Evening star., 1939-09-12
The Political Mill
Defect Predicted for CIoture Rule if Move
Is Made to Limit Neutrality Debote

OF the torpedoing of American mer-
chant vessels by German U-boats
IN 1917, the Senators would only
provide for very limited cloture
rule.
Failure Of Cloture Forecast.
1t is likely that if the admins
tration undertook to invoke cloture
In the Senate in the expected spe-
cial session to end debate on the
neutrality bill, it would be difficult
to obtain the necessary two-thirds
vote. Many Senators who favor re-
peal OF the arms embargo would be
unwilling, 1t Is predicted, to go so
lar as cloture. Certainly they would
not be willing to vote cloture until
the Senate had had full and free
debate on the measure. It is just
such a debate which the adminis-
tration Is said to be desirous of
avoiding because of the impression
1t may give abroad that the coun-
try is not united, and because of
the sentiment which the debate
may arouse in this country itself.
Sooner or later President Roose-
welt will have to decide whether he
prefers to have Congress here, with
Senate debate on the repeal of the
arms embargo, or to have the arms
embargo continue perhaps until
Congress meets next January and
even later. He has already said a
special session of Congress would
be called at some future date. But
he has not yet appointed the date,
which might be soon or weeks away.
The Senate has been exceedingly
chary about the use of the cloture
rule. The first time it was in
voked was November Is, 1919 year
after the close of World War. The
Versailles treaty, with the accom-
panying Covenant of the League of
Nations, was the pending business
before the Senate-and had been for
weeks and months before cloture was
sought. A petition signed by %
Senators asked cloture. The vote
was 78 to 16 for cloture. And so
vote on the treaty was forced, but
the treaty failed of ratification even
then, since it was not supported by
the necessary two-thirds vote. In
February, 1888, an attempt was
made to break filibuster in the
Senate against the ant-lynching
bill by invoking cloture. The Senate
turned the motion down. however,
46 to AZ, with eight Senators not
voting.
Move Possible.
1t would be possible for 16 Sena-
tors favoring repeal of the arms en-
barge to sign and present a cloture
petition to the Vice President-the
presiding officer of the Senate
simultaneously with report of re-
peal bill from the Senate Foreign
Relations to the Senate-or shortly
after the bill had been laid before
the Senate. The feeling in WASH
ington, however, is that if such
move were made, it would be de-
feated, even though large majority
of the Senate may favor the en-
barge repeal.
The appeal made by the President
and others in the administration for
an adjournment of partisan and
personal politics during the present
emergency growing out of the Eu-
ropean war is generally approved.
However, Senators who are opposed
to repeal of the arms embargo in
sist that there is nothing personal
or partisan in their opposition: that
they are opposed conscientiously and
fundamentally to the repeal and be-
lieve that it would not be in the best
interests of the country. They want
to know if they are to be charged
with playing partisan politics if they
do not follow the administration in
this matter They want to know,
also, whether by an adjournment of
partisan politics it is meant that
Congress should take as best for the
country everything that is now ad-
vocated by the White House and
there should be no opposition.