The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-04-21
DAWES RAPS
SENATE RULE
IN ADDRESS
Vice President Airs Views
at Associated Press
Annual Meeting
ASKS SQUARE DEAL
Appeals to u. S. Citizens
To Join in Fight on
Old Methods
(By The Associated Press

New York. April 21.-vice Pres
ident Charles C. Dawes speaking to-
day at the annual luncheon Of the
Associated Press, gave his views on
reform of the rules of the United
States Senate.
Frank d. Noyes, president of the
Associated Press, introduced Mr..
Dawes. as a man with n wonderful
record of achievement" radiant
personality" and one who "has now
cut out for himself a man-sized job"
Speaking at the twenty-fifth an
niversary luncheon at the Waldorf
Astoria the vice.president said that
the movement for limitation of de-
bate in the Senate was non partisan,
non sectional and patriotic.
"The ISSUE" he said, is this: "Shall
the Senate continue unchanged it's
existing rules which admittedly
make possible at times the exercise
by minority or even one Senator
Of power to block the purpose of a
majority of the Senate to legislate p
1t is important, he continued, that
the Senate's rules. "give every Sem
ator square deal, but it is imper-
alive that they give the American
people a square deal"
The extra-constitutional powers Of
Senator'S in this connection. Mr..
Dawes said, we're subversive Of the
principles of representative consti-
tutional government. Answering sew
eral arguments against =. a cloture
rule, the Vice President said: "The
purpose is not to prevent Senator'S
from fully debating question, but
to make possible the prolonging of
debate to prevent majority from
settling the question"
Mr.. Dawes appealed to citizens to
make known to their individual Sem
ators their attitude on the question.
Mr.. Dawes speech follows:
As Vice-Presidcnt, elected, not by
the Senate. or by State. but by the
people Of the United States to pre-
side over the Senate, I conceive my
self charged with the duty Of call
ing attention to methods of Senate
parliamentary procedure in their re-
! lation to the national interest. The
fact that of practically all deliber-
alive and legislative assemblies of
the world the United States Senate,
, almost alone. chooses to conduct its
business under rules which do not
provide properly effective cloture
emphasizes this duty on my part.
The issue presented in the move
ment for reform in the present rules
of the Senate of the United States is
non-partisan, non-sectional and pa
triotic. An improvement in these
rules to expedite the conduct of
business is as impersonal and non
partisan question as was that of
the adoption of the budget system
improving the conduct of routine
governmental business.
As emphasizing this non-partisan-
ship. on the day after had called
the attention Of the Senate to the
need for a change in the rules (as
a Vice-President who happened to
be a Republican,, that able and dis
tinguished Democrat. Senator Under
wood of Alabama, long an earnest
advocate Of reform in the business
methods of the Senate, re-introduced
resolution in the Senate providing
for better cloture.
The absence Of cloture has been
denounced on the floor of the Sen
ate by Senator Kellogg, now Secre-
tary of State under Republican
administration. In the platforms of
the Democratic party, adopted in
1918 and 1920 was a plank which
reads:
1--WE favor such alteration of the
rules of procedure of the Senate of
the United States as will permit the
prompt transaction of the nations
legislative business"
1t Is evident from all this that the
odvnN0$nc ~ khSo
as non-partisan. It cannot be &C.
complished except it is accepted in
the hearts and consciences of all
citizens as non-partisan and patri-
otic-a reform demanded by the
people in the interest of all the
people. 1t should not be discussed
from any other standpoint than that
of nonpartisanship.
The issue is this: Shall the Senate
continue unchanged its existing
rules which admittedly make posi-
BILE, at times, the exercise by min
GRITTY or even one Senator of power
to block the purpose of a majority
of the Senate to legislate?
OF what material relevancy is the
claim that this power of blocking
legislation desired by the majority
acting under its constitutional
rights, is sometimes a check to mis-
taken legislation, if that check in.
wolves the use Of power the exis-
tence Of which is not contemplated
by the Constitution and is inconsist-
ent with the principles Of represen.
tative government OF what rel.
evancy are the claims that because
the power of unlimited debate in the
early days Of the Senate with its
small membership was not abused
that this power with its consequen.
ces should have existed then o,
should exist now?
Because it could modify the con.
duct Of government business as in.
tended by the Constitution, the ex.
istence Of the power was as wrong IL
the past as both its existence anC
exercise are wrong at the present
time. Who can Justly claim that tn,
protection Of the country agains
hasty legislation demands not onl,
q concurrence in legislative actor
of the two houses Of Congress-, thu
veto power Of the President of tn,
United States and the power Of re-
vision by the Supreme Court of tn,
United States but, in addition,
J Continued on page thves)