Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-04-30
TROUBLE FOR CANNON
Republicans of Next House Will
Make Determined Effort to
Gust Speaker
PRESTIGE HAS FALLEN OFF
Conduct of the Present Session and
Success in Blocking Legislation Sol
difies Opposition to Reelection =
One More Railroad Measure May Go
Thru.
Especial Washington Correspondence.

Washing ton April 29--It can be set
down as certain that If the republic
ans control the next house of repre-
sentatives there will be a determined
fight against the reelection of Speak
er Cannon. More than this, there is
good reason for the statement that
determined fight will be made against
the speakers recollection in his home
district in Illinois
The speaker has had plenty of ex-
perience with opposition In his long
political life. and there is no reason
for the belief that he takes the pres
ent opposition more seriously than he
has that which he has met and over
come at many periods in his career
But his opponents insist that the
ly as a result of the conduct of the
house al the present session. The lat
est manifestation of hostility has
been brought forth by the speakers
reference to a special committee OF
the whole question of paper and pulp
tariff, which is denounced as means
of preventing action on the tariff as
pect at this session, which the pub
fishers demansed. The American For
estry Association, which has been
turnout the session working it's pub
Lefty bureau vigorously in the effort
To- develop sentiment against the
speaker. the American Federation OF
Labor, which has long been fighting
him openly; the various organizations
of railway employees which are no
more friendly to the speaker; the tar
if revisionsts, and various other in
huences, are getting very active in de-
veloping opinion against Mr.. Cannon.
The charge is made by the Forestry
association, but thinly yelled. that the
speaker is responsible for killing the
forest reserve bills, thru his control of
the judiciary committee. by the labor
organization people, that thru the
same committee he has smothered
various measures in the interest OF
labor; and by the advocates of remoV-
ing the pup-paper tariff that sending
this question to a special committee
was a subterfuge to prevent action.
1t has been occasion for great dis
gust among the republican leaders In
the house, that the country has seemed
so generally to sympathiZe with the
democrats in their filibuster this ses-
sion. This manifestation was utterly
unexpected. When the democrats
started their filibuster they announced
that they proposed to prove that the
do-nothing policy of congress was
blamabe to the leadership and con-
troll of the house by the speaker, thru
his committees The republicans re-
sponsible for their party's policy IN
meeting the tilibuster were at first
confident that they would demollsh
this argument, and make it react
against the democrats, by declaring
that they were perfectly willing to do
things. if only the democrats would
allow them.
But to this the democrats repeat
eddy replied, bring out your bills, We
will help you pass them" This was
the slogan of John Sharp Williams
The whole thing was put up to the
committees few committees at that
in which reposed various bills rep
resenting the demands of the president
the declared purpose of the democrats.
and the real wishes on a large pro-
portion of the republicans in the house
But the bills have not come out. and
the country, realizing that the house
filibuster was not keeping them from
coming, and hearing day by day the
assurance of the democrats that they
would not stand in the way of progress
sive measures, but rather would help
pass them whenever given the chance,
seems to have thought the whole mat
ter over and reached just the decision
that the democrats wanted it to reach,
and that the republican house mana
gers were confident it would not reach
Speaker Cannon has done magnifi-
cent piece of work in holding his forces
together and dominating the situation:
but the opinion has grown. day by day,
that i'm doing this he was not reckoning
with the sentiment of the country at
large.
Not since the time when the dom
nation Of the house by Speaker Hen
derson was most autocratic and I'M
hearable. has there been such frank
and open expression of disaffection
among republican members. If the
party pays any considerable penalty
In the coming elections. for the fall