The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26

ciously vicious bills which had Doodle"
written all over them simply because
earlier in the session the clique had
helped them pass their little innocent
home bills.
l have served In many sessions CT our
leeislature-have seen honest men yield
to temptation and have seen dishonest
men change and become aggressive re-
formers, and can state it as a fact
that the majority of the members Of our
legislature always has been composed
OF honest, unpurchasable men. One gen
eral assembly in particular had an ever
whelming majority of decent, homes,
members, and this particular assembly
has gone down In history as the worst
legislature ever seen in our state. And
WHY Because the honest majority was
split up between the two great political
parties and those on the minority side
voted for vicious Doodle bills so as to
cast the odium of enacting bad legisla-
ton upon the party in power, They
placed allegiance to party above their
simple duty.
The clique plays politics. self-interest,
ambition, Doodle and reciprocity to win,
And as the average legislator after all
is but the average man and is suscepti-
bic to all the influences which affect the
average American, the clique generally
wins out. Particularly If the speaker
is a member of the clique, There have
been legislatures where one mar held
the balance of power, made himself
speaker and then and there formed a
one-man clique. But even in such cases
the speaker had to recognize the es-
sentials of reciprocity and compromise,
so the rule held good.
When | fatty refused to bow to the
dictation of the state leaders of my
party and blindly accept the list of house
committees they had made for me | was
forced to organize a clique, My refusal
meant a fight and to successfully fight
back | had to control legislation. | was
determined that, if possible, no scandal
should attach itself to my administra-
ton of house affairs. At the same time
| recognized my inability to prevent
grating and %boodling, because | knew
there We're not enough hours in a day
or enough days in a session to allow a
speaker to properly study and watch
every bill, resolution or other measure
introduced and at the same time perform
the routine of his office. There Is such
a thing as physical imposslbility. 4
Then, too, there are a thousand and
one ways by which the payer can slip
money unobserved and unheeded 10 the
paid, and always there are some who
seem to think it necessary TO do what
often is unnecessary-pay for votes.
But felt able to keep down what is
commonly called vicious, legislation
aver though ! might put on as chair
men of important committees members
whose records indicated they were will
ing to aid in the passage of Doodle
bills. l was not so sanguine as to the
pot boilers"
= .
Within a week after breaking with
The heds STATE n6 , madf?aahfffS5 uqhfcdG "a tRe rstahuihg
committees of the house. At once pc
came the object of severe criticism ny
many people and newspapers VINO olu
NOT seem to be able to measure the ul'-
fArenca between conditions and theories.
same of the chairmen | had selected Tor
important committees had had much 70
do with enacting legislation in the
nrevtous general assembly which mad
raised loud cries of doodle" could
NOT publicly explain, without ~dlsclosihs
my plan of campaign, that these men had
nromised they would stand by me to inc
hitter end and that promise implied
radical change Of conduct.
played politics when | selected suo-
men. Each had a devoted lolloWlhs II
be house. Each was a strong man ant
hacause they were strong men ana leau
ors thew TOO. resented the attempts o.
mo nolitical leaders to place the legls
,oture under the control of an OUTSIDE
organization. BY taking these "Dlach
listed" men into my organization, mak
Two them members of the speaker
o,ione I not only strengthened my Owl
!, -nosition but materially weakened tn
nnnoeition. | did not like the causti
. crit icisms of the press; they hurt, put
al I could afford to wait until result
moved the success of my policy
coor after the announcement OF u
bouse committees a mai calleu VI II u
e at nv room in the hotel. He was an Oh
: acouaintance. He had seen a oozeh Nc.
sions of the legislature come n co. IL
he wes the legislative agent Oh an -
+ rortant railroad. He was not a loOD!
d i,t for never had l heard OF MS asi
d ~, orv member to vote for or agalh'
II . nnv niII He came to the state capt.
a. tbn beoinning of the session ana r
otnea 10 the end, watching pendli
fs inois1ation. quick to report to MS pc
n,e any bill, plot, scheme or moVehns.
ar p nrei,dicial to the interests Of the roa
is gs was a quiet, shrewd, pleasant feil0'
l. I i ( ~ - -- - 49, TEl I