Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-04-11
Exaauerated Praise.

According to o'1l esteemed contempo-
rary, the Washington Herald, Presi-
dent Woodrow Wilson of Princeton
has made the important discovery that
the speaker Of the house of representa-
tlves has too much power. For this
discovery the Herald thinks President
Wilson deserves great praise. r. Pres
ident Wilson Is hugging to his palpitat-
ing bosom the hattering JUNCTION that
he discovered the aforementioned fact.
he should wake up II the esteemed
Herald thinks Wilson discovered it, the
Herald should wake up. Both the Her
aid and Mr. Wilson can get rid Of that
hallucination by reading the Congress
sional Record beginning with Decem-
Der, 1889. when Thomas Bracket Reed
was first elected speaker. Charles
Frederick Crisp of Georgia made him
self speaker by denouncing Reeds des-
potism and when in the speakers chair
conducted things much after the Reed
model Bynum of Indiana got himself
reprimanded for roasting Speaker
Reed. which was the greatest day in
the life of the aforesaid Bynum.
President Wilson neutralizes what lit
tie of value there was In his beiated
speech by proposing to do away with
committees Congress could no more
transact the public business without
committees than bird could fly with
out wings. The Herald repeats a sug-
gestion which has been made many
times before-I have frequently made
1t myself and that Is that the way to
deprive the speaker of his abnormal
power is to take from him the authority
to appoint the committees. That sug-
gestion is not new In fact, it has been
seriously il systematically considered
by members for years. At the last SEES
sion Judge Dorsey w. Shackleford of
Missouri introduced a resolution for
that very purpose. The Herald knows
that Shackleford made several bitter
speeches in the house on that subject
long before President Wilson emulated
the glory of Christopher Columbus by
his great discovery that the speaker
possesses too much power. The Shac
kleford resolution was introduced late
In the session and was never considered
by the house. 1t is not at all certain
that consideration of it could have been
forced in that house with its ia Re-
publican majority even If it had been
introduced on the first day of the Fifty
ninth congress. That the Shaekleford
resolution win be considered seriously
before long is one of the certainties Of
the future While I am at it / will
state that one of Shackleford's speeches
drew from Uncle Joe a rejoinder, which
is proof positive that Shacklefords
speech went to the mark.
The truth Is stated by the Herald
when it says that Wilson's plan to
abolish all committees is not feasible;
that the source Of despotism is the COM
mittee on rules. appointed and con-
trolled by the speaker, which the Her
aid correctly thinks ought to be abolish
ed or curtaiIed Of its power.
What is really needed is steering
committee elected by the house, Of
which committee the speaker shall not
be member. Some 10000 bills are in
troduced during congress. Therefore
it is absolutely necessary that there
should be selection OF bills to be con-
sidered. At present that selection Is
purely arbitrary. depending on the
whim of the speaker and of two other
Republican members of tils 49, 49, com
mittee which arrangement is prepos
ferrous and injurious.