The Ketchikan miner., 1908-05-16
GOVERNMENT BY oLIGARCHY

Discussing the power which is lodg
 ed in the speaker of the National
 House of Representatives to stihe de-
 bate upon and prevent the considera-
 :ion or passage of any measure which does not meet with his individual ap- proyal, and referring more partIcular-
 ly to the ppalachian- White Mountain
 bill which. though repeatedly recom-
 mended by the President and passed
 witholt dissent by the Senate, was re-
 ferred by the Speaker to the House Committee on Judiciary. from which
 he refuses to permit it's being ressur-
 rected. This, The Outlook character
 izes as government oligarchy" for
 which ii suggests two remedies, one
 radical, but probably impracticable.
 the other a simple one that ought to
 be adopted by all American legisla-
 tise assem blies. The first would he conversion oi the position of speaker
 from partisan to a judicial office.
 In the English House Of Commons the speaker is non-partisan official, elected by a non- partisan vote, retain
 ing his office unchanged through vary
 Ing administrations and expected to
 bs as judicial in his temper as judge
 Upon inc Kings Bench. In the House oi R pl esentatiyes be is partisan
 leaoer. elected by partisan major
 IT, ior tne pui pose of promoting par tlsau interests. T. is not perhaps strange that he becomes a factiousl
 leader. elected by d factional party, and using his po.er to promote fac tionai interests. To make the Speak er iodiciai officer, with no other in- l=resl than to promote the orderly.
 fapid administration of the business oi the House, is the radical but pro- bably in practicable remedy for the present condition. The other remedy
 would be to give a minority of the house, say ten per cent of its mem ber- ship. the right to demand vote from the House on the question whether any pending measure should not te reported by the committee, alter a reasonable time for consider ation, to the House fer it's ac. .Udication. This plan, which has been advocated by Mr Everett Colby, of New Jersey, would go far toward destroying the present power uf oligarchy in our leg islatiye assemblies. Even so simple measure as this will probably not be adopted unless the American people, impatient of oIigarchical control. com pei its adoption by an irresistible pow CT Of awakened public opinion.
 IL is not necessary for us 10 consider the motives which actuate Mir. Cannon in his obstructive tactics except 10 say that TO one suspects him of corrupt motives. IL may be that he is actuat ed by personal hostility to President Roosevelt. and therefore to all of the Presidents policies: or that he euter- tains the provincial view of repre- sentative x ho does not look beyond the borders Of bi, prairie state in his of National interests or iha. he is controlled by economic con and afraid of National ap- even to preserve the Ma ! tional welfare: or that he is consis- | tently opposed to ali legislation, and counts that legislative day the best in 7 hich nothing is cone: or that he be- lieyes the proposed measure for the l purchase of the White Mountain Ap- | palachian reservation is UncoDstitu- ticnal. His motive is immaterial. It l may even be that he is right in think ing the legislation iDexpedient, ex- or even unconstitutional. 1 That also is immaterial. The iunda- question is not, Is this bill wise! but, Have the American people, through their properly constituted right to pass upop its wisdom? The Outlook protests against subtituting oligarcby govern mept, however wise 1t may be. for government by the people, however sD~ise they may be. !