The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-26


is exerted by this Republican leadership
in many ways, notably in the appoint
ment by the speaker of the house of COM
mittees which are in many instances so
constituted as to quietly kill in the COM
miteee room measures designed for the
relief of the people. To illustrate. permit
me to quote from a petition presented TO
congress by the great labor leaders of
this country, constituting the executive
council of the American Federation Of
Labor:
:" The committee on labor of the house
OF representatives was instituted at the
demand of labor, to voice its sentiments.
to advocate its right, and to protect its
interests.
No Opportunity for Redress.
% In the past two congresses this COM
mittee has been so organized as to make
Intellectual any attempt labor has made
for redress. This being the fact, in the
last congress labor requested the speaker
to appoint on the committee on labor
members who from their experience.
knowledge and sympathy; would render
in this congress such service as the COM
mite was originally designed to per
form. Not only was labor's request ig-
nored. but the hostile makeup of the
committee was accumulated
Hon. L. White Busby is the private
secretary of Speaker Cannon. In mag
azine article, discussing the powers OF
the speaker, Mr.. Busby relates the cir
cumstances of a bill having been pre-
pared. and three fourths of the members
of the house having signed a request to
the speaker asking that the rules
| committee. of which he is chairman. bring
I'm a special rule for the consideration of
the bill. The speaker refused the re-
quest. The chairman of the committee
pleaded and urged. Continuing, Mr.. Bus
.As final stroke the chairman said
Then, Mr.. Speaker, this bill is to fall by
the will of one man who is in the chan
by our votes. We have no redress from
this one-man power"
er. You have way to pass your bill
You placed me in the chair TO shoulder
the responsibility of the legislation here
enacted In my view l cannot assume
| the responsibility for this bill. You can
elect a new speaker today and pass the
bill, If you can find one who Will accept
that responsibility, but II you leave me
in the chair that bill VIII not become d
| law
.The genial and accomplished speaker
had spoken for himself on this subject
In an interview printed on Aug. ~ IN TN 1ht
| ST. Louis Globe-Democrat, a stalwart Re
publican newspaper, he points out the
| only remedy left to the people other than
! that of the ballot box, for the wrong
| complained of. The interviewer SAID:
Mr.. Speaker, you are also called o
\ czar and an element of the public press
| holds you up as the one all-poWerful IN,
| fluence in the house who thWarts the VII
! of the people and arbitrarily decides Whal
| legislation shall be considered and passed
in the great popular branch of the ma
| tional congress-.
"Mr. Cannon replied as follows:
The Only Alternative.
Under the constitution of the United
States the house OF representatives or
ganizes itself and any member or the
| house OF any party or no party, on any
dav at any time, can halt any business
| before the house, and a question OF
highest privilege offer resolution ano
! secure a vote on 1t TO displaee the speak,
| er of the house of representatives anC
nut some other member in his place.
I'm other words, the remedy is to dis
grace to destroy one of the highest OF
| fices in the government-to cast him fig
uratively from a political tarpean rock
| to be erected by the members with his
consent. for that purpose.
Il have suggested the other way 10y
| which the American voters can regalr
| their right to self-government and that Is
! by the assertion of their manhood or
/ election day. by rebuking with their bal
lots the party % be co mas oroush' oo
Time forbids the multiplication OF IN
! stances where the popular Will mas peer
defied by the real Republican Leadership
sometimes by the one-man power OF th'
| house-and sometimes by the few repre-
sentatives of monopoly who dominate th'
senate.
| Measure after measure-scores of then
favored by the people of all parties,ir
many instances advocated Strenuously by
the president, either failed or passage, o.
! were so emasculated by amendment as U
utterly fail to register the popular Will.
! THE question. Shall the people rye!
is one which demands the serious anC
! earnest consideration of all men VINO ar
interested in the perpetuatlon OF our lhs.l
| tutions 1t must be apparent to all Wh'
have followed the course OF legislator
! during the past few years that there i
| a power within the Republican party De
| termined that the people snail not rule
Il That power has manifested itself when
! ever effort has been made to cheek th'
| destructive work of unlawful complha
| ton reduce the oppressive tarlI1 tax y
| enact any legislation looking toward TN
/ equalization or tightening OF the purdeh
! resting upon the people.
President Is Poweress.
"rhat dominant power which nov
/ ouides and directs the Republican part.
Il has on many occasions defied the presl
Il dent in cases where he has, on the de
mand of the masses, made sporadic Ell
Il forts i'm their behalf. In some Instance
/ he has persuaded this handful of leader
| TO compromise on their own terms; VIII
4 the eighty millions of people whom he as
sumed to represent, but IN most cases III
4 has been absolutely powerless. .
THAT dominant leadership elects IN
Il sneaker of the house. names the commit
Il tees of the senate. and is in fuli charg
! of the ingenious machinery provided 70
Il The nrotectiOn of intrenched monopol.
against the demands of the people
ct indicated the platform adopted d
,bat nartv i'm its national convention thi
wear. and after defying Mr.. Roosevelt TO
three and a half years. and killing or Grip
bling nearly all his proposed reform leg
isIation. and having received his unstlhte
5a,,'Iociation therefore proceeded with tn
finest irony TO endorse his administrator
after which It dictated committee I
take charge of the campaign, and is nov
in full command of the party organlzatior
The East VS.. the West.