The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1907-02-22
THE REPUBLICAN MACHINE.
Congressional subservieney TO the
Speaker and President.

The little Ash ald weak sisters In
congress are always ready 10 stand
by the speaker and the president in
any event They may be in doubt"
about how their constituents stand
on important issues and very wab-
bly, themselves, on such a question as
ship subsidy for instance, but when the
speaker and president approved thas
measure they felt that they could vote
for the steal with safety They are
now able TO 90 home and tell the
voters why they did IT, They are will
ing TO give up their own opinions and
go contrary TO the wishes of their
constituents lest they be guilty of a
failure to oblige the source of all po-
itical power-the speaker and the
president
Thus a representative of the people
is degraded into mere pawn and sub
serviency is more favored than indi-
vduality by the party leaders. whose
wishes are supreme and popular cleo
tions are so degraded into a useless
form. What is the good of going to
the expense and trouble OF electing
congressman and sending them and
keeping them at Washington TO repre-
sent their constituents when the
speaker and the president would an
swer all purposes and probably act
with much greater celebrity than con-
gress does? II an oligarchy is TO run
the United States, we might. at least,
have the advantages of the rule OF
few by doing away with the expense OF
the worthless many.
Why does the ordinary Republican
congressman determine to stand by
the speaker and the president? Be
cause he knows If he is not subservi-
ent 10 the machine the speaker will
put him at the tail end of a commit
tee and refuse him recognition on the
floor and no public buildings or river
ard harbor improvements will come
mis- way. for the pins will be set up
against him Because when the presi-
dent openly threatened. that as he
alone is the appointing power and that
members OF the house OF representa-
tives have no constitutional right TO
name postmasters or other officials,
he implied that if they stand by
him" they would receive their share
OF the patronage. A Republican con-
gresham without pap" would be a
sorry creature.
Occasionally a bold spirit, or one
who thinks he is really a representa-
tive OF the people, breaks over the
traces on some issue upon which he
has strong convictions. What hap
pens then? He is called an insurgent,
he is looked upon with suspicion and
even his friends fight shy OF him. He
is disciplined, but If he shows contri-
ton he is received back into the fold
and his share of graft and garrulity Is
again his. IL he has a large enough
/ following to be troublesome TO the
leaders, they compromise with him
and he is rewarded for his independ-
ence and Speaker Cannon puts his
protecting arm around him and says
he is all right, but discipline must be
observed-"for the sake of the party"
Don't do it again.
Thus the government has degener-
ated into an oligarchy-the speaker,
/ the president and one or two more
leaders and the subservient majority
Of congress meekly submits. AS party
government is a well rooted institu-
ton and unlikely 10 be changed, Ii is
necessary to have the party repre-
sentatives in congress as evenly d.
vided as possible. for that gives indie
pendent congressman a chance 10 pro-
test successfully on such issues as
they know TO be improper OF unpop-
ular. A few OF the majority can by
! joining with the minority upset the
machine program. AS 1t is, in the
present congress II will require 2S
to join with the Democrats to override
any iniquitous legislation or to pass
some good law that the Republican
leaders refuse to allow to be consid.
cred.
The larger the party majority is.
the greater is the power OF the ma
chine. The more evenly party
strength Is divided. the better IL is for
the honest representative OF the peo-
pie.