The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-05-08
CANNON ON
THE CARPET
THE PRESIDENT LAID DOWN
THE LAW" TO SPEAKER.
But After a Long Talk at the Whit.
House Cannon said mo" to
Roosevelts Demands for
Legislation.

/ Was nington May President
Roosevelt threw few more sticks
today on the fire that has been
/ built under Speaker Cannon because
/ he has blocked the Roosevelt legis.
/ latiye program for this session He
summoned the speaker to the white
/ house this afternoon and for the
best part of an hour laid down the
| law To him as to what should be-
done and what would happen to
| the republicans In congress il IL
were not done. II was a heart to
heart talk and Speaker Cannon did
not hesitate TO defend his course
with yigor and emphasis
The president has concluded that
the few forced concessions which
the house machine has made in the
way of tentative promises to put
/ through child labor bill for the
/ District of Columbia. government
/ employers liability law and some
] sort Of currency legislation will not
'fll the bill" He has started out
on new fight to get some othef
items of his program and as a re-
suit Of the new fight it will be
! madp perfectly clear everywhere
that Speaker Cannon is the only
man responsible for holding up these
measures in the house. Cannon is
the one who is stopping the free
wood pulp bill, and II has deyel-
oped that despite the indefinite as
surances of James Watson that the
bills modifying procedure in iniunc-
tion and contempt cases would 20
through, the speaker is blocking
them. He is also holding up the
postal savings bank bin in which
the president is very much inter
| ested.
In the course of the plain talk
this afternoon the president wanted
to know why the wood pulp propo-
sition and postal savings bank bills
were prevented from coming up in
the house. The speaker replied that
nobody was demanding free wood
pulp except the newspapers from
the country aud he did not see
why they were entitled to any con
sideration. 1t was only selfish move
on their part, he cOntended and
there was no reason why congress
/ should legislate for their relief The
president said that that was no reas-
on why the postal savings bank
fit to large number of persons and
which is widely demanded, should
be blocked. II Cannon doesn't want
to do anything for the publishers
that is no reason why he should
be unwilling to have something done
for others. The speaker was OBJ
durate, however, and the result OF
the interview gave no promise OF
any change in his attitude, especially
on wood pulp.
II there has been lingering doubt
as 10 the responsibility for th-
failure of the house to do anything
on the lines OF the Roosevelt pro-
gram this afternoons talk at the
white house will go far toward clear
/ ing 1t up. The indications are that
| II Is only a move in the campaign
to make it perfectly clear that the
whole burden lies on the speaker.
The situation has reached stage
where it is bound to ne u consider.
I able flrtcr in the congressional
campaign coming on, II is not a
split In the party, bd' IL l. split
! between TIE two ma who loll the
places OF most power in the gov
ernment. The president knows very
well that he has the country be-
/ hind him as he never had il before,
! The attitude OF Cannon in blocking
the program OF the president at
the Threshold of presidential
and congressional campaign is more
than puzzle to the politicians here.
II is explained by only one of two
| hypotheses. one is that he is a
candidate for the presidential nom
ination as reactionary; the other is
that he has been speaker under
the autocratic rules of the house
so long that he is bound TO rule no
matter what the result.