Evening star., 1937-08-12
Legislative Confusion.

With somewhat startling swiftness
after the harmony dinner of Tuesday
night IN this city at which Senate Leader
Barkley was lauded by his party COL
teagues-with the President contributing
letter of pralse-came yesterday an
episode in the Senate which left the
Kentucky statesman in a position far
removed for the time being from that of
effective leadership. The general plan
of the administration forces in the Senate
was to secure final floor action on the
Uages-hours bill, sugar quotas measure,
housing legislation and the correction of
income tax evasions, these being the
Items which constitute the remaining un-
finished business which must be dis
posed of before adjournment.
With the knowledge that Senator
Wagner of New York was intent upon
getting the Senate to take up and pass
the anti-Iynching bill, which is so con-
troversial that the bare mention of it
gives the filters to those who are work
ing to get the administration program
enacted and the session ended quickly,
the leader had arranged with the Vice
President, presiding officer Of the Senate,
to recognize any one of three Senators
who had bills to present for considera-
ton, giving him a list of the names.
But there the plan went aWry For
the leaders heutenants somehow failed
TO get any of these three Senators on
the floor at the psychological moment
and when the Vice President looked
around for one of them to recognize there
was nobody home"
But Senator Wagner was on the Job
with his motion to take up the anti
lynching bill. Much disputation followed
The leader chided the presiding officer
for his failure to follow program. The
presiding officer rejoined that he could
not give the floor to one who was not
present Finally as means to end the
awkward situation motion to adjourn
was made. The friends of anti-lynching
legislation mustered majority to effect
its defeat on roll call. A cry
of question" was Immediately raised
and the presiding officer was about
to put the motion to take up the
enti-lynching bill, which would have
made it the unfinished business of the
Senate, when motion to adjourn, which
Is always in order was made and on
q roll call it was defeated, IS to q. That
was a facer for the leader. Senator
Borah demanded recognition for the con-
tinuance of an interrupted speech. The
case was quite complex indeed. Then
a motion for a recess was made and
carried, 36 to %, leaving the motion to
take up the anti-lynching bill still
pending.
There was nothing particularly novel
In this complex. The Senate has tangled
itself up pretty badly with its parlia-
mentary rules on numerous occasions in
the past. But as far as recollection goes
there has not in recent times been
quite such tangle of forces, quite such
a head-on collision of legislative trains,
to employ a change of figure, as this.
The real import Of the matter appar-
entity is that harmony is not, after all,
restored to the Democratic ranks in the
Senate, that there are potent forces for
the prolongation of the session if
change of legislative program is not
made, and that the new leadership of
the Senate must restore order to the
ranks if the administration will is to be
carried into effect.