National Affairs: Pitiable and Contemptible!

And on the ninth day Huey Pierce (“Kingfish”) Long, political god to the electorate of Louisiana, rested. His filibuster against the Glass banking bill was over.

The spectacle Senator Long had made of himself and the Senate stirred revulsion in and out of the Capitol. Many were the Democratic oaths sworn over the cloakroom cuspidors. Senator Tydings threatened to resign from the Senate and “let some one else from Maryland come here and look on if he wants to.” Arkansas’ Senator Robinson. Democratic Floor Leader, fairly boiled with indignation and disgust. Already the wily “Kingfish” had captured the allegiance of his junior colleague, Mrs. Hattie Caraway. Desperate, Senator Robinson moved for cloture. a rare parliamentary proceeding limiting debate to one hour per Senator.

While a noisy crowd packed the galleries the cloture motion missed by one ballot (58-to-30) the necessary two-thirds majority. The vote did not mean that Huey Long had 30 die-hard supporters on the floor but only that many a Senator is opposed in principle to any form of gag.

“The leadership on the other side of the chamber,” bitterly cried Leader Robinson, “has contributed to this effort to make the Senate ridiculous in order to embarrass the incoming administration.”

Senator Long—I cannot let the statement of the Senator from Arkansas gounchallenged. He is not speaking the sentiments of the Democrats of the U. S. . . .

Senator Robinson—By what authority does the Senator from Louisiana assume that he is spokesman for the Democrats of the nation?

Senator Long (wildly)—By the election returns!

Senator Robinson (angrily)— … I still assert with all the power and emphasis at my command that it is the duty of the Senate of the U. S. to go forward and do business and not make a pitiable and contemptible aspect of itself.

Calm as a badger, up rose Idaho’s wrinkled Borah, seldom the man to stop a good fight. He wanted to make way for an amendment to the Glass bill which would make it less obnoxious to the Long faction. He asked for unanimous consent to limit further debate on the bill in a proposal tantamount to cloture. “If we cannot secure agreement,” he added grimly, “I myself am going to make a speech.” He secured agreement.

Out of the confusion, not quite sure whether he had won or lost, but pleasurably certain that he had been in the nation’s eye almost a solid fortnight, “Kingfish” Long strutted over to the Mayflower Hotel to pound on Franklin Roosevelt’s door (see p. 11).