The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-01-06
Precedent Plays an Important Part in Deter
mining What Members Shall Lead
in Legislation.
There is One Committee Where Precedence
is Not Recognized in the Selection
of Chairman.

When this Republic goes down, if
go down it must, it will not be through
the man on horseback, or any preSi-
dent, but through the man on the
woolsack in this house, under these
despotic rules, who can prevent the
slightest interference from individual
members; who can, If he will, make
and unmal1c laws like an emperor:
hold back the sincws of war and the
salaries of peace"
This denunciation of the power of
the Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatlves was not directed against
the late Speaker Reed, who was called
Car by the minority, nor against
Speaker Carlisle, who was called an
autocrat. 1t antedatcd the outbursts
of Bourkc Cochran ana the satire OF
Uncle Pete Hepburn. 1t was uttered
by a Grecnbackcr from Iowa back in
the Forty sixth Congress, when the
Democrats were in control of the
House and Samuel J. Randall was
Speaker, says the New York Sun oc
Dec. 80.
Similar denunciations have been ut
tered by members OF the minority in
every Congress since that time, ana
there are many people who believe
that the Speaker OF the House has
more autocratic power than the prcsi-
dent or any King in Il constitutional
monarchy. Rut statements made in
| give an accurate idea of tho powers
conferred upon the Speaker by the
| Constitution, the law ana tho rules of
the House.
'rhc greatest power conferred upon
the Speaker is the appointment of the
committees of the House. That power
is absolute, and if nnhampcrcd by tr;t-
dition and precedent the Speaker of
the Fifty-ninth Congress could sit
down in his room and make up the
committees SO as absolutely to control
legislation
The first speaker had q clean slate
on which to put down the assignments
of members to committees. All his
successors have had more or less en-
barrassnents from the old slate hand
ed down to them.
Precedent governs the Speaker in as
signing the members of the House to
the committees, where the real work
of Legislation takes place. In theory
and in law the Speaker of the Fifty
ninth Congress had the right to throw
aside all old committee lists and make
his own, but long established prece-
dent had more influence with him than
the letter of the law which gives him
autocratic power.
II A glance back over the committee
lists of the House for the last ten
years will show how the Speakers
4 have bowed to precedent. Speaker
Thomas B. Reed was known as q mar
of keen judgment, iron will and re-
markablc courage in carrying FORWARD
policies in which he believed. But as
Speaker of the Fifty-fourth Congress
Mr.. Reed allowed precedent to assigr
most Of the old members to commit.
tees.
u He was freer than either Speaker
Henderson or Speaker Cannon to Sc.
lect his own chairmen, because the
majority had changed from Demo.
cratic to Republican, hut as rule hi
promoted to the chairmanships the Re.
: publicans who had stood at the heat
of the minority list in the preceding
: Democratic Congress.
: Representative Hit was the first Re.
publican on the Committee on For.
cign Affairs in the Fifty-third Con.
gress, presided over by Speaker Crisp
Speaker Reed made Mr.. Hit chair
, man of the committee in the next Re.
. publican Congress. Precedent select
ed Mr.. Hit. rather than Speaker Reed
, The same rule applied in the selec.
ton of Hull of Iowa as chairman o.
the Committee on Military Affairs
Boutele of Maine as chairman o.