The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-13
Plan to Red duC 9 Power Oh
Speaker and Effect
Many Rel forms 5.S
BODY HAS u LOST
MUCH PRESTIGE u
Caucus Likely to Meet and Adopt;
Resolutions Con demning the
Present Rules and Propos- n
ing Reforms Backed III
By Prominent
y Democrats.
democrat!


ts OeIllOCIdIS.{ 3.s3 " eSggski Si2
n From Cur Regular Correspo pondent)
Il WASHINGTON, June I'D Democratk S
in Congress will 60 to the country at the sS
election with formal protest S
against the rules Of the House OF Repre-
sentatives which endow the Speaker With ,ss
the extraordinary owers VIII iichas have III;
earned for him the title Of Car us WA u
4 a movement backed by Democrats ot Ssss
promlnence-D eArmond ana and Champ clark, Il
OF Missouri; Oscar w. Underwood, Of S
Alabama Charles Towne and 8Bourkasa
Cochran, OF New Y ork. being leaders
probably will result in q citing OF the S
Democratic House caucus. at whichS Sreso.S
lutions will be- adopted %cond demning the Il
present rules and proposing a reform
which will be radical in nature, and e
his powers by taking from him the rig ts
OF appoin ntirg committees. 3.,3 NJ Sssss
s T his plan, II itsis ever carried into xers
feet, will make the Speaker ~ the HouAes&
"a presiding officer, q mare nodera ator:s
= he Office will then be comparable Ito the
office Of Speaker OF the louise OF CONF
mons The Importance OF A the latter %isS
contrast ted with the lmpor tance or thsssS
6pea ker5 in our own Congress- M hens It ~
remembered that the present House 8of fss u
Commons, ,s having an enormou us SLlbe era1ssS
majority, 'recomn1ende ed Il q CONSERVATIVES
Tor Speaker. y! VI
Plan of Revision. ssSSi sssS
The plan Of rev yision ot the rules
proposed has been long dis cussed pus ~
Its details have been worked out by Rep
Il 1esentat live Unde wood 4of l5irming am
1t Is proposed that tile M shaslls
elect the 4 members Of the COMMITTEES eSonE
Rules tnisScomn,ttee to oonsis e OF nttesll 3
members, Instead of aYe, as now cons Ne st-s&
tut. . ZEN are to- be Of the ma M 10; 1orlty
marty and five as o. the ninorl W, easl
party selecting Its own men ~ .cauestlas
to he confirmed by 81
House. WEE Ss ssifs iss
The COMMITTEES on RULES. as thus COM
Estituted. would nominate the mennbers sofs
all other committees, 8t the al ivi sion i,stSs
tween the majority and minority menu
bership to continue as agreed VI ,,#a nd &
the House would vote upon theseA non
nations. tsS
This plan includes the $sys tem OF elect
ing committees as II obtain g In the sen-a!
ate, where the steering committe Sf "
the two parties nominate The BmeTnberaSfs g
of all committees and the committees
arc then elected by the Senate. sssy ss;ss,
~ This plan would destroy the House@
machine. as It has grown up unde thoSs.
present rules, and would 81 bsttut tesE 5S
It ano otherSmac chine But the proponents
OF the plan say the new machine would
be much more tract table and much less
able to defy the real will OF the mem.
1bership. Ther.$ always. II the Rules SCoM.
,mlttee became too bold and too tyrannt-8
cal, the rules may be suspended by 8Sa
.two-thirds vote. On such occasions the
Speaker would have much &poWerssr srestor-S
ed to him for the time beia g.
Speaker Now Master.
The Speaker, with his Rules Committed \
now constituted. is the absolute master 1
of the House. Nothing can thwart r shisfs
will short OF party revolt, nd any men,-Ss
ber thinks twice or thrice before II hesI
braves the certain condemna ton that "
comes to a bolter and the punishment
have rebelled aga inst the party whip. ii 81
II Under the rules OF the House free de-
bate and free action have become tnpos-
sible. Freedom Is given to the mem Il
bers only upon unlmpo rtant measures or
on questions about the fate IL OF n which
there is not the slightest doubt. 3..
II the questionais a delicate one, the Fl
speak and his committee bring dnss y sS
special rule. The rule limits debates.s
prevents the Offering Of amendments,M M
binds the House hand and foot, and the "
crack Of the party whips first heard ON
the vote on the previous gu est ton. upon
which motion there may be but foytySG
minutes OF debate, 5i3iSs Il III
4 In this Congress the Committee on Al
Rules Is composed OF the Speaker, dessrs.4s WI
Dalzell, Grosvenor, Williarls and De-B
Almond. The two Democrats are merely.
nominal members They have the honor
to be the first Democrats to be In formed AZ
of what the other members OF the cons
Imttee have decided the House shall do, IA
They protest and kick and kick and a
protest, but to no avail.
II the next House should be Demo-g Il
cratic and the old rules should II heS S
adopted Their the Republicans would baS
protesting as loudly against the inauity a
OF the machine as the Democrats do IN
now, and the machine doubtless would
sbe as ruthless In the hands of John IL
Sharp Williams as II is under the doHi-g
nation OF Uncle Joe Cannon. Sis
Has Lost Prestige. s$
It is not a party question, The House II
OF Representatives has lost Its prestige;s
1T is not a. body. Of free dellberat tioN III
which the Speake ia the head. In times q
past Mr.. Cannon attempted to fight the sS
machine, and lie knows what Il iss 10 bs HI
rolled over as he now rolls s4oye the TN
!uckless insurgents, III @1 81 4 q:
{, When IT ls8 nat a question Of opportuss s
rism, every member OF Congress- will ads III
nit that there Is crying need for rerorln.
Whether the Underwood plan W Would give
lelef. whether Il ,is practicable, whether
the House would ba manageable under
its pl'oyisions-th these are mooted I, ,auess3 y
tions. s " i. .Si ii4t I'll s5s
Undoubtedly the power OF the speakevlIls
lies In the appointment OF co1nmit ttsesis VI
&c the House selects It's own 81 ontni ttssA R
Al would reserve this power to tts mems
bershi9,
Not all Den,ocrats IN congr ess are ssS
thusinstlc about the plan. 6oms of lhenS