Evening star., 1962-04-22
Senate FiIibuster Seen
On Literocy Test Curb

support the literacy bill are
asking Congress to prejudge
every case that might arise in
volving literacy tests without
regard to the individual facts"
Still in Committee
The literacy bill is still in the
Senate Constitutional Rights
Subcommittee. But Democratic
Leader Mansfield announced
early in the year he would bring
the issue to the floor in April
regardless of committee action.
1t will be offered as an amend
ment to some minor House bill.
A like maneuver was used
last month to get action on an
anti-poll tax amendment to the
Constitution, which was ap-
proved by the Senate by a 77-16
vote on March 81 after a scrap
that lasted almost two weeks.
Southern Senators were di-
vided on the poll tax issue and
didn't make an all-out fight.
/ Senator Douglas confirmed
the intention of the liberals to
offer a series Of amendments to
deal with all fields of discrimi-
nation.
Unless cloture can be in
voked, however, these amend
mentS will be stymied, alons
with the literacy bill, by pro,
tracted debate. The liberia
, amendments probably will dea
! with school deSegregation, fail
employment practice. housing
and the use of injunctionS tt
prevent discrimination gen.
orally.
Literacy Tests in II States
The Southerners are hoping
to get help frome some States
outside of the South that have
literacy tests for voters. There
are 81 such States of which
only are in the South.
The longest one-man filibus-
ter was made by Senator Thur
mond, Democrat of South Caro-
lima, in 1857 with a 24-hour,
l8-minute speech against final
passage of civil rights bill.
When he concluded, the Senate
sent the bill to the President.
Others with notable filibus-
ter achievements are Senator
Morse. Democrat of Oregon,
who held the record until
Senator Thurmond, with a o.
hour, 26-minute speech against
the 1858 "tidelandS'' offShore
oil bill (Which was passed., and
Ellender, Democrat of LouiSi-
ana, who in 1888 spoke for 25
hours intermittently over six
days during a filibuster against
an anti-lynching bill (Which
was defeated.
Senator Robert M. LaFollette,
ST., Republican of Wisconsin,
during a 1903 filibuster on a
currency bill, held the floor for
l8 hours and % minutes, but
he was interrupted by 90
quorum calls and three roll
calls on questions of order.
He maintained his strength
with eggnogs delivered from
the Senate restaurant. One
glass, which he rejected as
doped. repeatedly later was
found to contain a fatal dose
of poison, Congressional Quar-
terly reported.
Filibuster Broken
Despite Senator LoFollette's
efforts, the bill was finally ap-
proved after a fellow filibus-
terer, totally blind Senator
Thomas P. Gore, Democrat of
Oklahoma, yielded the floor in
the mistaken belief that Mis-
Souri's "GumShoe Bill" Stone |
was on hand to claim it. But |
Senator Stone had been called
to the cloakroom, and the bills
supporters seized the opportu-
nifty to bring the bill to a vote.
In the 1860 civil rights fill
buster, the Senate was kept
in continuous session for nine
days and nights in an effort
to exhaust the takers. South
erners countered with quorum
calls at all hours of the night.
Northerners slept on cots in
their offices and committee
rooms lest the Senate be found