Evening star., 1922-05-31

frequently OF such Importance that
it would be advisable to leave the
cloture as It Is in regard to them.
Besides, II the Senate is ready 70
ratify a treaty or put through q reso.
luton to amend the Constitution py
the necessary two-thirds vote. 1t can
Of course. muster the necessary two
thirds vote to bring the debate on
such measures to Close after they
have been considered a reasonapie
cannot be mustered for these meas
ures. then 1t matters little whether
cloture can be effected or not.
'rThe present effort on the part Of
republican senator's to bring about
cloture, however, Is limited to two
classes of bills-those which are de-
signed to raise revenue, like the tarln
bill, and those which appropriate
money for running Of the govern
ment. These measures are essenuai
to the very life of the government.
The government must have revenue
il it is to operate, and 1t must hase
the money appropriated by Congress
after 1t has been raised through ta4-
alton. 1t seems to- me that tnere
should be no objection to the I'M Iaould aoupi
allow a majority Of the Senate 70
limit or put an end to debate on
revenue and appropriation Diils.
These bills must be enacted INTO Ia"
Because of the unlimited debate now
permitted in the Senate, sessions OF
Congress frequently expire without an
opportunity's being given to compis.e
consideration and passage OF all the
annual supply bills for the government.
This happened only last year: Wnen tWo
IT.
failed to get through by noon March T.
when the last Congress died by nmlta-
ton. 1t happened several times during
the Wilson administration. When these
big appropriation bills fail, it makes
necessary a special session OF the new
Congress-, This means a large addition
to governmental expenditures. ior II
costs the government considerable
sum to have Congress In session.
X \
1.-THE Fordney- -BicCumber tariff bill.
now before the Senate. has been under
discussion in the Senate already as long
as the Underwood Simmons tarin Dill
was before the Senate for consideration.
It has been before the Senate almost
as long as the Payne-Aldrich tariff Dill
was before the Senate for consideration.
Yet. to all intents and purposes. the de-
bate on the pending tariff bill has only
begun. There are still to be deDateu
schedules of the bill which are suo]ect
to much controversy. Inc Sehae
sitting eleven hours daily. MUCH OF
the time is taken up in speecnes WhiSh
have nothing whatever to do with the
tariff bill Senators are at liberty un-
der the existing rules to say whatever
fhey please on the floor Of the Senate
so long as they remain within paria-
I,A 1av, pa
"The American people, 1 am CON
yinced, are tired OF tnactlon py
Congress on important matters Pc
fore it: they are tired of the long de-
laws due to the unlimited DEBATE al
lowed in the Senate The Senate, !
and is losing prestige in the country
because Of its apparent inaoliity To
do business.
1.-THE proposal that majority cloture
be adopted in the Senate is not new.
It has been presented many times be-
time when it was so apparent to the
Senate itself and to the people that
there should be reasonable limits to
debate in the Senate. Last fall a
number of republican senators reached
the conclusion that majority cloture
should be adopted. After several
meetings, Senator Townsend OF Mich
igan was requested to draft and in
tToduce resolution amending the
rules. 1t was referred to the rules
committee and there it has remained.
mo other legislative body in the
world is SO helpless as the Senate of
the United States when it comes TO
bringing to an end debate. 1t may
be true that to bring about the adop-
tton of cloture by majority vote in
the Senate will require a long con-
test on the floor. But 1t would be
far better, in my opinion, to have
this fight out, once and for all, and
in the end much time would be
saved"