Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-07-24
TO CHANGE SENATE RULES


washington, July 2s.---Somothins
must loo done about the United States
Senate. IL IN not functioning proper
ly. a great many people have Insist
cd that this is tho case for very
long time. but now Senators are be-
coming critics OF themselves and their
own institution.
AS Iawmaking factory the Senate
r. entitled 90 an efficiency rating thas
would shock production experts. Henry
Ford who says that the rate OF pro-
duction is the most important factor
In industry, would probably have taNen
the Senate apart and put II together
again as an entirely different kind of
machine had he been elected n member
when he sought the toga that Mr.
Newberry now wears. That ~, pro-
yided ne could have found way 10
Introduce Ford methods and inno-
vatiuns into an establishment that
seems to have been organized TO pre-
vent just that sort Of thing.
Waste motion In tho problem the
efficiency experts tackle first when
| they undertake 10 speed up a manu-
featuring plant. Waste wurds--0r
waste wind-seems to be the princi-
pal trouble with the senate. Mt any
rate senatorial leaders who are ad-
dressing themselves 20 the question
Of how TO dispose Of the legislative
program before the election are agreed
that the first thing 90 be done Is tC
find some way Of limiting debate and
forcing action within 81 reasonable
lperiod If timo on important measures
such as tariff and the bonus Hence
tho amending Of the Senate rules Is
now under consideration.
Cloture was at first proposed, but i
failed. This requires two-thlrd
vote and can not be brought ehou
so long as any considerable minorit!
desires 10 continue the discussion II {
given measure, With a subject sucl
AS the tariff before the Senate it 4
a foregone conclusion that the debat
! can not be ended until tho opposition
, has talked itself out or has decide
that II will be good politics 10 let IN
bin pass. Thus the necessity &
changing the rules Is indicated. Thi
can he done by majority vote q
/, any time and Il IS taken for granite
that the Republicans can muster SUI
ficient strength 20 turn the trick.
would Avoid boomerang.
, Accordingly tho problem Is how
frame new rule that viii accomplis
the desired end and not 60 too "a
1 that will command the necesssr
votes to put II through. and that wi
=, not prove to be "A boomerang II n
tlme should come when control
= the Senate is reversed and tho r.
= lpublicans are in the minority instea
+, of i'm the ma iority. This calls for %
- lltical genius and wisdom Of q hig
:. torder. II also calls for caution ar
:, despite tho emergency Il is unlike
:. that immediate action viii be take
Senator james r.. Watson. Of India n
who il looked upon In some quarte-
= as the successor Of tho late Senat'
], Penrose as the real Republican iea'
or. has the job in hand.
. President Harding indicated clear
. what he thought of the situation
. the Congress as a whole and in II
. Senate In particular when he dspoun.
ed legislation by blocs. Secretary
- War Weeks--and he, too, was 70
merry Senator--.poke right out
meeting and said the fundament
:, trouble is the low standard Of state
- manship resulting from the dire
= primary. Chairman Adams Of the r
publican National Committee fixes {
n. responsibility on the Democra
minority.
-. Senator Watson and other leedt
!, who feel the responsibility for
a., party's legislative program belle
that tho trouble Is a combination
what tho President and the NatioI
- Chairman have criticized. That ia
say. they attribute the procrastinati
Of Congress to the power welded
minorities. whether political or spec
interest in character.
Il is to be expected that the Senate
and Representatives. OF the OPPOSITE
8 party will da all that they can to {
struct legislation In which they
not believe. but at the present I'll
there is farm bloc minority, an an
% bonus minority. an anti-ship subsi
minority, reclamation minority a
nm mlnorities on various tariff schedu
that are not necessarily political
ed their lineup. These groups or bl,
In many instances include both I
publicans and Democrats who sta
ng together for or against certain leg
lative proposals with solidarity Il
jeopardizes legislation by part
Ire which has long been the accepted orr
of things in the Congress or the Uni
States.
Each group has a program Of
own. All have their axes to gri
Each has it's views which must be 2
Gle scented 20 a patient, long suffer
country through endless speecl
None Is strong enough in itself
ING dominate the Senate, but any one