The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-03-20

pook, Inc New freedom.
AS a result of this continuous fill |
clustering the session of the Senate |
which ended February 10 was the
longest on record, having lasted fif |
ty-four hours and ten minutes.
Other republicans did valiant ser.
wise in the filibuster against the ship
purchase bill. Senator Gallinger
man seventyfour years of age, spoke
continuously for six hours. Senator
Smith of Michigan held the floor for
twelve hours and twenty-five minutes
in three different speeches.
Hats Business Eighteen Hours
The record for holding the floor
continuously belongs to Senator La
Toilette Of Wisconsin, who succeed
ed in obstructing business for eigh.
teen hours in his great flibuster
against the Aldrich Vreeland curren
cy bill in May, 1908. Senator La
Toilette led fight against the ac-
ceptance by the Senate of the con-
ference report upon this bill, and
opened the contest by himself taking
the floor for eighteen hours. During
this time, however, there were a
number Of roll calls, which enabled
him to rest. He subsisted upon milk
and eggs, and even managed to eat
single sandwich. Senators Stone
and Gore were his principal assist
ants in conducting the tilibuster, and
| Senator Gore, who is blind, was the
| immediate cause of its failure. Hav-
ing spoken as long as he was able,
he sat down, yielding the floor to
| Senator Stone. 1t happened, however,
I that Stone had left the room for a
minute. Instantly a vote was de-
manded, and the clerk began dron
ing out the roll call. The filibuster
was at an end.
Naturally the most effective time
to start filibuster is just before the
end of session. At any other time
a filibuster can hardly do more than
delay the passage Of bill, giving
the opposition time to organize its
to be decided in the early days Of
March, just before the Congress ad-
journs, a few determined senators
can make it necessary to call an ex-
ira session in order to put the meas
ure through. 1t is under these cir
cumstances that most successful fill
busters are conducted.
Bluffs Senate With Byron's Poems
Senator Tillman of South Carolina
has the unique record of having bluff.
ed the senate into authorizing an
appropriation for his home state with
the aid Of volume of Byron's poems
There was an item in the general de-
ficiency appropriation bill of 1903
providing for the payment to South
Carolina Of war claim OF 100000.
The Senate had left the item in the
bill, but the House had struck it out
and the conferees had agreed that II
should stay out. The conference re
port came to the Senate on the Sd OF
March, and there also came Senator
Tillman with a copy of "Childe Har
old" He stated in fiery speech
that since the war claims OF othei
| states had been paid, 1t was only just
that South Carolina should receive
her share, and announced that he
would hold the floor and entertain
the Senate with readings from Byron
for the rest Of the session unless they
rejected the conference report on the
, bill.
No one wanted an extra session, es
pecially about such trifing item II
a single bill, but the general dehc
iency appropriation bill had to b.
passed. Those were the days whei
Uncle Joe" Cannon ruled the House
An unofficial committee from TIT
Senate fastened to Cannons Office
while Tillman began reading poetry
: and begged him to allow the Hous
.onferees to authorize the payment o
South Cardinals claims. Cannon a
first declared that the South Care
lima senator could read poetry I'll
June If he chose, but he was FINAL
; prevailed upon by his colleagues t
!, agree to conference report author
u izing the South Carolina item, so tina
/ no extra session would be necessary
Thus did a lone senator win $4,000
I for his state by filibustering singl
u handed.
A famous filibuster of many year
I ago was that conducted in 1893 b
Z William B., Allen populist senate
: from Nebraska, against the repeal
the silver purchase clause in tn
s Sherman law. The silver purchas
Il clause provided that certain nun
5 Der of ounces of silver b
/