New-York tribune., 1921-02-03
Tariff Cloture
Beaten; Money
Bills i'm Peril
Senate Filibuster I1npends
as Harding Program to
Get Rid of Appropriation
Measures Is Threatened
Early Extra Session Seen
Emergency Measure Debate
10 Keep Up Despite Defeat
of Penrose Resolution

TO Keep Up Despite Defeat
OF Penrose Resolution
From The Trioane,s Washington Bureuu
WASHINGTON. Feb. 2--Cloture ON
tariff was defeated in the Senate to-
day, but the struggle over the emer-
gency tariff measure was intensified.
The program which Senator Harding
favors and which number of Senate
House leaders have indorsed, of passing
the appropriation bills before March
A, was endangered, and is likely to be
completely upset by the announced de-
termination of Senators Penrose,
Borah, McCumber and advocates Of the
tariff bill to keep it before the Senate
until disposed of without regard to the
appropriation bills. Should the appro-
priation bills fail of passage an earlier
session than Senator Harding has been
calculating on seems almost inevitable.
Attempts of Senator Penrose to force
the tariff bill through the Senate by
means of cloture rule failed to-day
by large vote. The cloture motion
received SO ayes to 35 noes. Inasmuch
as two-thirds is required to impose
cloture, dozen more votes would have
| been necessary to adopt the Penrose
motion.
Seven Republicans refused to stand
for cloture. despite the fact that they
are prepared to support the emergency
tariff bill.
Tariff Fight Intensified
Although cioture was beaten, this did
not serve to end the discussion of the
tariff measure. In fact, there were dis
tinct symptoms that the debate on this
bill will be waged for several days with
more vigor than ever. Senators Borah
| and Penrose avowed purpose to keep
the tariff bill before the Senate until
disposed Of. and when Senator Town
send, of Michigan. chairman of the Ap-
preparations Committee, sought to have
the postoffice appropriation bill taken
UP his motion was beaten by 80 to 40
To-day's developments make it al
most out of the question to pass the
appropriation bills by March A. Sena-
| tors Borah and Penrose both said on
! the floor of the Senate that it was not
| at all essential that the appropriation
bills be passed by March 4.
The fact that the passage of the
appropriation bills is ieopardized by
determination of the tariff bill advo-
Gates to keep it to the fore caused
Senator'S who are anxious to get the
| appropriations disposed of by March
a, as Mr.. Harding wishes, to scurry
about and try to find way out of the
ate and House Republican steering
committees, or at least an informal
conference, will be held, to try to save
the appropriation bills.
Indications are the tariff measure
will yet pass the Senate. Confidence
was expressed by several Senators that
it could be driven through if the ap-
preparation bills are sidetracked and
the Senate is kept continuously at work
on it.
Democrats Want to See Tariff Vote
AS matter of fact, number of
Democratic Senators who are them
selves against the bill are really de.
sirous of seeing a vote on the measure
They want to put the Republicans or
record for it. They realize that many
of the Republican Senator'S from large
centers of population, where the con-
not like the bill and would really pre-.
fer that it should not become law.
! These Democratic members want tc
keep before the public the charge that
the Republicans are legislating to raise
the cost of living, and hence the Demo
cratic willingness to see vote. More
over, the Democrats believe the Presi-
dent will veto the bill If it is sent tc
| him, and hence most of them are al
the more willing to put the Replbli
cans on record.
Senator Simmons, ranking Demo.
cratic member of the Finance Com
vote February 18. He later changed
this to February 16. This would prob.
ably have been entered into had not
Seaator JOHN Sharp Williams, of Mis-.
sissippi. objected. Moreover, Senator
Williams declared he would not enter
into any agreement for a vote on the
tariff bill. with ali its abnormalities.
The vote on the Penrose motion fol
cloture was as follows:
| gee, Calder, Capper. Curtis. Dillingham;
Eikins. Goodng, Jones. of Washington
kei,ogs scNsrv NNenyoR Lodge Mceamber Nc
! enrose' Phipps. Poindexter, Spencer
sutherland. Wadsworth. Warren. Willis
Observation-Disclosures. Henderson. John.
son.. of South Dakota; Jones. of New
Mexico; kendrick, Myers, Ransdell, Shep-
pard, Smith. of Georgia-s.
| Against cloture: Republicans---Borah
Colt, Gronna, Johnson, of California
keyes. La Toilette, Townsend.
Democrats--Beckham Culberson. Dial
| Gerry. "a
! hefiin. Hitchcock. King Kirby. Mckellar
/ Overman Phelan. Reed, Robinson, Shields
Simmons. Smith, of Arizona; Smith OF
Maryland; Stanley. Swanson, Thomas
Trammell, Underwood, Walsh. of Massa
Johnson Fights Cloture
Shortly prior to the vote on cloture
| Senator Johnson, of California. in q
| vigorous speech opposed cloture and
any encroachment on the only fsee ano
| untrammeled Legislative body in the
world. He declared the press could nc
longer be looked to as the "palladium
| of our liberties" and there was nc
/ longer assurance of observance of those
| constitutional guarantees that were
observed in the years gone by"
| Admitting all the abuses of unlimited
debate and delay in the Senate, he held
the fact that here in the Senate free
and full expression outweighed all OBJ.
/ jections TO present methods of Senate
procedure. He declared he was think
ing of the days to come. of the "parlous
/ times ahead,' and he wanted this body
unfettered by any precedent that woule