Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-03-15
CL0TURE RULE IS
ADOPTED BY SENATE.
After 100 Years, Regulation
against Unlimited Debate
Is Agreed To.
THE VOTE is 7s TO 8.
Future Dissertations In the Senate VIII
Hereafter De Curtaii..s Upon Con.
sent Of Two.Thirds Of dembers.


Washington, March 8-After more than
100 years under rules permitting debate
limited only by the physical endurance of
senators and provisions OF the Constitu.
ton. the Senate tonight by a vote Of 10
to put power in the hands Of two-thirds
Of it's members in the future to limit dis.
cussion and to say when q vot0 shall he
taken on a pending measure.
Never, while the amendment IL In the
Senate rule book. can a little group of
willful men, as President Wilson called
those he held responsible for defeat Of the
armed neutrality bill, prevent vote upon
bil! before the Senate II two-thirds OF
their colleagues will otherwise. The or.
ganized flibuster as recognized in the
Senate Is dead.
Action came Unexpectedly after hour6'
debate on tho now rule. drafted by q BIZ
partisan committee. Although both demo-
Gratis and republicans had approved the
change in caucus. and Senator Martin. the
majority floor leader. had given notice
that the Senate would be kept in continu-
ors session until a vote was taken, nearly
every one looked for a much longer dis
cussion.
Senators LaFollette and Gronna,
two of those who opposed the armed
neutrality bill. and Senator Sherman.
who favored It. cast the negative
votes. Senators Cummins. Kenyon.
Kirby. Lane. Norris Stone and Varda.
man. who were against the armed neu-
trality bill, voted for the amendment
Colleagues Of most Of the senators
absent announced that II they had
been present they would have sup
ported It.
The exact use Of the rule will not be
come apparent until It Is enforced. but
it probably cannot be successfully
used to prevent tho spectacular one
man filibusters by which senators
have talked bills pending in the clos
ing hours Of a session to a Legislative
grave. Such filibusters probably can.
not be prevented unless they are fore.
seen. but an organized affair which
must be planned two days or more
ahead of sessions end can be dis.
posed Of easily.
The new rule provides that on petition
Of 16 senators to close debate on a pend
! ing measure the Senate by a two.thirdl
vote on the following day. but one ma,
, limit debate thereafter to one hour t.
each senator. 1t includes provisions Il
prevent dilatory tactics and the introduc
ton after cloture Is ordered of amend
\ ments not germane to the pending bill.
Many senators who favored the chang
do not look upon 1t as cloture rule. sucl
l as prevails in the House Of Representa-
= tives. where the rules committee with
r majority behind 1t can set the limits upoI
t speech and the hour for a vote. Other
c who fear that the action tonight merel.
8 forecasts q more drastic change In tn
d future. declared 1t was but the enterin
C wedge. and that the days of the Senate a
i the only legislative body In the worl
L where there can be full and free discus
i sion are numbered
The debate to-day started peacefully
but before It had continued long
branched into discussion on the arme
= neutrality bill and the Presidents state
ment about the twelve men he held r.
sponsible for failure to get q vot
- upon 1t. There were some bitter criticism
Of the President and Of the newspaper
:. Senator Cummins declared that any ma
- in the Senate or out II thigh or low
e who said he attempted or conspired
~ prevent q vote on the bill, "deliberatel
faisifes."
The last speaker was Senator LaFollett
q. He said he would not discuss hts pos
ton on the neutrality bill now but misl
az have something to say about 1t late
q Pointing out that some Of the most In
10 pOrIdHt appropriation OIIIS uoa Oo<
presented to the Senate only a sho
time before March !. he asked. we
they so long coming to the Senate b
cause 1t was undesirable that they
T. discussed here?" The army bill ",
presented. he said. with provision new
K before dared to be presented to an Arnel
a. can Congress-with universal conscri
Nv ton or universal military training er
n bodied in it,
al You pile up legislation OF that sort
~ he continued. land then u q 50 hou
~ before the end of the session you bril-
~ in a bill that trenches on the constit
70 tional authority Of Congress and dema
- that debate shall be made to confor
he With this sort of rule and an iron ha
cv laid on this body from outside. with
he Congress that has reduced itself In a lit
less than three years to little less than
rubber stamp. do you not think this q
of cloture would be pretty effectivc?"
The senator read extracts from
Congressional Record of previous debat
on cloture showing how many famo
senators had opposed 1t.
ire A resolution was prepared By Senat
Mclean of Connecticut requesting I
President to call a special session OF CO
gress March Goth because imports
measures vital to the honor and safety
in. the nation require immediate attentio,
lrs Ho was unable to introduce 1t to-day.
ar may bring II up tomorrow.