Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-02-19
The Republican Mach:ne.

Congress are always ready to stand
by the Speaker and the President ID
any event. They may be "in doubt
about how their constituents stand Oh
important issues and very waDDly
themselves. on such question as snip
subsidy for instance, but wheh lne
Speaker and the President approved
that measure they felt they could vote
for the steal with safety. They are
now able to go home and tell the vot-
ers why they did it. They are willing
to give up their own opinions ana go
contrary to the wishes Of their constit-
uents lest they be guilty of failure 10
oblige the source of all political power
the Speaker and the President.
Thus a representative of the people Is
degraded into a mere pawn and sub
seryiency is more favored than individ-
uality by the party leaders, whose
wishes are supreme and popular cleo
tons are so degraded into a useless
form. What is the good of going to the
expense and trouble of electins Con-
gressmen and sending them and keep
ing them at Washington to represent
their constituents when the Speaker
and the President would answer all
purposes and probably act with much
greater CELEBRITY than Congress does
If an oligarchy is to run the United
States, we might, at least, have the adj
vantages of the rule of a 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? Because
he knows if he is not subservient to the
machine the Speaker will put him at
the tail end of a committee and refuse
him recognition on the floor and no
public buildings or river and harbor i'm
provements will come his way for the
pins will be set up against him. Be
cause when the President openly threat
ened. that as he alone is the appoint
ing power and that members of the
House of Representatives have no con-
stitutional right to name postmasters
or other officials, he implied that If they
'stand by him" they would receive
their share of the patronage. Re
publicat Congressman without pap"
would be a sorry creature
Occasionally a bold spirit, or one who
thinks he is really a representative of
the people, breaks over the traces on
some issue upon which he has strong
convictions. What happens then? He
is called an insurgent, he is looked
upon with suspicion and even his
friends fight shy of him. He is dis
ciplined, but if he shows contrition he
is received back into the fold and his
share OF graft and garrulity Is again
his. If he has a large enough following
to be troublesome to the leaders, they
compromise with him and he Is re-
warded for his independence and
Speaker Cannon puts his protecting
arm around him and says he is all
right, but discipline must be observed
flor the sake of the party" Don't
do 1t again!
mus Inc government has degenerated
into an oligarchy-the Speaker, the
President and one or two more leaders
and the subseryient majority of Con-
gress meekly submits. AS party gov
ernment is a well rooted institution and
unlikely to be changed, it Is necessary
to have the party representatives in
Congress as evenly divided as possible,
for that gives independent Congressman
a chance to protest successfully on such
issues as they know to be improper or
unpopular. A few Of the majority can
by joining with the minority upset the
mSchine program. As 1t Is, In the pres
snt Congress, 1t requires over so Re,
publicans 10 bolt to have effect aud in
the next Congress it will require % to
join with the Democrats 10 override
any Ubiquitous 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 machine.
The more evenly party strength is di-
vided. the better it Is for the honest
representative of the people.