Evening star., 1949-01-28
Republicans in Senate
Seen Making Mistake
In Favoring C|oture
Action to Limit Debute
Would Deprive Minority
Of Right to Be Heard
By David Laurence

Of Right to Be Heard
By David Laurence
The Republicans in the Senate
are about to make a mistake which
will rise TO plague them for years
to come and may make such a
fundamental change in congression-
al government as to bring forth a
demand for a single instead of a
two-house system.
The Republicans have lined up
behind q move which will permit
. majority to shut OF debate. Some
Republicans favor a simple majority
and others favor two-thirds to apply
cloture on those procedural points
not covered by the present rule
whereby debate is limited in part.
But in either event, it would be pos
sible for the minority to be deprived
Of its right to be heard.
For decades the United States
: Senate has been the one place in
the world of free governments where
the minority could not be shouted
down and its chance taken away to
be heard fully and comprehensively.
Now it Is asserted that even the
present rule which applies cloture
In certain instances but does not
really prevent extended debate If
members choose to make use Of the
procedures available to them has
been rarely invoked. But If all
motions and procedures are to be
covered by a two-tAirds cloture,
1t would be simple matter later
on to change 1t to a majority of
those present. The Senate then
would become almost identical In
its procedure with the House Of
Representatives, thus making 1t logi-
cal to call for a unicameral or
single-house system. Such a plan
would place the Western States and
others with a small population at
a serious disadvantage and would
abolish the sovereignty Of the States
for all practical purposes.
Encourages Tyranny.
The real objection to the adop-
ton Of any absolute rule to cut of
debate Is that it encourages the
formation Of arbitrary and intoler-
ant majorities which can become
tyrannical
The argument that recourse can
be had at the polls against such
a majority falls to the ground, be-
cause two-thirds of the Senate
members do not come up for elec-
ton each congressional year and it
Is possible for a majority of two
thirds to invoke cloture and not
be held accountable for as many as
four years.
II cloture is adopted, then logical
ly the people must have some quick
er means Of redress than they have
today. In the democracy Of Can
ada and other English-speaking
governments, the people can over
rule their national legislative body
at any time. An election can be held
to determine whether q majority
misinterpreted or correctly inter-
preted the will of the people.
In the sense that the adoption Of
eioture may hasten the day when
O constitutional amendment is
adopted calling for the removal of
a President when he fails by a two
thirds vote to retain the confidence
Of both houses of Congress and
calling for replacement of members
when they have lost the confidence
Of the people, the step can be well
coined. But to adopt cloture with
out at the same time giving the peo-
pie an instantaneous check on an
arbitrary majority is illogical and
inconsistent.
The Republicans are playing bad
politics when they join with the
Northern Democrats to change the
rules governing debate. Already
this week they have an example of
how an intolerant majority func-
tions when 1t wishes to cut off hear
ings in an important committee
considering labor management leg
islatlon Of far-reaching Importance
to the people.
HypOcritical Maneuver.
To find the Republicans anxious
TO make political capital out of the
discontinue of the Democrats who
are divided on the civil-rights issue
Is regrettable, because on it's face
the maneuver is hypocritical. The
sponsors of civil rights for Negroes
presumably are not yet ready to
support a measure to protect the
civil rights of the white man.
There are more instances each
year Of violence on the picket line
In labor disputes, more instances of
cars overturned as workers seek to
get into factory parking lots and
more instances of intimidation in
the homes of workers by strong
arm men than there have been
Bnchings in the last 10 years. The
proposal to put the police power
Of the Federal Government behind
the civil rights of Negroes would
be widely acclaimed If it were broad
ened to include all manner of vio-
1ence in which citizens have not
been given protection by the local
authorities. If any Republican or
any Southern Democrat sought the
passage of any such all-inclusive
law, the Northern Democrats would
never support 1t and would back
away from the issue.
The antifilibuster movement is
really tied up with a movement by
the Republicans to win the Negro
vote in the North, though, to be
sure, large part of it has gone
Democratic for several years not
withstanding the fact that the late
President Roosevelt never attempted
to force the members of his own
party from the South to give up
their right to unlimited debate and
to jam through Congress any civil
rights legislation.
The Republicans are the minority
party in Congress and filibustering
isa weapon of the minority. That's
why 1t seems strange that the Re-
publican leaders are willing to give