The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-03
To Curfail the Power of the
Speaker of the House.
THE TINE HAS COME
For Dissatisfied Members to
Show Their Hands.
viii No Longer Be Permitted to
Lay Blame on Cannon.

dant evidence that the organization of
the house in the Sixty-first congress
VIII De marked by a determined effort
TO change the present rules, which in
the opinion of many members confer
1ar too much authority and response
pIIIty on the speaker, for it is we'll
known that many members have in the
past Deen content to shirk responsible
tiles which properly attach to their
position by comforting all power on the
speaker and then seeking to throw all
blame for things done and undone on
that official
A carefully planned and determined ef-
Tort to change the rules so as to obviate
much that has afforded ground for the
complaint that individual rather than
majority rule prevails in the house is
practically assured. On the other
hand, the prediction that a determined
effort will be made to prevent Mr.. Can
non from succeeding himself as speak
er and that President Taft will be a
party to such a fight is unfounded. In
sofar as the rules are concerned. Speak
er Cannon has pointed out on more
than one occasion that the majority
makes the rules, and if real dissatis-
faction with the manner in which leg
lSted the majority possessed ample
power to alter them
Representative Gardner. of Massa-
chusetts. whose reputation for aggres
creased by the determined contest he
made to obtain Taft delegates in his
state last spring, and the success which
attended his efforts, is the first of the
many members committed to the policy
of altering the rules to say so openly
and to permit his comments to be
quoted.
Plead Baby Act No Longer.
Il shall not decide how to vote on
the speakership,'' Mr.. Gardner said,
until know the names of the candi-
dates, but personally am much more
interested in a change in the rules than
in the speakership. If we members of
the house continue to adopt rules
abandoning our power and shifting our
responsibilities to the speakers shoul-
ders, We must not go back to our con-
stituents and plead the baby act be-
cause he accepts that power, when we
cheerfully leave him to bear all the re-
sponsibility. Heretofore the rules have
been prescribed by the majority in the
party caucus-in other words, by a, ma
jority of the majority-and the motive
power has been supplied by a still
smaller subdivision of the house. The
time has now come when those of US
who are dissatisfied must do one of
three things-we must carry the party
caucus; we must refuse to caucus on
the rules at all, or We must shut up. L
believe that our best chance Of success
lies in the second line of procedure"
Captain Gardner takes the appar-
emily logical position that to author
ize the speaker to appoint a commit
tee on rules, which is to control the
action of himself and the house, is
merely to invest the speaker with an
absolute power, which should be vest
ed only in the majority of the house,
and be administered only by COM
mittee the members of which are in
debted to the house for their appoint
ment and tenure of office. Mr.. Gard
ner does not favor a coalition with the
Democrats, but he is convinced that
were the fight against the existing
rules made in open house, instead of
in a party caucus, the support of the
minority could be counted on.
Taft Favors Change.
President elect Taft is said to be in
sympathy with the suggestion that the
rules of the, house be so changed as
to transfer the responsibility for leg
islation from the speaker to- the ma
iority of the house. where, in his opin-
ion, it properly belongs, and to be con-
vinced that between those members
who are sincerely in favor of the pro-
greSsiVe policy of the party and those
who would not dare oppose them were
they deprived of the privilege of es-
Gaping responsibility by hiding behind
the speaker, the Will OF the majority
of Republican voters would prevail in
the house. precisely as was intended
by the trainers of the constitution.
Moreover, the president-elect would,
as has already been indicated in these
dispatches, welcome a method which
would insure the supremacy of pro-
Republicanism without in
a fight on Mr.. Cannon
Most of the men who would fight
for a change Of the rules are friends
of the speaker and will support him
for reelection. but they will advocate
rules on conscientious
grounds While no definite program
for revising the rules has been adopt !
ed. the changes discussed are the cleo |
ton of the members of the rules COM |
mittee by the whole house, the cleo !
ton by each committee of its own
chairman, the allotment of a fixed |
lime for each committee to report and |
lsl the consideration of measures and |
tho further curtailment of the IRE |
,ognizing' power of the speaker.
The advocates of changed house |
Jules are convinced that by stating the ]
purposes of the movement sufficient |
v in advance of the organization of |
he next house. they will obtain a sup |
port from the constituents of a ma
ority Of the members which will |
make it hazardous for most of them !
o vote against the proposed changes.
NIoniIaw to Remain as Coach
Columbia, Mo. Dec. 3.-Despite the
III Itr,are of # he stu