The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-12-08
UNLIMITED DEBATE
IN SENATE OPPOSED
BY SENATOR WATSON
PALLADIUM NEWS BUREAU

WASHINGTON, Dec. s. Senator
James E. Watson of Indiana has an
nounced that he will urge the calling
of a special session of the senate after
March for the specific purpose of
modifying the rule of unlimited de-
bate. The senior Indiana senator be-
lieves that such action is necessary if
the senate ever is to function properly.
The filibuster is made possible be-
cause of the rule of unlimited debate,
and through this agency the senate
majority elected to carry out the legis-
lative demands of the people is fire.
quently thwarted by the minority.
Senator Watson is opposed to any
gag rule as provided in a pending
proposal for cloture by bare majority.
He favors restriction of debate by a
substantial majority, something less
than two-thirds majority, which is the
present cloture rule of the senate
However, he is against any application
of cloture to the consideration of treat
les.
Not Expedient Now
It would not be expedient during the
present session of congress to attempt
a modification of the rule of unlimited
debate, Senator Watson believes. He
anticipates that opponents of the anti
lynching bill and the ship subsidy bill
would raise the cry that the proponents
of those measures were attempting to
railroad" them through the senate. A
filibuster against changing the rule
would very probably result.
Senator Watson. as Republican floor
leader, is not blind to the fact that the
senate is no longer held in esteem by
the people. He believes this is not be-
cause of the personnel of the senate.
but because of its antiquated rule of
unlimited debate, which frequently de-
lays the enactment of important legis-
lation and occasionally defeats it.
The rule, the modification of which
the Indiana senator is seeking, is as
old as the senate itself, but it did not
bring forth the filibuster until a COM
|paratively few years ago. During the
earlier history of the country members
of the senate did not violate the spirit
of the rule. After a measure had been
thoroughly debated the senators would
cast their votes, Senator Watson says.
Senate is RidicuIed.
In recent years both Republicans
and Democrats have resorted to fill
busters, with the result, the Indiana
senator says, that the procedure of
the senate has been made a traversty
and the senate an object of ridicule
President Wilson was the first exc
cutive to make an insistent demand
for a modification of the rule of un-
limited debate. This came when he de-
nounced the filibuster against the
"armed merchantmen" bill "by little
group of willful men," in March, 1917
To consider changing the rule he call
ed an extra session of the senate. At
this session the present rule of clo-
ture by two-thirds majority was adopt
ed. Senator Watson asserts that this
rule has not worked out satisfactorily
because of the excessive majority re-
quired.
Oscar E. Bland, who represents the
second Indiana district in congress and
was defeated for reelection at the re-
cent election, is a candidate for ap-
pointment as one of the members of
tn United States customs court of ap-
peals. His candidacy has been in
dorsed by the other members of the
Indiana delegation.