The Minneapolis journal., 1904-12-24
HOUSE IN. POWER
OF FOUR DESPOTS
Machine Which Controls Legislar
tion Once Beaten, However,
by Tawney.
snecial to The Journal,

Special to The Journal.
New York, Dec. 24.-After declar-
ing that the national house of repre-
deso despotism, who hold in their hands
the fate, not alone Of bills, but Of mem
bers as well, the New York Times
Washington correspondent pays high |
compliment to Representative Tawney |
of Minnesota and tells how he once de-
feated even these adespots. The corre-
Sp'@51e' "one Of Sa{i; the notable figures of this
James J9nssss 4. E Tawney @ Of Minnesota, man
of power and force. When the house
machine brought all its power to bear
for the passage Of the Cuban reciprocity
bill in 1902, this man was the leader
of the beet sugar insurgents. He was
supposed to be too big man to come
under the ban Of the house machine.
One day, after the fight had been going
on for some time, Tawney went to the
speakers desk and asked what had be-
come of a bill in which he was inter-
ested. Mr.. Henderson g jaws came to
with a snap; he looked straight at
Tawney from under his heavy brows
and lVs gEow}ed; l1S - - soo +,o witt 90
on rules about that.
"When the news of this was spread
among Tawney's supporters it carried
panic; it did more to take the heart
out of the insurgents than anything
else. If the mighty Tawney, the repub
lican whip of the house and the friend
Of the leaders, could be thus treated,
what hope was there for the rank and
files
Victory for Tawney.
"In that fight Tawney snatched vic
| tory out Of the jaws of defeat and
routed the house machine at the last
domitable personality and splendid
fighting powers. But the exception
proves the rule. For once that the
house machine has been beaten it has
| been successful thousand times.
"Yet Tawney's victory weakened
the control of the machine, for, in ad-
dition to it's real and tremendous pow
fear, coupled with superstitious be-
lief in the hopelessness of the opposi.-
tion. When the house machine had
been beaten once, this asset was de-
preciated. 1t was based mainly on the
actual fact that resistance was hope
less in Reeds day. But Henderson
was a different man from Reed, moth
tige was damaged by defeat his power
waned.
"Thruout the last session Of the fifty
seventh congress signs of revolt multi
piled. What might have happened had
Henderson remained speaker can only
be surmised, but the advent Of Can
non settled all that, and today the
strongly intrenched than ever to all
appearances. ~...
The House Machine.
"Not Tammany Hall itself is such
a close corporation as the house ma
chine at Washington. Nowhere in the
land is any body of men ruled with
erning body. In Tammany Hall the
boss has a cabinet and the district
leaders have voice, but the rulers
of the house of representatives are a
law unto; themselves.
"There aresjust,p four Of them, an6
they. hold their: sway not by any, Of
the forces that lift men to the control
by force Of character, not by patron
age. They hold it by virtue Of the off
: cial positions they occupy in the house
. They are the speaker, the two majority
members of the committee on rules ant
the chairman of the ways and mean
office, the floor leader of the majority
: In this congress they are Joseph g
5 Cannon of illinois, Charles II. Grot
. venor of Ohio, John sDalZell Of Pennsy
= |. vania and Serene E. Payne Of Ne7
J. York.
d "The house machine can be whit
= = tied down still finer. It really resolve
a itself into the speaker and the tw
!. majority members of the committee o
rules. For if the chairman Of the way
- and means committee should fall OF
e with his colleagues they would run owe
h him like steam roller. The san
- power by which they reduce other col
y Efficient with him. The only real powt
- he has is by their consent.
er Committee on Rules.
B; "The average newspaper reader
8: likely to attach little significance to II
N name committee on rules.
IS. probably thinks it is a committee
= establish or revise rules Of procedure
a sort Of parliamentary committee.
"When bill is reported in {
- house 'rule' is reported, too. T.
discussion but if necessary Of the conc
=. tions under which the bill can be passe
= For example, if the committee on ru]
- chooses. it can prohibit amendments.
= can have the bill made to suit it's pr
erences, and then prevent the hot
J. from changing it. It other words,
on can absolutely prescribe the form Of
3Is legislation to be enacted: The power
N amend is as much part Of the legis
m tive power as anything else, but
I'm I'm committee on rules can shear the no,
,m of that power.
'm 'm Theoretically, Of course, the r
.ma can be beaten, but in practice it is
difficult as to be virtually impossible
oI Minority Is Helpless.
"The two democratic members Of
committee naturally count for moth
Fl in the machine. They are merely
FL formad of what is to- be- dOna after