Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-11-21

Inc ABOVE statement was made, re-
Gently, by John McNaughton, we'll
known resident Of Manchester, Vt.
Tanlac is sold by all good drug
gists.-Adv
Senators to keep within a reasonable
range or the question under debate,
the discussion of irrelevant and i'm
material matter will be INDUCED in.
| ter was that, although there were
| votes enough in the Senate to have
| passed this particular BILL the at
tempt to pass it had to be abandoned,
| because the session was nearing its
close and there We're several large
| appropriation bills which it was nee
! essary to pass. The speech of SEN
ator Works also illustrates how, I'M
der other rules of the Senate, absurd
conditions are wasteful, not only of
| the time of the Senate, but of pub
| nc money. Senator Works, having
| delivered his speech, it became a part
| OF the Congressional Record" and
therefore public document. The
| Printing Office and for a very nomi-
| nal sum the Senator was entitled to
as many copies of the speech as he
desired. In this case it was said that
the number ordered ran into the hun
dreds of thousands, and the speech,
being public document. could be cir
cWated under the frank of the Sem
| ator at the expense of the Govern
ment. | do not know that this was
| done. but there was current report
that it was.
After this experience there was
determined effort made to amend the
| rules OF the Senate, so that debate
| might be closed by a tWo-thirds vote;
and before the opening. of the next
session members OF the party in
| power were summoned to Washington
| to confer upon some method of adopt
| ing an amendment which would have
! this effect. | attended that confer
! ence; but. after n protracted debate
it developed that nothing could be
! done except by unanimous consent,
! because the Senate is a continuous
| body and when it would meet at the
next session of Congress it would
| still be under its old rules and the
amendment proposed could be sub
| jected to fi!fbuster unless practi-
! cally unanimous consent of the Sen
ate could be obtained. The Demo-
cratic Senators. too. were not unani-
nous in the support of any cloture
| rule; those from the South. remem-
boring that the Force Bill had been
defeated by q filibuster, were not
willing to yield this weapon OF de-
| Tense against what they termed sec
| tional legislation"
Although ,he next session would
mark the beginning Of new Com
| gress, it became apparent that the
Senate, unlike the House of Repre-
sentatives, was a continuing body, as
| under the Constitution the terms of
| only third of its members ended
| with the old Congress; and therefore
! that its rules. adopted in the early
history of the country. which had
continued to govern it ever since.
| with the few changes which have
| from'time to time been added, would
| still be in force.
| Speaker Reed was enabled to secure
/ a much needed reformation Of the
| governing that body must be adopted
| by it at the opening Of each Con
| gress, and until the rules that govern
| its procedure were adopted he COR
rectly held that the House was I'M
der general parliamentary law, I'M
| fettered by its old rules: and SO was
| able to count a quorum. although
I congressman present did not respond
| to their names upon roll call. HIS
determined courage in meeting stu
alton with which he was confronted,
against the clamorous opposition
! which tried to howl him down as a
| tyrant and a car. Justly entities him
| to the gratitude of the Nation, and
putting an end to abuses which had
| retarded the dispatch of business in
| the House OF Representatives has long
! ago been recognized and almost unan-
| lmouSiy approved, IOf, py MS courage
| and firmness, it was rendered able to
| transact business as majority of its
| members might determine. The Sem
ate. being continuing body. it's
| hoary and ant1quated rules cling TO
| it and when a new Congress is con-
vencd the same old Senate is part
| of it, with all its antique and gro
| tesque appendage of rules: and if an
| attempt. were made to amend these
rules. this attempt would be still sub
20 mi; ifcf3 RI lob tfnt, Mt
was made to secure the signatures of
| all the members to a unanimous con-
| sent agreement that the rules might
| be so amended as to allow debate to
be. closed by a two-thirds vote; but
this failed. 1t was only possible to
secure the adoption of the amend
ment that has been made by obtain
| ing what amounted to unanimous con-
| sent.
The present rule of modified Gle ture
| has been used but once. and that at
! the time when the treaty of Yer
| sailles was under consideration. The
! whole situation impressed me as most
| erotesque and / then believed. and
| still believe. that a majority Of the
Senate should be able to close debate;
and while I recognize that the amend
ment by which a two-thirds vote is
made necessary was as far as 1t was
see no reason why a larger vote
should be required to close debate
| than to pass important measures of
most vital national interest. The
amendment is still a concession to the
old idea of State sovereignty. to which
sufficient recognition is given when
| Nevada. with a population only few
! thousands more than the City Of Port
! land. in this State. has the same num-
Der Of votes as New York with its
population of more than ten millions.
Another rule of the Senate which
| wastes che time OF its members and
prevents the consideration of press
ing matters of Importance is that a
Senator cannot obtain leave to have
his speech printed in the Record"
but must deliver it upon the floor Of
the Senate. This is not the rule in
the House. where member may oh
| tain "leave to print" A Senator's
| speech in most cases Is intended for
home consumption: but. in order to he
| frankable. it must have been deliv-
cred upon the floor Of the Senate and
thus becometa part of the Congress
sianel Record"
Today. organizations in favor Of
prohibition. agriculture. manufac-
| lures. labor and many other inter-
ests. have their headquarters in Wash
inston: and when legislation is pro-
posed in which any of these organ
| iZations are interested an organized
and nationwide attempt is made to
influence the votes of members of the