Munsey's Magazine, September 1915

This September 1913 issue of Munsey's Magazine features a substantial nonfiction article by Judson C. Welliver titled "Our Unbusinesslike Senate," examining Senate procedures and the filibuster rule. The piece uses anecdotal reporting from the Senate floor to illustrate how unlimited debate functions, including a detailed account of a proposed Blank Street streetcar franchise bill killed through filibuster threats. Welliver examines historical examples: Senator La Follette's nearly twenty-hour speech against the 1908 Vreeland-Aldrich currency measure; Senator Carmack's ship-subsidy filibuster; and Senator Carter's river and harbor appropriation bill defeat during McKinley's presidency. The article debates whether unlimited debate protects deliberation or obstructs majority rule, featuring Senator Owen's closure resolution as potential reform. Portraits of key Senate figures accompany the text.