Arizona republican., 1906-03-18
PHOENIX. ARIz.. MARCH IS. 1906.
It's the Presidents Move.

If any newspaper in the country or any man has had the hardihood to commend the course os Speaker Can non in the present phase of state hood leoislation we have not been made aware of the. fact. The Kansas City Journal whose interest in the statehood bill has lain in its desire for the admission of Oklahoma has all along opposed jointure for Arizona an New Mexico, believing that that would bring the bill to certain defeat. Ihe Journal realizes now that the death of the bill in the hands of the speaker is imminent and thus forciblv brings the matter before the president:
 "If President Roosevelt has any in fluence ovar Speaker Cannon. which he presumably has. it would be well fo- him to call down the autocrat who dominates the house in so high handed a manner. The whole country recog- nizes the justice of Oklahoma's claim to admission at this session of congress and wants the claim honored. The sen ate has voted for it unanimously Tn" house is overwhelmingly in favor of it. and will so vote if it is not inti- mated by the speakers bullying tao tics. The American people will nn+ patiently witness the defeat of the will of congress and of the country by tn" arbitrary commands of a mulish pre- siding officer. If Cannon drives the house into rejecting the senate's bill admitting Oklahoma to. the union tho administration will have to share tn" blame. In pressing the omnibus bill the speaker was supposed to be carry ing out the presidents wishes. and If he to spite the senate prevents all statehood legislation it will Se assum- ed that he is still representing the president. unless the president shall take some step to correct either the inn pression or the speaker, or both"
 C9mmenting elsewhere on the course of the speaker the Journal says:
 Never in the history of the office of speaker Of the house has there been such z startling exhibition of so-called ''czal tol:" as at present, not excepting the days of Gear" Thomas B. Reed That this subversion of the theory of government is true probably not even Speaker Cannon himself will deny"
 The Journal thus presents in milder language the same views regarding the speakers power which Representative Shackelford uttered the other day:
 "The theory of the framers of the constitution was that so far as possi- ble this should be a representative gov ernment. in which the will of the peo- pie should be exerted through delegates who should not be coerced or forcibly influenced in their actions. It was never intended that representative in congress should be bullied or threat ened into doing something of which he did not approve. Yet today We have the unpleasant picture of a part of our na- tionaI representatives being classeo as "irsI cents" and victims of the speak CT wtiD simply because they dare op- pose the wishes os MT Cannon and his associates on the statehood bill.
 "Originaiy the speaker of the honsa of rep Caentatives was q moderator af- ter tn,. British idea of a presiding Of ficcr. It was not expected that he would Go more than maintain ordor aEd exercise parliamentary authority ova3 the deliberations of the body When the right to appoint the stand ing committees of the house was given the speaker in 179O the presiding of. ficer began to feel his expanding pow. CT. and when. in 1860. he also became chairman os the committee on rules the position became one in which the speaker could practically decide tlr fate of any measure that may come up. Today the speaker is no longer a mod orator. but a premier, with more per sonal influence upon the legislative af- fairs of the government than any other person, not excepting the president. Representing the dominant party, he has it in his hands almost to make CT ruin any congressman, and it is al- most fatal to any measure if the speaker is against it. Thus with re- gard to this statehoo1 bill which Speaker Cannon seems determined to defeat, it has required the widest in sistence of the public, aided by unques- toned justice and right, to bring tho measures to it's present state of pro- gress. Cannon defeated 1t once and he may do it again. Those brave members who stand opposed to the speaker are martyrs to their convictions and She ordinary man cannot appreciate wha: they have staked in the cause of jus tice."