Evening star., 1949-02-08
A-6 THE EVENING STAR, Washington, D. c.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9.
Rules Move May Bring
Civil Rights Fi|ibuster
In Senate Next Week
BY the Asseeioted Press

BY the Asseeioted Press
The Senate may be plunged next
week into a time-killing f1libuster
against President Truman's civil
rights proposals.
If it comes, the talkfest will be
put on by Southern Democrats
opposing a bipartisan move to
change the Senate rules so two
thirds of those voting can shut
OF debate at any time.
The Senate knocked down on a
56-to-31 vote yesterday a Repub-
hcan move to quicken action on
, this proposal.
Some of the seven Republicans
who voted with 40 Democrats to
/, kill the speedup move made it
-. known they did so because they
. feel confident the Senate Rules
Committee will act favorably on
! the matter tomorrow.
If the committee reports out
! the resolution Chairman Hayden
. said he will want "a few days" to
, write a report on the measure.
. May Come to Senate Monday.
I, Senator Hayden wouldn't say
80. but this report and the rules
change resolution may come Off
cially to the Senate next Monday.
t. The resolution will be on the cal
a endar and can be called up by a
motion.
Therein lies an administration
dilemma.
Democratic leaders-who OBJ
(. viously want to delay a party
splitting fllibuster-may not be
.able to produce Immediately any
other important portion of Presi-
dent Truman's program for Sen
ate action.
; Senator Lucas of Illinois, the
! Democratic chieftain, called for
action today on a bill to continue
export controls. But beyond that
leaders were empty-handed of
measures ready for Senate action.
: Southern lawmakers already
have made it clear they will fill
buster the change in the present
Senate rules, which permit them
70 talk without limit on any mo-
tion to bring up a measure.
! Rules Change i'm Order.
: With Republicans pressing the
issue, the motion to take up the
rules change would be in order,
in the absence of other measures.
Then the f1libuster would be on.
Placed in this squeeze, admins
tration lieutenants said privately
that after worrying along with the
f1libuster few days, they may
move to take up their substitute
for the Taft Hartley labor law.
Rupblicans could be expected to
oppose such a move.
Administration strategists had
been hoping to get the highly con-
troversial labor bill up before the
southerners really get angry again
about Mr.. Truman's proposals to
enact the anti-lynchir1g. anti
poll tax and anti-job diScrimi-
nation bills a majority of the
Senate is supposed to favor.
South Has Balance of Power.
The reason is simple: Southern
Democrats apparently hold the
balance Of power on the labor
measure.
With Republicans defending the
Taft-Hartley Act at every step.
| the administrations Will have TO
have a segment of Southern votes
to make any substantial changes.
The Republicans think they have
those votes in their corner now.
The Senate's action on the
speedup rules change motion came
after about three hours of debate.
Senator Knowland. Republican,
of California made the motion to
take the rules change matter away
from the Rules Committee and put
1t on the Senate calendar imme-
diately.
Senator Ives. Republican, OF |
New York said there had been Gin
excusable delay" by the Democrats
In dealing with a vital matter.
Senator Hayden retorted that
the Republicans had reported a
similar resolution out of the Rules
Committee in April, 1947, and
hadn't done anything about 1t
since.
Majority Leader Lucas called
the Knowland motion political
poppycock."
The first weight driven clock
was invented during the Middle
Ages. |