The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-11
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 Tn The chattaaocga Times ws hnd this statement ana comment:
 Congressman Richardson of Hunts vile. Ala. explains that there was no the late session of ccngresr because Speaker Cannon held the railroad rate bill oyer the president. who really wanted f .duce many of the sched- ply held the president up in the inter est of the standpatters and he did 1t so n,erciiessIy that the president was absolutely po~erfess Tn other words, m Ss that the Speaker of the House of Rep resentatives is q more. powerful and influential functionary In the severn than the president But the other fact still remains for our comfort and consolation that the people are stiil clude to make tietr sovereignty dis tinctly apparent at the fortheoming Congressional elections, Ii. one Speaker may m: nSs ssciae rH to sst os Pssst wi a on that proposition the Congressional campaign between the parties this year is to be waged.
 There are two plain differences to be derived from the above that are decid- edly suggestive. The first. which will strike q great many people with most surprise. Ia that the President could be bulldozed by any one, even Re- publican Speaker of the House of Rep resentatives His Iadherents never lose an opportunity to let 1t be known that Roosevelt is second edition of the Rock of Gibraltar. They would have us believe that when he takes position he mentally exclaims with Fity-James. we believe 1t was:
 coms sv one. come aii' This rock shall
 From it's firm base as soon as I.
 True, if these advocates kept their senses about them during the late session of Congress they could not avoid noting the numerous instances where he has backed. receded, side- stepped and compromised when he found he could not have things his own way, but they get over that by saying that he only yielded minor ad- vantages to secure greater ones. or made apparent concessions in order to accomplish his purposes in another di- reetion. In other words. he only slaekened his hold in order to set a better one.
 And yet. if Judge Richardson is not rnfstaken--and tlas facts seem to bear him out--this model Of unyieiding firm ness was "heId up," held down or otherwise dominated by the Speak CT. That win be news to all true believers in Rooseveltian obstinacy. They will wonder how it came about that they could be so badly deceived in one whom they thought they knew
 ,erfect1y and had no idea that he was anything but man of Iron. Cannon "held him up." is not good reading for them.
 The other singular feature of this matter Is that the Speaker should have had the autocratic power that he was credited with. We all know that the speaker Of any deliberative body to a certain extent rules that body but Mfr. Cannon Is given credit for more power than any one thought was possible, for he not only ruled the House but ruled the unrulable Roose- welt. Is the fact at all creditable to Congress. and especially where the tariff was concerned7 We know that the Democrats were powerless to en- force legislation through their own strength. Tn certain cases they had strength enough to defeat the will of the majority but they were not strong enough in numberb to originate and force their measures through. While this is true, It is known that many of the Republican members were. or professed to be, in favor of tarift leg- isiation. If they were honest in their professions it would have been very easy for them, by uniting with the Democrats. to have procured legisla- ton looking to proper and badly needed revision of the present tariff. They were afraid to do 1t and that seems to be the whole truth about it.. In short, the President and the Con- gressmen were all afraid of Cannon. They knew he was loaded and, they didn't dare monkey with him.