Evening star., 1925-05-10
Senate Rules and Rlocs.


| Senate Rules and Blocs.
President pro Tempore Moses of the
Senate finds himself in absolute op-
position to President Dawes of the
! Senate on the issue of modifying the
rules of that body to expedite public
business. They are both members of
the party in power, the Republican
| party. There is this difference, how
ever. Gen. Dawes was elected by the
people of the United States to the Of.
| flee of Vice President. which under the
Constitution carries with 1t the presi.
dency Of the Senate and the duty of
| presiding over that body. Senator
Moses was elected President pro
tempore by the Republican members
of the Senate. his duty being to pre-
side over the Senate in the absence
Of the Vice President.
As Vice President Dawes is carrying
his fight for a change in the rules of
the Senate to the people. so, 1t ap.
pears. Senator Moses is conducting a
campaign in opposition. In Syracuse
Friday night the New Hampshire Sen.
ator defended the present rules of the
Senate. which provide practically for
! unlimited debate; declared that these
rules serve as a curb on 'blocs'' and
prevent much hasty legislation, and
Rid finally that men who have sought
20 tame" the Senate in the past have
finally been tanned by the Senate.
1t Is not 80 many years ago that "a
New Englander undertook to tame"
the House of Representatives, did
so. The House at that time had grown
out of hand. Dilatory tactics, includ.
ing practice Of declining to vote and
venting the transaction of business,
were indulged in frequently. This was
the condition with which Tom" Reed,
then Speaker of the House, was con-
fronted. Speaker Reed took the bull
ey the horne. He counted all members
Of the House present to constitute a
quorum, whether they voted or not.
He was assailed as a car" a tyrant
The harshness Of the criticism leveled
at Mr.. Reeds head was almost un.
paralleled in parliamentary history.
Freedom. the rights Of the minority,
all were declared to be jeopardized by
his drastic action. But the House
found that under the Reed rules 1t was
able to function which it had not been
able to do before.
In a measure the Senate. too. has
grown out Of hand. When it acts
II 1t acts-it does SO by unanimous
consent. A bill Of jor impor-
tance is rarely il ever brought
to a vote without unanimous con.
sent. II there is no unanimous con.
sent. then the bill does not come to a
vote. There you are, In a body where
ma jority rule, which is the cardinal
principle of the United States Govern
ment, is supposed to obtain. Senator
Moses, in defense Of the present pro-
cedure in the Senate, himself calls at
tention to the fact that unanimous
consent is sought and obtained fire.
quently to put through measures be.
fore the Senate. He might also have
called attention to the fact that many
measures which have the support of
clear majorities in the Senate never
obtain unanimous consent. to which
one Senator can raise an objection,
and never are acted upon.
Safeguards for minority parties are
entirely proper in a political parlia.
mentary government. But safeguards
which result in preventing action by
the majority can scarcely be defended
as proper" in this country.
Senator Moses and others who op
pose a change in the Senate rules lay
stress on the fact that the rules pre-
vent much legislation which Ii is in.
sisted would be harmful to the coun.
try. But il q Congress enacts legisla.
ton harmful to the country it cannot
remain in power. The people have the
remedy in their hands every two years
and can put in new legislators. The
rules, on the other hand, have prevent.
ed legislation which is demanded by
the people, and which might. wen have
been beneficial had 1t been permitted
to so through at the time It was pre-.
sented. Senator Moses defense, at
best, is the defense of inaction as op-
posed to action.
The Senate rules, Senator Moses
says, act as a curb on ''blocs" in the
Senate. He would have been more cor.
rect had he said that the Senate
"blocs,' which are less than q ma.
jority, in recent years have invoked
the Senate rules many times to pre-.
vent action by a majority.
Wall Street has been Offering pecu.