New-York tribune., 1922-05-28
Republicans
Are Near Split
Over Cloture
Borah and Mccormick Op-
pose Plan and Effort to
Enforce 1t Promises to
Defeat Senate Program
Leaders Likely to Drop 1t
Claim Enough
Votes, With Democrats, to
lie Up Action OH Tariff

From The Tribunes Washington Bureau
ASH1NGTON, May 27.-Serious
friction over the question of adopting
a cloture rule developed to-day at
conference of Republican Senators.
Because Of the insistence of Senators
Kellogg, Lenroot and Townsend in
seeking to force adoption of a rule to
limit debate, Senators Mccormick and
Moses, after sharply opposing the pro-
posed action, threatened to leave the
conference No final action was taken,
and after heated debate the meeting
adjourned until next Wednesday.
In the conference and out of it such
opposition to cloture has developed
among Republicans, to say nothing of
the fact the Democrats will unite
IN opposing it, as to threaten to endan-
ger the whole legislative program. in
cluding the tariff bill. 1t was declared
tonight that if a cloture rule should
be pressed such controversy would be
aroused and there would be such a pro
longed debate that it would be impossi-
Bile to get further Important legisla-
ton enacted for many weeks, and per
haps would force the adjournment
OF the session, leaving all manner of
important bills up in the all, Senator
Boraf is one of the Republicans who is
prepared to fight cloture to the limit
and number of conservative Repuh
llcans are against it.
Plan Likely To Be Dropped
Indications are, however. that the
movement to invoke a new cloturc rule
a. tins season eventually will be shunt
ed aside by the leaders Senator Nc
Cumber, chairman of the Finance Com
mlttee. is by no means anxious TO 500
begun long contest over cloture which
viii have the effect of delaying indef.
nlteiy the tariff bill and the bonus bill.
At to-day's conference, with half of
'he republican Senators present, two
resolutions were offered. Both were
left pending and will be taken IN. nre-
sumably, for further cons liberation at
1he Wednesday meeting. One by SEN
ator McCumber proposes to have a
committee OF five appointed to con-
S!der IN detail the drafting of a rule
limiting debate on revenue and an
preparation bills and also to consider
the advlsability of attempting such q
Dill at this time. The other. by Sena-
tor townsend, provides that it is the
sense OF the conference that the rules
should be amended to limit debate IN
revenue
lt is said to be not unlikely that the
McCumber plan will be adopted and
MADE use of as convenient way of
dlsposing of the subject before the
conference. but with view of having
the committee report delayed until so
late in the session that nothing can
be done with it.
In the meeting Senator Mccormick.
who is chairman of the Republican
senatorial committee, expressed indig-
nation that he should have been called
pack to Washington to consider a gag
rule" just when he was endeavor;n9 o
to work for the election of a Renuh'
'lcan Senate in the approaching cam
paign
Mccormick Opposes Cloture
IF the Senate had employed a clo-
ture rule when the Treaty OF Versailles
was under consideration" said Senator
Mccormick, "the country would have
been driven into the League of Ma
tions"
He held cloture was highly obiec-
tlonable and Senator Moses took a
similar view. He thought it would en-
able the farm bloc and other blocs TO
| dominate the Senate instead of per
mttlng it to transact its business free
ly and in untrammelled fashion.
Protest was made by Senator McCor-
mick also against attempting to act
with only half the Republican members
present 1t developed that Senator
Borah had refused to attend the con-
ference to consider cloture.
Opponents of cloture said tonight
that if cloture rule should be forced
to a vote enough Republicans would
line up against it to defeat it, but that
this would not be done until after
there had been prolonged and stormy
debate They said they could muster
twenty-three Republican votes against
It, On the other hand, advocates of
cloture insisted only nine Republicans
would oppose it and said they would
| torce it into the rules.