Show filibuster wholly aside from its subject and its merits the ship subsidy bill is serving one good purpose it is arousing tho the public to tue the menace of t the a filibuster if the consideration of the ship subsidy measure should result in a change in the rules or the united states senate so that a filibuster would no longer be possible that in itself would be a tremendous gain tor for popular government representative government is based upon the theory that the majority rules it is based upon the theory that when a party is given control of the legislative branch of the government it assumes responsibility tor for the carrying out of its platform and campaign pledges and the responsibility for the passage or the defeat of all measures unless representative government means this it t means nothing it if a clear majority elected by the people is denied the right to rule through obstructive processes then we have a denial of the very things upon which this government rests the filibuster is a denial of representative senta tive government it is a denial of the right of the majority to rule it is the very essence of the rule not even of a minority but the rule of a handful a mere half dozen of malcontents who take advantage of a quirk in our senates legislative machinery to block all legislative procedure to paralyze the legislative branch of the government such a filibuster is being conducted against the ship subsidy measure unless tho the senate can and does revise revisa its ita rules so as to prevent the ue of the filibuster the future holds no hopes of any bartys proposed program becoming an actuality no prospect of any constructive legislation of my any kin kina it a handful of amen in tho senate bee fit to block all progress by the use of the filibuster irr of whether one Is in favor of the ship subsidy or against it all those who believe in the majority ruling must condemn the methods being invoked to prevent tho the measure from coming to a vote if the measure is as bad and as unpopular as its opponents claim it will in all probability be voted down if a vote Is taken it if it is bad and unpopular and 1 a I republican majority insists upon passing it then it is clear that nothing should be more desirable from a democratic standpoint than to hasten the day when the vote may be taken in order that the defeat of the republican party may be more certain so that from the standpoint of the sincere enemies of the hill bill the filibuster Is hypocritical and indefensible if by the use of the filibuster a half dozen men can prevent the united states from reaching a vote upon 01 the ship subsidy another halt half dozen men can prevent the senate from reaching a vote upon any other subject at any future time the house of representatives has reformed its legislative procedure so as to make a filibuster there impossible this accounts in a la large measure for tho the dispatch with which the house proceeds tho the senate has not amended its legislative procedure public opinion condemns the dilatory methods of the senate irrespective of which party is in power public opinion is going to grow more critical of these methods until the senate reforms them public opinion does not stand back of the filibuster public opinion does not approve of stretching senatorial courtesy to the point where two or three obstreperous individuals for spite work or other reasons cau can hold up the entire legislative branch of the government and leave the country in 1 I uncertainty as to what policies are going to be enacted into law or what measures are going to be defeated such procedure is a denial of the very fundamentals of our government and they will not be tolerated much longer the consideration of the ship subsidy bill and the filibuster which is being carried on by a few men for the purpose of preventing the senate voting upon the ship subsidy bill has served to accentuate the menace of the filibuster and to hasten the day when the senate will reform its legislative methods |