Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-24

/ lllt tilitI Stlty II 10 uIlilhCly liae
immediate action will be taken.
Senator James e. Watson, of Indi-
ana, who is looked upon some quar-
ters as the successor of the late
Senator Penrose as the real Repub-
lican leader, has the job in hand.
President Harding indicated clear
ly what he thought of the situation
in the congress as a whole and in
the senate in particular when he de-
nounced legislation by blocs. Sec
rotary of War Weeks-and he, too,
was formerly senator-spoke right
out in meeting and said the funda-
mental trouble is the low standard
of craftsmanship resulting from the
direct primary. Chairman Adams of
the Republican National Committee
fixes the responsibility on the Demo-
cratic minority.
Senator Watson and other lead
ers> who feel the responsibility for
the \party's legislative program be-
lieve hat the trouble is a combina-
! ton of what the President and the
, National Chairman have criticized.
That is to say, they attribute the
procrastination of congress to the
power welded by minorities, wheth-
err political or special interest in
character.
II 10 " bt CApCelSd tild ~ Cii-
ators and representatives of the OPP
position party will do all that they
can to obstruct legislation in which
they do not believe. but at the pres
ent time there is a farm bloc mi
nority, an anti-bonus minority, an
anti-ship subsidy minority, a recla-
nation minority and minorities on
various tariff schedules that are not
necessarily political in their lineup.
These groups or blocks in many in
stances include both Republicans
and Democrats who stand together
for or against certain legislative pro-
posals with a solidarity that jeop-
ardizes legislation by parties which
has long been the accepted order of
things in the Congress of the United
States.
Each group has a program of its
own. All have their Xes to grind.
Each has it's views which must be
presented to a patient, long-suffering
country through endless speeches.
None is strong enough in itself to
dominate the senate, but any one of
them can conduct a successful fill
buster almost indefinitely and a COM
bination of two or more of them
can render the Republican majority
virtually helpless. 1t was such q
combination that thwarted the plan
to bring the tariff debate to an end
by cloture.
Power of Small Groups
To-day half a dozen men can pre-
vent the Senate of the United States
from functioning, and that is being
DONE" said Senator Watson, in dis
cussing the do-nothing situation.
Twenty years G senators coming
to Washington to legislate studied
and debated public questions. After
a senator had presented his argu-
ments in full and had done his ut
he was content to sit down and let
the majority rule.
"Disjointed discussion and :rrele-
ant talk more and more r fea-
turing the proceedings of congress
and under the existing rules there
is no way to prevent this. The SER
ate isn't functioning because we
have here minority rule and we
shall continue to be governed by a
minority until the senate rules of
procedure are changed. I am now
/. formulating and intend oon to in
troduce a PROPOSED to change tine
rules so that the senate "a function,
enabling a majority opinion to pre-
vail on any subject within a reason
ably limited time"
Cloture, which is the power of the
presiding officer or the majority to
shut off debate when legitimate ar
ment has been exhausted and the
debate is being prolonged for mere
obstruction, is a possible weapon of
gag-law, but experience has indicat-
ed thai without it parliamentary in
hstitutions are likely to break down.
In the House the previous ques-
ton" has been the means of silenc-
ing the windjammers for many
years, but because of it's smaller size
the senate had not considered such
"a rule necessary until the closing
hours of the Sixty-fourth Congress.
which terminated March A, 1917.
The iilibustering tactics of the SEN
ators whom President Wilson term
ed the little group of wilful men"
had prevented the passage of the
armed ship bill prior to adjournment
whereupon in the special session
which was called at once the senate
passed a cloture rule on March g.,
1917.
Under this rule sixteen senators
may sign a motion at any time to
bring to an end the debate on -any
pending legislation and the senate