Editorial May 19, 1917 Issue

Filibustering

William D. McCrackan

Out of that strange masterful time when the Dutch, the Spanish, and the English were contending for the riches of the newly discovered Western Hemisphere, there arose the word filibuster. It bears the marks of all three languages. Starting as a Dutch word compounded of vrij, meaning free, and buit, meaning booty (thus akin to our freebooter), it was changed by the Spanish into flibustero to suit their tongues, and then passed into the English language as filibuster. The word was used to describe the particular type of pirate who on plunder bent infested the Spanish American coasts and knew no law.

The time came when the word filibuster went into politics, and slightly changed its methods though not its nature. It remained a freebooter but became more subtle in its workmanship. Instead of antagonizing the law it learned to operate under the protection of the law. Webster has defined the political filibuster as "a member of a legislative or deliberative body who obstructs or prevents action by the extreme use of dilatory tactics, such as speaking merely to consume time." To delay the advance of men and nations by breaking the spirit of the law and destroying its life while claiming its protection, this is to be a master filibuster.

Christian Science offers mankind metaphysical answers to all its questions. Mrs. Eddy writes on page 19 of "Christian Healing," "Tireless Being, patient of man's procrastination, affords him fresh opportunities every hour; but if Science makes a more spiritual demand, bidding man go up higher, he is impatient perhaps, or doubts the feasibility of the demand." When hard pressed by God, urging an advance Spiritward, mortals are tempted to resort to filibustering. Then their dilatory tactics are truly wonderful, as often taking the form of obstinate silence as of talking against time. When a certain man in the parable bade his guests to the spiritual supper he had prepared, "all with one consent began to make excuse." While the unready hung back, the master of the house gathered in the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind, and even searched the highways and hedges for those ready to partake of the feast.

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