Evening star., 1941-03-25
Counter.Fi|ibuster
Keeps Mary|and's
Senate Up All Night
Four Bottle Az Hours
To End Delaying Moves
Against Oyster Bill
b. the Associated Press.

ANNAPOLIS, March 25.-An un-
precedented counter f1libuster"
against an oyster filibuster COL
lapsed at dawn today in Marylands
Senate.
-Four Senators battled four and
half hours to end an old filibuster
by Senator Philip H. Dorsey. Demo-
crat, of st. Marys. and his renewed
struggle to postpone a measure to
open the Potomac River to oyster
hand scrapers.
But as dawn lighted the State
Capitol the deadlock was broken,
with the counter -hlibuster" Sena-
tors losing one vote to Mr.. Dorsey
and his 13 supporters.
Mr.. Dorsey, in his third delay"
move of the eight-hour session,
moved to make the bill a special
order of business for pm. We'd
nesday.
COunterFilibuster.
The counter -filibuster came during
the roll call vote on that motion.
After approving Mr.. Dorsey's mo-
ton by 1911 vote, the Senate ad-
tourned at 5:57 am. until this aft
ernoon.
The counter-flibuster unheard of
by legislative authorities, started at
1.30 am
Mr.. Dorsey, who had delayed Sem
ate business with an hour long fill
buster lasting until 11:30 last night,
had no sooner made his motion than
Senator George Della Democrat, of
Baltimore rose to explain" his vote
against the move. BY reading from
conservation reports. he made his
'eXplanation" last two hours.
Mr.. Della lost the floor on a mo-
ton that he was out of order through
reading the same page for the last
hour" but Senator ElWood Die. Re-
publican, of Somerset, sponsor of the
oyster bill, took his place He was
caught repeating himself after only
half an hour.
Lindsay Raps Assembly.
Then Senator James Lindsay,
Democrat, of Baltimore County took
over, threatening to Jam this Legis-
lature in way that has never been
experienced in Maryland" and hit
ting at the Senate in an excoriating
attack on politics in the General
Assembly"
Mr.. Lindsay asserted he was "serv-
ing notice will flibuster against the
Court of Appeals reorganization bill,
II necessary, into April
Mr.. Lindsay said Mr.. Die had
had majority for months.
when the Senator from Somer-
set loses his oyster fight, it will be a
monument to the everlasting defeat
of the 1941 Senate of Maryland"
Mr.. Lindsay asserted "I am going
to 60 down with him, Republican
though he is"
Mr.. Lindsay surrendered volun-
tarily after an hour, and Senator
Cecil c. Squier, Democrat. of Cecil,
took over for nearly another hour
The vote was completed afterWard
Senate Faces 6 Special Orders.
The filibusters dragged into a day
when the Senate faced no less than
six special orders, as well as other
important bills laid over.
The special orders include bills
to reduce the length of service max
ing judges eligible for pensions;
to permit horse racing at county
fairs. and to permit night clubs in
Baltimore to remain open until
3 am.
IN hectic session often inter-
rupted by debate, the Senate killed
q bill to make Monday holidays"
out of Decoration Day in May, and
combined Lincoln
day ir February, and first voted
down, reconsidered, and then passed
a measure permitting divorce on
grounds of incurable insanity.
Among the otner major bills of
48 passed by the upper chamber was
one creating a Law Revision Com
mittee to recommend procedure for
the Court of Appeals. 1t takes away
power previously granted to the
court itself
Those That Died.
Into the dead file" by adoption
of unfavorable committee reports
went bills that would have created
liquor appeals board, repealed the
declarations of intentions" law re-
quiring newcomers to Maryland to
declare intention of becoming citi-
zens year before becoming eligible
TO vote. and a third that would have
set stiff fines and Jail terms for
drunken driving.
Advanced to third reading were
the administration bills lowering the
State real estate tax, calling for
s2,000000 bond issue and providing
for purchase of the Claiborne-An-
napolis Ferry by the State Roads
Commission.
The real estate tax-noW 1885
cents per S100-Would become %
cents in 1912 and 2075 cents in
i943. This reduction was recon-
mended by Gov. O'Conor.
Prison Labor Bill.
Also advanced to third reading
was a bill amended to eliminate a
provision that would have permitted
private contractors to employ prison
labor on State roads AS amended,
the bill would simply continue the
$1,000 600 annual grant to the State
Roads Commission to employ penal
labor Passed last week, the bill
was recalled from the House and
the amendment striking out the
private contractors clause was
made.
The House also became involved
IN several controversies-the chief
one being over a measure to pro-
mote and protect rural electric CO.
operative associations-whi kept
1t in session until 11:50 pm.
The electric cooperative bill ap-
peared to be moving along with
clear sailing when it came out of
the Corporations Committee with a
favorable report, which was adopted
without argument.
But a heated argument was set
of some time later when Demo-
cratic Floor Leader John S. White
moved that the vote on the favor
able report be reconsidered.
County Delegates objected strenu-
ously, asserting there was move