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Show LAST LEGISLATIVE FIGHT 257 possible by the Senate, and then induce the House committee to pass out the Senate bill. As majority leader, McFarland had no difficulty getting S. 75 called up. He made the move on May 28, the first available date, and there was no objection.364 With the bill now the business of the Senate, McFar- land next proposed that a final vote be taken on June 5, that debate on any amendment be limited to thirty minutes, and that debate on the final passage be limited to one hour, equally divided between proponents and opponents. For this program he asked unanimous con- sent, and got it. Thereupon, McFarland promptly began his speech in favor of his own bill. California Senators Knowland and Nixon would have been justified in agreeing to let the bill come to a vote immediately, but, as if they had a chance of defeating it, they launched their opposition. During the discussion of the bill, few senators were on the floor. The Congressional Record duly recorded every word spoken on the issue, but most of the time only the speakers themselves heard themselves speak. Occasionally, a dozen senators might happen to be present, and then a lively debate would take place - to no avail. The fate of S. 75 had been settled long before in the cloakroom by Senator Hayden. D-Day, June 5th, arrived, but before amendments could be offered and considered, or the last hour of summing up could be completed, there were cries of "Vote!" from the floor. McFarland agreeably announced that he was willing to forego the half hour allotted to the proponents for final argument, but Knowland re- fused to surrender a moment of the opponents' time. In the face of the overwhelming odds, Knowland |