The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-25
PRESS ON FILIBUsTER


see them, perhaps they could look in no more
faithful mirror than the nations press. Re-
CARELESS of politics, or of attitude on the
measure itself, the press does not favor the
tactics adopted by the opposition. There is
an underlying opinion that all important
subjects should be sincerely and earnestly
debated and then permitted to come to an
honest vote. The merchant marine measure
is important, and deserves to succeed or fail
by fair play and direct expression of con-
gressional sentiment.
The Philadelphia Public Ledger suggests
that if the senators must talk they should
talk about the ship subsidy meaure itelf;
"if the senate is, as it says, the greatest
deliberative body in the world, it might at
least deliberate and discuss the ship subsidy
before smothering it to death in the kicked
up dust Of .farm-bloc' filibuster." The
Kansas City Times and Kansas City Star,
in reality the morning and afternoon edi-
tons of the same newspaper, unite in con-
demning the filibuster. Says the Times:
at is a cinch that these same politicians will
neglect to mention that they have left
mess on the hands of the government at
Washington, the cleaning up of which will
in the end cost the taxpayers many times
over what the ship subsidy would have cost,
even taking the most extreme claims of its
opponents. They will neglect to mention
that, though the problem has been before
congress for a year, these same DIRECTORS
have not volunteered even suggestion of
plan of their own to meet the situation.
TN. that
continue the situation as it is means saddling
a burden of fifty million dollars year as
minimum upon the taxpayer indefinitely,
while the American merchant marine grad
ually depreciates and loses its place on the
high seas And the Star: can intolerable
situation will be created if the senate, in
these hectic last two weeks, merely blocks
the ship subsidy measure and offers nothing
in its stead" Doubtless the Star has in
mind the presidents challenge to the bills
opponents when he told them to accept it
or to offer something better.
Perhaps the Houston Post permits its
views of the merits of the filibuster to be
colored by its own opposition to the ship
subsidy, when it says: GA filibuster is
right or wrong according to the rule of
whose OK is gored." AS to the right in
this case the Post observes: mo doubt the
administration is under contract with special
interests to bestow the subsidy upon those
who are seeking it, but the people who OPP
pose subsidies, and who constitute great
majority in this country, have the right to
expect their honest and faithful public SER
wants to invoke every device of parliament
airy obstruction to protect them against their
unfaithful servants VINO would barter away
their rights to privileged corporations This
argument is suspiciously like rant. Perhaps
the Post does not regard as subsidies the
grants to railroads, the involuntary contri-
buttons to railroads made by rate increases,
the appropriations for rivers and harbors,
expenditures for water power and conser-
walton projects, and the like. Is the term
subsidy to be applied only to appropriations
looking to a businesslke administration of
our merchant fleet?
Perhaps the Democratic senators will not
find much comfort in the opinion of others
of Southern newspapers. For example, the
Nashville Banner: "The whole thing $
wrong of course. 1t is destruction, by
parliamentary practice that should not OBJ
tain, of the majority's right to determine
legislation. But, as said, it is a senate Gus
tom, respected by usage though deplored by
every sense and spirit of fairness. AS long
as the senate refuses to limit debate, it will
be invoked by the minority and it seemingly
is unbeatable. Some of these days the SEN
ate will be wise enough to modify its rules
which permit such thing"
In commenting on this particular filibuster
the Louisville Courier-Journal makes this
unique defense: "The filibuster against al
lowing the ship subsidy bill to be votetd on
by the present senate is filibuster against
letting a congress which a majority of the
people have repudiated fasten upon them
policy to which they are opposed" A fill
buster either is right or wrong according as
the principle on which it rests is right or
wrong. 1t cannot be right at one time and
wrong at another. Besides, the ship subsidy
was not an issue in the recent elections, and
the new members cannot logically reason
that they have received a mandate to op
pose it.
In direct contradiction to the Courier
Journal the New Orleans Times-Pcayune
declares: "The embattled shipping bill
should be permitted to come to vote. It
involves no such vital principle as would JUS
tify obstruction by handful highly resolved
to defend our. institutions from violation,
or the sacred rights of minorities from in
| vason When the tumult and the
| shouting die and the morning after dawns,
we think that some at least of the filibuster
| elders will have the grace to recognize and
| be ashamed of their error-even though