Evening star., 1923-02-25
By G. GOULD LINCOLN.
\ERIODICALLY the country
looks on with some amaze
mani ubi1a Tho Caooto ~ 81 q

AcRIODlCALLY the country
r. looks on with some amaze
ment while the Senate Of the
United States engages in a
physical contest, commonly known as
"flibuster.' The only weapons
used are the human voice. and the
powers of endurance of the senators.
The prizes are the defeat or victory
Of legislation.
Such a scene has been enacted dur
ing the last week. The contest has
been against the administration rler-
chant marine bill. The one effort
OF the opponents has been to prevent
a final vote on that measure. know
ing that IL it reached a vote, it
would pass
The Senate filibuster, which takes
its name from the revolutionary ex-
petitions and irregular warfare con-
Quoted in some Of the Latin -Ameri-
can countries in the last seventy
i've years, is no more nor less than
obstructionist tactics, permitted un-
der the rules of the Senate, and car
ried to the ninth power. The right
of unlimited debate which exists in
the Senate is the keystone of the
arch upon which the iilibuster rests.
Plans to Scotch FiIibusters.
Two movements are on foot which.
81 successful, will do much TO take
the starch out of tilibusting senator's.
Tho one Is the proposed constitutional
amendment which would do away
with the short" session OF Congress
and provide that Congress shall meet
early in January each year. This
means two potentially long sessions.
Tho resolution proposing that amend
3nent has been adopted by the Senate
and favorably reported to the House.
The second proposal is an amendment
TO the rules. providing that senator
must speak to the subject before the
Senate, proposed by Senator Curtis Of
Kansas. the republican whip"
OF course, the adoption OF real
cloture rule providing that the SEN
ate might by majority vote close de-
bate on any given subject. would
fatten out the flibusterer. But while
such d cloture rule has been threat
been adopted, and probably. If serl-
ously attempted, would itself lead to
flibuster lasting for months.
Effective in Short Sessions.
The Senate flibuster. while it has
been conducted successfully during
so-called long sessions of Congress,
IS most effective during a short ses-
sion. which runs only from the first
Monday in December to March "A
period in which all the big supply
bills Of the government must be
passed If a special session of the new
Congress is to be avoided. In fact,
the possibilities Of filibuster in the
short session. the mere threat Of
flibuster. prevents many pieces OF
The flibuSter is not a new insti-
tuition In the Senate. The records
show that as far back as 1s41. and
even earlier, the power of unlimited
debate was used in the Senate to OBJ
struct legislation. On July Is. 184l.
for example. when the then loan bill
was under consideration, Mr.. Clay de-
clared he would introduce a resolu-
ton to provide in the rules Of the
Senate for the previous question"-a
parliamentary method Of ending de-
bate The reply OF Mr.. King. one Of
the obstructionists of that day. was:
II tell the senator, then, that he
may make his arrangements at his
boarding house for the winter"
Which sounds very much like the
threats made by filibusterers OF the
present day.
Force Bill Filbuster. a
Perhaps the most celebrated "fli-
buster" in the Senate prior to the be-
ginning Of the present century was
that directed against the so-called
force bill" by senators from the
eouthern states. in 1891. The force
bill, which had been engineered on
its way through the House by Henry
Cabot Lodge Of Massachusetts. the
present republican leader of the SEN
ate, was designed to give the federal
government certain regulative powers
with regard TO elections. 1t was held
to be an invasion Of the rights Of the
states. For twenty-nine days this
bill was before the Senate, and no
final vote was had on it. Senator
Charles J. Faulkner Of West Virginia
was credited with fifteen-hour