Evening star., 1923-02-11
BY THOMAS II. MARSHALL,
Former Vice President of the
United States.

United States.
IN HE Senate is talking again
of revising its rules to pro-
vide Limitation of debate.
1t always does when a leg
islatfve jam exists or impends.
Reason now is found in the diff
Guilty leaders are having in bring
ing the ship subsidy bill to a vote.
The threat of opponents to filibus-
ter the measure to death has re-
vived contention over. unlimited
debate which is as old as the SEN
ate itself
During the heat of a political
campaign excited orators may be
heard shrieking, Shall the people
rule?" What they mean is: Shall
our faction of the people be per-
mitted to do what it pleases:" In
a way the people have ruled
throughout the life of the repub-
lie, and in another way they have
never ruled and never will. An
thority can lay down rules for the
government OF all the people, but
II cannot compel obedience TO
these rules. A political party pro-
ceeds upon the assumption that
"nen II has won an election 1t
must not he hindered or impeded
from doing anything it jolly well
pleases to do. So the query Of the
campaign orator. shall the people
rule? which reverberated from the
stump is heard in the United
States Senate from members of the
OF government may have arisen
since the election upon which the
opinion OF the public is mere
Euesswork; these questions may
be violative of the fundamental
principles if not of the fundamen-
tai law of the land. yet the major-
lty is apt TO insist that nothing
must be done to prevent it from
treating them as it pleases.
During all the time that ] pre-
sided over the Senate resolutions
were pending to amend the rules
so as TO enable the majority to end
debate and TO legislate Every
time moment of stress arose by
reason of delay in legislation
caused by unlimited debate the
majority desired to provide clo-
lure 1Mre so as to secure speedy vote.
me demand is again being heard.
Now. as always, senators are
pointing the finger of scorn at
their own body as the only leEis-
lative body in the world that does
not have cloture. However, Senate
rules are not susceptible to easy
amending. The process is difficult
a Tl1S G.ir b.
dent that made cloture desirable
senator's lose their impatience,
with the result that up to this
hour a majority of senator's have
never been found who would de-
llberately go upon record as des:r-
Gus OF limiting debate. In their
caimer moments senators realize
that the majority OF today may be
the minority OF tomorrow, and clo-
ture. if it is provided. may be in
Noked against them as we'll as by
them For eight long years I OBJ
served contending emotions as sem
atorS longed TO change the rules
and feared to do so Unlimited de-
bate still stands and is quite likely
10 remain the rule OF the Senate.
Interminable talk may be extreme
ly distasteful to the majority
seeking TO speed legislation. but IL
mas served many useful purpose.
X X y x
How long Oh, Lord. how I.onra"
was the way 1 felt about it when
] first ran up against a filibuster.
That was early in my first term 8
Vice President. l, too. believed in
party responsibility and in the
right of the majority to rule /
was likewise a believer in the doc
trine of public business being
transacted upon the public square.
As a result of my eight years ex-
perience. | am not now in favor
either of cloture or of abolition of
the executive session of the SEN
ate i learned that the majority
was for cloture only when cloture
would accomplish it's purpose, and
that minority always was
against cloture for fear it might
enable the majority to do some
thing i'll advised. In both the ma
jority and minority are enough
men who know that the spoke that
is down today may be up tomor-
row to prevent the limitation of
debate.
well remember an incident
when, as a believer in limited de-
bate was compelled TO rule
against my personal view. Sena-
tor Stone of Missouri took the
floor and proceeded to dress me
down in language as caustic as a
presiding officer seldom hears OF
himself. He ended by expressing
the hope that some time the Sem
ate would have a presiding officer
with the courage of Speaker Reed
to toss the rules to the four winds
and expedite business. Later in