Evening star., 1938-01-26
VOTE ON CL0TURE
|SSET TOMORROW
Southern Senators Forecast
Defeat of Proposal to
End Fi|ibuster.
BACKGROUND-

BACKGROUND
Faibuster of Southern Senators
against anti-lynching bill has been
IN progress since conpening OF pres
snt session and has blocked con-
stderntton OF other business. Sen
ate rules dlloU freedom, of debate
NTH propision that limitation may
be imposed only on consent of t,oo-
thirds OF membership, a practice
rarely invoked.
By the Associated Press.
Southern Senators today predicted
overwhelming defeat for a proposal to
force quick vote on the anti-lynching
bill by drastic limitation of debate.
Under a petition signed by II men,
bers. the Senate will ballot at pm.
tomorrow on imposing the seldom
used cloture rule, which permits each
Senator to make only one speech-of
an hours duration-on a bill and all
its amendments.
A two-thirds vote is required to in
woke the rule. There we're indications
Republicans would Join with South
erners to prevent its application.
"Cloture won't get 80 votes" pre-
dicted Senator Connally, Democrat,
OF Texas, chief strategist in the filibus-
ter. If the rule fails, then the time
will have arrived to lay this bill aside
and go on to other more pressing
matters"
Harrison Assails Proposal.
Senator Harrison, Democrat, OF
Mississippi called the cloture proposal
an effort to lynch" Southern opposi-
ton.
Cha man Nicely of the Senate Rules
Committee, signer Of the cloture
petition, asserted:
If the Senate cannot adopt this
cloture rule now, it can never hope
to end this f1libuster If the f1libuster
Is not ended. no legislation, no matter
how badly it is needed, can be passed
at this session.
I'VE should determine at once
whether We can pass the anti-lynching
bill-which is one of the most i'm
portant measures before the country
or permit minority to defeat it."
Comment on Plan.
Several Senators said that if cloture
failed it would be useless to continue
efforts to pass the bill. Three sup
porters OF the measure-Senators
Wheeler, Democrat. of Montana;
Burke, Democrat, of Nebraska, and
Herring, Democrat, of Iowa-said they
were willing to put it aside in order
to consider other pending legislation.
The II signers Of the cloture petition
--one more than is necessary under
Senate rules-circulated the docu-
ment during last nights session after
Senator Harrison and other Southern
ers had protested against too-stringent
enforcement of ordinary debate rules.
Besides Senator Nicely, the signers
were Senators Wagner, Democrat, of
New York; Van Nuys, Democrat, Of
Indiana; La Toilette, Progressive, Of
Wisconsin: Minton, Democrat, OF
Indiana; Brown. Democrat. of New
Hampshire; Clark, Democrat, of Mis-
souri; McGill. Democrat, of Kansan;
Schwellenbach, Democrat, of Wash
ington; Truman, Democrat, of Mis-
souri,; Bone Democrat, of Washington;
Bulkley, Democrat, of Ohio; Hitchcock,
Democrat, Of South Dakota; Copeland,
Democrat, of New York; Thomas,
Democrat, Of Utah; Guffey. Democrat,
OF Pennsylvania, and McAdoo, Demo-
crat, of California.
Senator Connally expressed the view
that the forthcoming vote on cloture
would make a session tonight un-
necessary. Such sessions were held
Monday and yesterday in an effort by
the Democratic leadership to break
the filibuster.