Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-04
|F|L|BUSTERS SHOWS
DAWES WAS RIGHT
Vice President Is Only One to
Derive Satisfaction From
Senate Tie-Up.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Only one man derived any S"ttsls,t u
ton out of the situation In Whlch the
Senate found itself on adjournment
and he was Charles G. Dawes, Vice
President and arch-foe OF hllbuSteflng'
Everything that AIR. Dawes said in
his speeches about the power or one
or two Senators to defeat the VIII Oh
the majority has been vlndlcated.
For while the cloture rule, which has
been invoked from time TO time, ~
effective early in a session. it can do
no good in the closing hours OF a
session which expires automatically
at noon on March 4.
Mr. Dawes has pointed TO the in
f1eXihility of the Senate rules as a
serious menace to the legislative
progress of the American Congress.
Not only does the Senate affect its
own series OF measures, but IT
blocks the House of Representatives
whose approval had in this instance
been given many bills, and it. OF
course, deprives the President of the
opportunity to exercise his constl-
tutional right To take the last step
that carries a bill into the status
of a law.
Rules Are Responsible.
busters of the last few days Is in
escapabe. 1t is the Senate rules.
Both Republicans and Democrats
have used the privilege alternately.
Senator Reed of Pennsylvania. Re
publican, wanted 10 prevent the
Senate campaign fund investigating
committee from touring the country
after adjournment Of Congress. Sen
ator Reed of Missouri. leading
virtually all of the Democrats. felt
that excessive expenditure OF funds
as in Illinois and Pennsylvania
should be further investigated,
Mr.. Reed is looked upon by his
friends az a likely candidate for the
Democratic presidential nomination.
There are some Senators who feei
his committee still has authority TO
investigate and that the request for
the passage of the resolution while
seeking to make certain of that au-
thority is really not needed. The i'll
feeling stirred up among the spon-
sors of important legislati ton. the
power of an individual Senator TO ex-
press a single objection which can
block the whole action of the Senate,
in fact. the legislative machinery of
the whole Government, is nothing
really new. 1t has confronted previous
sessions of Congress. But the resent
ment is a bit more intense and the
agitation started by Vice President
Dawes may bear fruit at last.
Could Call Extra Session.
Naturally, the President can cure
the present situation by calling for
an extra session. Many Senator'S
would like to have that happen. Mr..
Coolidge has been urged to let Con-
gress go home. He has never called
an extra session since he took the
oath of office in August, 1923. He
might. of course, get Congress
started September /. especially since
tax revision is due to be taken up
next time.
On the whole, the situation that de-
veloped in the last few days was fore
seen from the start of the session
The opponents of a piece of legislation
knew that delay was an effective
weapon because a fnibuster in the last
few days of the session would be easy
to accomplish. A minority, therefore,
ruled this Senate. Sometimes it is
known that IL a measure came to a
vote it would pass. Thus with the
Reed resolution on campaigns and
elections. Few Senators would ven.
ture to be recorded as against inves- !
tigation for fear they might be under |
stood as having something to conceal
Or defend either in their own States
or in the States of their party col |
leagues.
SO the filibuster Is really an attempt
to prevent any vote being taken, most |
Of the filibusters being confident |
that parliamentary mix-ups and con- |
fusion will not permit the average |
citizen to locate the individual or in !
dividuals mostly responsible for the |
legislative jam. Mr. Dawes is due to |
tour the country again to ask the |
American people to bring pressure to |
bear to make the Senate function |
like the House of Repre-