Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-31
CONGRESSMAN IS
ROUNDLY SCORED
EVEN THE TIMES REPUDlATES
jim M'LACHLAN
RUSH CALLS HIS EXCUSES
ABSURD
Refuses to Announce His Stand on
Cannon Because He Must Vote
for BuIwark Against
Progress

| ton of his opponent, Jud Rush, Is so
certain that the only Republican organ
| in Los Angeles, the Times, yesterday
editorially abandoned the republican
nominee in a denunciation which de-
clared McLachlan unfit to represent
the district in congress.
Both the Republican papers of the
city, the Times and the Express, have
withdrawn from McLachlan's support,
but the former paper has not hereto
fore attacked its party nominee as bit
terly as was the case yesterday. IT is
especially severe in attacking Nc
Lachlans failure to line up with other
Republican congressman in standing
by Speaker Cannon.
The most remarkable condition pre-
vailing in the congressional fight IN
this district over the matter of the am
bitions of "Uncle" Joe Cannon to serve
again as speaker of the house of rep
resentatives, has led to good deal of
comment in the closing hours of the
campaign, both among the Democratic
and the Republican politicians. Mr.
McLachlan, the Republican candidate
for congress, is being taken severely
to task by many among those who have
hitherto supported him in his own
party, for his refusal to plant himself
squarely upon the issue, while many
other Republicans are congratulating
upon his open and unequivocal state
ment that he will oppose Cannon as
speaker, even to going so far as to
vote for some other Republican for
speaker if he finds that no Demo-
cratic member can be elected TO the
place.
The argument over the matter has
gone on and waxed so warm that now
it seems that Cannon is the big issue
of the congressional campaign in this
district Republican newspapers
throughout the district are almost
unanimous on the point that McLach-
Ian should have firmly announced his
intention of opposing Cannon, while
the two or three Republican editors
who have not cared to make this
statement have ignored the matter,
not caring to lose votes for their cam
didate by mentioning the matter.
Mr.. Rush yesterday said to rep
resentative of the Herald. MY an
nouncement of my intention to oppose
Cannon as speaker, If 1 am elected,
and l know now that l am going to be,
was caused primarily by the receipt of
a number of letters, a number of them
from Republicans, asking me to state
my position on the matter l had no
objection to so doing, and without con-
sulting anyone, either in my party or
out of it, / made the statement at one
OF my earliest meetings ludl WAS ull-
alterably opposed to Cannon and the
methods that Cannon has employed. l
expected, of course, that my opponent
would do the same, the sentiment in
this district being so pronounced
against Cannon. I had no other OBJ
ject in making my announcement than
to let the people know that l had de-
cided views on the matter, and that 1
believed that they had a. right to
know before the time come to vote for
a member of congress, just where the
candidates stood on this matter.
Would Join Republicans
without consulting anyone interest
ed in my campaign 1 went further in
the matter and said that I would not
only vote against Cannon, but that 1
would work against him, and that If
found it to be necessary l would join
with the Republicans in the house who
are opposed to Cannon in this good
work.
1.-The whole thing I regarded then,
and l still regard, matter of princi-
pie I am tied to no interests save
those of the whole body of the people
of this district, and as there seems to
be such an overwhelming sentiment in
favor of selecting some other man for
speaker of the house I cannot do other
wise than regard 1t as my duty to vote
lieve that it was a part of that duty
to make my announcement clear-cut
and decisive at the time / did.
II was surprised to learn that Mr..
McLachlan had refused to make the
same announcement, and more sur
prised to learn that he had said that
a law of California prevented him from
stating his position on the issue while
he was a candidate. I had not stopped
to consider what the law might be, but
since Mr. McLachlan had stepped be-
hind this law L took the pains to look
into it, and then made the same an
nouncement over again, and. have kept
on reiterating it ever since.
'I am pleased to see that the news
papers of the district have taken the
matter up. 1t is absurd to say that
the California law regarding campaign
pledges can apply to this matter. The
law says that no candidate shall give
a pledge during the campaign regard
ing any bill or measure which may
come before the legislative body to
which he may be elected Cannon is
not a bill, and neither is he a measure.
He is simply a bad man to place in
a position to WELD the tremendous
power which the speaker of the house
of representatives does.
Therefore / am led to the belief that
Mr.. McLachlan is unable to say that
he Will vote against Cannon OH dC-
count of some interests which he is
tied to, and which are certainly not
the interests of the people of his dis
trict, and that he has lodged behind
this law, which does not apply at all, |
in order to escape admitting that he
will be compelled, if reelected, to vote
for Cannon.
"The matter of whether my an
nouncement was calculated to get
votes for me, or to lose me votes, has
not entered into my consideration of
this matter / have taken this stand
because l knew that the great ma
iorty of the people of the district de-
sire to see Cannon eliminated, and be-
cause l am proud of the fact that 1
am free and independent of any spe-
cial interests, and glad of an opportu-
nifty to prove it.
But my investigation of the foun-
dation of the many statements made
by McLachlan regarding his work in |
congress has led me to believe that his
excuse for wanting to go to congress, |
is, on the whole, about as valid as
this one he brings for not letting the
people know where he stards on the
Cannon matter. / am almost led to
think that if driven to it, as he was
in the Cannon matter, he would argue
that there is a law against congress- |
men doing anything for their constitu-