Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-02
ENFORCEMENT OF RULES
Staying Hand Necessary to Suppress
Filibustering.
CANVASS OF THE NEW HOUSE
Majority of the Republicans Elk
press Preference for Continuing
the Present Head.

Pennsylvania is one of the first members
OF the House to come out f1at-footedly in
support Of Mr.. Cannon for reelection as
Speaker Of the House Mr.. Moore has
come to town for the session. and today
voiced his sentiments about the speaker
ship contest and proposed changes in the
rules.
IF Speaker Cannon Is candidate for
reelection at the next session of Con-
gress. and 1 understand he will be- said
Mr.. Moore, 4 shall vote for him. AL
though there are some things in connec-
ton with the rules that are disappoint-
ing to new members aud apparently veXa-
tious to Old it does not appear to the OBJ
server upon the floor that the fault rests
altogether with the Speaker. Mr.. Can
non simply enfOrces the rules. He does
exactly what Mr.. Champ Clark would do
If the democrats should be in the ma
jority and should elect him Speaker. The
older members tell me that Mr.. Crisp.
who was Speaker during Cleveland times,
was fully arbitrary as Speaker Reed
was supposed to be.
Line Must Be Drawn.
AT first blush it might seem as though
the Speaker had too much power under
the rules. but when it Is remembered that
there are nearly 400 members of the
House who introduced at the last ses-
sion about $1,000 separate bills, it can be
seen that the line must be drawn some
where. 1t would be a physical impossi-
bility under these circumstances for Con-
gress to legislate upon all the matters
presented. With a majority of lawyers
in the House. many of them adopts in in
terpreting clauses of the Constitution and
Supreme Court decisions, it would be
out of the question to get down to prac-
teal business If every one of the 400
members had the right to call up any
one of the $1,000 bills and have it dis
cuSSed at will
Moreover. during the last session OF
Congress. if such a practice had pre-
vailed and there had been no STAYING
hand under the rules, the democratic
tilibuster would have been a complete
success and no business would have been
done. To new member this filibuster
was the most arrant piece of child's play
1t thwarted public business until the
rules were brought into force. The rec
ords of the House will show that there
was more democratic oratory than there
was republican oratOry, and that nearly
all of this was in a fault-finding spirit
except when it came to the parcelins
out of appropriations On questions OF
policy the minority party does not usually
permit the majority to get very far. il
1t can have the privilege of unlimited
oratory and fault-fnding with the party
that is in power. For these reasons the
job of Speaker who has to curb per-
nicious legislation and who must stand
against the !ilibuster naturally incurs crit.
icjsm.
For Rule Firmly Maintained.
Il shall support the Speaker because
l believe it to be in the interest of my
constituency and because it is better tc
have the regular order than to disor-
ganize and disrupt the proceedings of the
House. l question very much whether
the people Of this land demanded the
enactment Of 23.COO laws at the last ses-
sion of Congress, and ] question very
much whether they want any such mum
Der of laws enacted at the next session
but ] do believe they want certain i'm.
portant legislation enacted, and they vii
get this only by the rule of the majority
firmly maintained over a minority that
is banded together to f1ibuster and de-
strOy.'
Reelection Apparently Assured.
Friends of Speaker Cannon profess to be
highly pleased with the responses to let
tiers which Representative James R. Mann
of Chicago has been sending to the men,
bers announcing that the Illinois deiega-
ton will present the name of Joseph e.
Cannon for Speaker of the SiXty-tirst
Congress. They state these answers as
sure the reelection of the Speaker
Representative Mann has received I'M
equivocal answers from more than a ma
jority Of the republicans of the House
saying that they would support Mr.. Can
ho yaf oh u
majority of the House. MIR. Mann ex-
planned that a number. principally new
members. had written that they desired
to look over the situation and Investigate
the subject more thoroughly before reply
ing in way that might be considered as
a pledge. 1t is said that only one member
of the House has replied that he will op-
pose the reelection of Mr.. Cannon as
Speaker.
Proposed Change in Rules.
Attention is gradually shifting from the
speakership to the proposal to amend the
rules Of the House. There are indica-
tons that the Speaker may not offer
much opposition to some amendments at
least. One of the amendments suggested
is provision for calendar, patterned
after procedure in the Senate, whereby
the roll of bills would be called frequently
for passage under unanimous consent.
This would Obviate the necessity of
members going to the Speaker and asking
to be recognized for the purpose of ask
ing consent for the passage of a bill.
Cannon's Message to Taft.
HOT SPRINGS, Va, December q
Representative William b. Mckinley of
Illinois, ex-chairman of the republican
congressional committee and close per-
sonal friend Of Speaker Cannon. is to
visit Mr.. Taft here Friday. That MIR.
Mckinley will bear assurances from the
Speaker. in harmony with other messages
which have reached Mr.. Taft through
friends of Mr.. Cannon, is confidently pre-
dicted here. These assurances are all
in the line of harmony and have been
received with considerable qualification.
Mr.. Taft has been constantly for a
thorough tariff revision. and although he
has no statement to make to the out
look it is known that he feels very much
encouraged and is confident that the re-
suit Is to be satisfactory and accom-
plished probably without undue friction.