Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1922-12-28
MAJORITY SAYS RULE WILL BE
ADOPTED TO STOP FlLl6Us-
TERlNG BY MINORITY.
ANY MEASURE CAN BE KILLED
Furthermore, Few Senators Can
Force Congress Into an Extra Sea-
sion, Under Present System, Because
Legislation Hasn't Been Enacted.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

rules snail be adopted TO stop nlibuS-
fering and to give the dominant party,
whichever 1t happens to be, a chance
TO put through the legislation that it
desires.
1t is now suggested and it 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 it
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 it. 1t
is true that by invoking so-caled
cloture rule the senate can stop de
bate on given subject, but before
this RUE can be put into force it must
receive the sanction of so large a num-
Der of the senators that 1t virtually is
barred from getting such sanction.
In the senate today the domiLAnt
party has majority of "a votes. 1t
wanted TO put through what is known
as the Dyer anti lynching bill. 1t has
been compelled to forego the endeavor.
A fiIibuster was started against the
bill and its opponents forced its pro
ponents to call the legislation off.
Can Force Extra Sessions.
Opinions win vary as TO the virtue
of the flibnster 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 if it
has back Of it all the weight of public
opinion.
To put II In another way, an appro-
priation bin which every senator
agrees should be enacted into law can
be defeated by flibustering tactics EN-
ployed, not really for the purpose of
killing the particular bill, but to force
congress into an extra session because
the bill failed
No one in Washington believes that
the senate ever will adopt rule
which win make it possible to shut
off debate as It can be shut of in
the house of representatives. No one
here believes that 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-lynchng 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 1t. but there is nothing /;
today to make 1t appear that subsidy
will be allowed to receive the senate ]
sanction unless the wholly unexpected
happens and its opponents shall make
mp their minds not TO enter into the
race Of talk.
Could Win II Allowed to Vote.
Administration leaders nj the SEN ,
ate say thar if the subsidy bin shall
be allowed to come to vote It viii
be passed ny a small majority. IL
fact, a poll Of The senate made by the
majority leaders shows that sufii-
cient number of Republican and Dem
ocratic senators win vote for the bill
to put Il throughput are they to
be given a chance to vote for it7
Naturally the opponents Of the sub
sidy measure say the country does not
want TO have il enacted into law and
therefore any tactics intended to pre-
vent its coming to vote are justif-
able. The proponents of the measure
say the country does want legislation.
and that flibustering tactics against
its passage are unjustifable If not
wicked.
The salient thing is. once more. the
power which a minority of senator's
have to prevent majority from
out its viii. If IT be granted
for the sake of argument that the sub
sidy bill is a bad measure, vet 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
not want 10 see it written into the
statute books.
1t is promised today by the propo-
nents Of a rule to make voting on a
masure possible in the senate, that
hey viii carry their campaign through
until such rule is adopted.