Evening star., 1923-03-13
SPECIAL SENATE
SESSION TO REVISE
RULES ADVOCATED
Continued from First Page,

of the minority they are used by the
minority to defeat the will of the ma
jority. to discredit legislation and to
play petty partisan politics. Worse
still. the Senate is being discredite ed
with the people by the action Of the
few. The very structure of the gov
ernment of the fathers is being under
mined. The time has come. 1t seems
to me. when we must change the rules
Of the Senate or the people will change
the Senate.
Extra Session Wise.
"I thought 1t would be wise for the
President to call the Senate in extra
session for the sole purpose Of revis-
ing its rules, so that it can transact
business, and 1 urged him to do so,
but he did not deem 1t best to do it.
With no other questions to take up.
with the eyes Of the people centered
upon US and with a strong desire to
get away on our vacation there would
have been hope of speedy action. 1t
will be hard to do 1t in a regular ses-
sion, with all sorts Of questions press
ing. 1t may be that those Of US who
think a change should be made will
have to use the rules at the beginning
OF the next session in a heroic way to
correct some of the most glaring
evils.
Only three or four changes are
really needed No dilatory motion
should be confined to the question al
issue. Both of these matters can well
be left to the president of the Senate
upon without debate. We have beer
following a form of unanimous con
sent agreement when IT could be
reached that should be embodied in q
be that after a bill has been the un-
finished business for a certain num-
Der Of days speeches on the bill and
amendments would be limited in mum.
ber and length. With these changes
the will of the majority could be car.
be had and the Senate would be the
really great deliberate body it was in
tended to be.
Fflibuster Not His Reason.
mo, the filibuster on the shipping
bill has had nothing to do with my
reaching this conclusion. 1t has sim
| ply confirmed the opinion I reached
taken place in the Senate during the
last two years. In December last
introduced a resolution to create q
special committee to study the rules
and propose changes Its oonsidera-
tion was objected to-. and it went to
the committee on rules. The chair
man Of that committee has sought
to get some action by his committee
but has been unable to do SO. Be-
| fore this 1 had offered an amendment
to the rules limiting debate on ap.
propriation bills
Some senator's seem to have ac.
cepted the self-imposed task of turn.
| ing everything to party advantage
| and to minimize and discredit the
work Of the majority, in the hope OF
catching any popular sentiment any
where and among any OF our people
All this 10 encouraged under ou,
rules. It may not be done away
| with by the changes suggested, bu
the will of the majority anyway car
| be clearly expressed.
These changes are not suggested
| in the interest Of any party. Tht
| republicans are in control now. Th'
democrats profess to think they will
get control in the next election. :.
| do not thing 80. but If they shoult
their majority then would be at thu
mercy Of two or three OF us and thu
| waste Of time playing petty poll
| tics would 60 on. Both parties
| should seek such changes in the rulei
as will promote good legislation ant
restore the Senate in the good opin
ion OF the people"