Sen Paul Douglas: "Everyone in his heart knows that it is a disgrace"
A quote from Sen Paul Douglas's maiden speech as a US Senator speaking against the Wherry resolution. Found on page 57 of Roger Biles Crusading Liberal.
The Wherry Resolution gives to 33 Senators, now and almost forever more, the power to kill any measure. This means that 17 states can act to preserve a filibuster. This means that a combination of the 17 smallest states, with less than 8 per cent or 1/13 of the population and less than 7 per cent or 1/15 of the income can tie up the Senate and the country and defeat the will of over 90 percent of the people. If we continue along this line, the great qualification of a Senator will be his ability to speak for 24 hours without stopping....Everyone in his heart knows that it is a disgrace.Not hard to tell he was a U of Chicago Economist with the ratios. He was one of my Dad's favorite politicans.
Cross posted on Bill Baar's West Side.
2 comments:
Glad to see you have strong views on the subject. I expect to see your next article attacking those Republicans for refusing an up or down vote on Harriet Miers.
Good point... but once you get out of committee and to the full Senate, a person deserves a vote.
Paul Douglas just a great part of Illinois's history and I was looking for a spot to talk about him.
Biles has a great picture of JFK talking in front of the Kane County court house in Geneva Illinois with Douglas sitting besides him. A great photo.
I think the last public hanging in Kane County was just about at this spot too in 1909. Don't know where I read that factoid though.
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