
''Smoot is eggin' him on" suggested
Senator Kern to one of his colleagues, |
Employing a Hoosier provincialism.
At IL o'clock last night the caucus |
II Democratic Senators again ad-
ourned without having taken any ac- |
ion on the ship purchase bill. An |
,ther session of the caucus will be
leld tonight in an effort to reach an
agreement on proposed amendments