The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1922-12-28
MAJORITY SAYS RULE WILL BE
ADOPTED TO STOP FlliBUS-
TERlNG BY MINORITY.
ANY MEASURE CAN BE KILLED
Furthermore, a Few Senators Can
Force Congress Into an Extra SEES
sion, Under Present System, Because
Legislation Hasn't Been Enacted.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

! whenever III happens 10 NC, SuhhNS Z
| TO put through the legislation that 1t
| desires.
| 1t is now suggested, and 1t seems
that the suggestion may bear fruit
| that shortly after March the SEN
ate, If it shall continue in special ses-
| sion. shall be asked to modify the
rule which allows unlimited debate
| Without any intention of irony 1t
might be said that these endeavors Of
the senate to find means to gag itself
make an old man of one,
Years on years the same thing has
been suggested, and nothing, or virtu
ally nothing, ever has come of 1t. 1t
is true that by invoking a so-called
cloture rule the senate can stop de-
bate on given subject, but before
this rule can be put into force it must
receive the sanction of so large mum
her of the senators that II virtually Is
barred from getting such sanction.
In the senate today the dominant
party has a majority of "A votes. 1t
wanted to put through what is known
as the Dyer anti.lynching bill. Ii has
been compelled to forego the endeaVor.
A flbuster was started against the
bill and Its opponents forced its pro-
ponents to call the legislation off,
Can Force Extra Sessions.
Opinions will vary as to the virtue
of the filibuster against the anti-lynch-
ing bill 1t makes no difference, how
ever, whether one approves or disap-
proves of the legislation, the point
is that senators who choose to talk
and keep on talking can prevent the
passage of any legislation, even II it
has back of it all the weight of public
opinion.
To put il in another way, an appro-
priation bill which every senator
agrees should be enacted into law can
be defeated by tilibustering tactics EN-
ployed, not really for the purpose of
killing the particular bill, but 10 force
congress into an extra session because
the bill failed.
No one in Washington believes that
the senate ever will adopt a rule
which will make it possible to shut
off debate as it can be shut off in
the house of representatives. No one
here believes that Il rule to this effect
can be adopted because Of the simple
fact that all such rules have failed
of sanction in the past The senate
always has been going to gag itself
and never has gagged itself.
The Dyer anti-lynching bill having
been blocked, the senate is confronted
with the necessity of passing com
| paratively few measures. OF course
the appropriation bills must be attend,
ed TO- but in addition to these the
chief looming things are ship subsidy
and the extension of legislation gov.
erning agricultural credits.
The ship subsidy bill may be
blocked by filibuster. This possible
ity or probability has been recorded
from time to time ever since the sub
sidy measure was sent over to the
senate with the sanction Of the house
stamped on it, but there is nothing
today to make ii appear that subsidy
| will he allowed TO receive the senate
| sanction unless the wholly unexpected
happens and its opponents shall make
| up their minds not to enter into the
| race of talk.
| Could Win If Allowed to Vote.
Administration leaders In the sen
| ate say that If the subsidy bill shall
! be allowed to come to Il vote, ii will
be passed by small majority. IN
! fact, poll Of the senate made by the
majority leaders shows that sufli.
! cient number of Republican and Dem
ocratic senator's will vote for the bill
| TO put It throughput are they to
be given a chance to vote for 1t?
Naturally the opponents Of the sub
sidy measure say the country does not
want to have 1t enacted into law and
! therefore any tactics intended to pre-
vent its coming to n vote are iusth-
able. The proponents Of the measure
say the country does want legislation
and that administering tactics against
its passage are unjuStitiabe If not
wicked.
The salient thing Is, once more, the
power which y minority Of senators
have TO prevent majority from
carrying out It's will. If II be granted
! for the sake of argument that the sub
sidy bill is bad measure, yet there
remains the truth that good measure
tomorrow or the next day can be
| blocked in the senate If four or five
men make up their minds that they do
no, want TO see it written into the
statute books.
II is promised today, by the propo-
nents Of rule to make voting on a
masure possible In the senate, TINT
they will carry their campaign through
until such II rule is adopted
Harding and the Bloc Plans.
One sharp line already has beer
dawn between the fields Of endeavol
OF the recently formed blocs In con
geess aud the Republican admlnistra
ton. The White House has taken ex
ceptlon to one Of the plans of what Is