The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-30
SOLONS SHIRK
JOBS; HOLD UP
LEGISLATION
Absenteeisy11 Is Real
Cause of Delay on
Bills.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Copyright, 1927


public sentiment The few weeks
of recess gave many senators an op-
portunity TO confer with their con-
stituents. The widespread dissatis-
faction with the long time it has
taken to get new tax bill is one
of a number Of reasons why a
group of Republican senators met
at the home of Senator Freling-
huysen of New Jersey, the other
night and talked ways and means OF
speeding up legislation.
Details Of the meeting are just
leaking out. One after-effect was a
conference with President Harding
! about the necessity of drawing up a
cloture rule to limit debate in the
senate. This has been up before.
President Wilson thought he had
accomplished something when at
the beginning of his second admin
istration a new cloture rule was
passed but it takes 16 senators to
sign the petition and then a major
1ty vote to invoke the rule. 1t has
been of little effect. Mr. Harding Is
| naturally anxious to see the legis-
lative machinery of the government
oiled up. He isn't trying to dictate
to congress what it's rules shall be
but as q former member of the SEN
ate, his advice was sought
Quorum Never Present.
But the real trouble in the senate
is not durable by cloture alone. In
limited debate has its advantages as
well as disadvantages. Filibuster-
! ing has been INDUCED in very large
ly to prevent a vote being taken
when many senators are absent
from their seats. Absenteeism is the
| real problem that has to be solved
how to make senators stay on the
! job. Scarcely day goes by that
the senate doesn't have to call for a
quorum whereupon members come
scurrying from their offices, list
lessly answer roll call and go
| back to their Offices again in an
other building hoping nobody will
call a second time for a quorum.
Cloture rule will be bitterly
fought by the minority Half the
strategy of political parties is
! speech-making in the senate. The
i Republicans won their last cam
paign. it is conceded by Democrats,
! largely through the attacks made by
/ Senators Borah, Johnson, Brande-
| gee and Lodge in the open senate. 1t
| is the minority which benefits by
unlimited debate while teh majority,
always anxious to accomplish re-
suits, chafes under the delays Incl
dent 10 prolonged discussion.
Leaders Want Cioture.
There have been periodic move
ments to limit debate. They come
! every time legislation is delayed
and an impatience arises from the
| country. This time the failure of
! congress to pass either a tariff or
tax bill since it went into session
! last spring is weighing heavily on
the minds of Republican leaders.
| The house with rules limiting de-
bate functioned smoothly and pass
| ed both tariff and a tax measure.
| Both have to be revised and prob
ably viii be rewritten in the upper
| house but the fact is the house did
! its job while the senate hasn't got
very far. That's why a group of
| Republican senators are so active in
advocating Cloture
| But aside from the suggestion of
! limiting debate, there is a very in
teresting bit of controversy going
on under the surface with respect
! to Republican leadership in the SEN
ate. Mr.. Lodge, of course, soon will
/ be absorbed with his duties as q
member of the armament commits
sion which acts under specific in
structions of the president. Tenn
| porarily. at least, Mr. Lodge will be
working for the executive branch
of the government The struggle for
! possession of Mr.. Lodges job as Re-
publican leader is becoming intense.
Senator jim Watson of Indiana and
Senator Curtis of Kansas are
equally prominent in the race. Then
there are the insurgent senators to
be considered. They are not over
enthusia site about letting Senator
Watson or Senator Curtis represent
the conservative wing of the party
commonly called 'standpatters."
Standpatters Rule.
The truth is the latter element is
in the majority in the senate and the
reelection of Senator Bursum in
New Mexico has encouraged them
to believe the country is with them
While the so-called progressive
group takes issue with that state
ment, the fact is the standpat Re
publicans have the votes TO select
any one of their number as leader.
This is a critical week in the leg
islative situation But the confer
ences among senators in both the
Republican and Democratic parties
indicate that the sparring for posi-
ton soon will be over and that
lines of cleavage soon will be made
distinct. The voice of the country,
5a,SarIf1C \ action and 1ezS