The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-07
Thursday, May :, 100s.
GOVERNMENT BY oLIGARoHY.

GOVERNMENT BY oLIGARoHY.
 Stormy days have at last overtaken the speaker of the houee of represen- tatives, not because that speakers name happens to be Cannon, but be- cause the inordlnate power which Ia lodged in the hands of the speaker has come to be an obstacle to the passage of measures in which the President of the United States, obviously support ed by the popular judgment of the country and probably by majority of the house itself, Is interested. In the absence of any such combination in the past 1t has been difficult, if not impos- sible. to concentrate public attention upon the abuse of that powerful office. Now by making 1t appear that the req son the country cannot get the relief 1t wants. or thinks 1t wants and ia therefore entitled to. Is the intervention of the speaker, with powers greater than the house itself with the Presi- dent back of it, there Is a chance of such reform being undertaken in the organization of that body as to make both dellberation and action possible.
 The current number of the outlook contains an article upon the oligarchial power of the speaker. which is bound to attract attention. especially as 1t gives striking illustration In pending if he merely takes notion that he is not In favor of what is more or less generally approved. What is of con sequence" 1t says. Ifs tho fact illus trated that a Republican speaker Is able to block legislation demanded by Republican administration and en- forced by the practically unanimous opinion of tho Republican party throughout the country" It then prA- ceeds to point out the disturbing fact that the nomination of committees rests with the speaker who can make them ID in such a way as to advance the cause of measures. which have succeeded in attracting his attention and provoking his interest, and to block the progress of legislative enter prlses to which he personally objects. "Thus 1t is possible" says the writer in the Outlook, flor the speaker, fore seeing the legislation likely to come before the house during an approach ing season to apoint a committee cer- tain to be hostile to 1t, and to refer the proposed measure to that commit tee so that 1t may be smothered with out public debate.''
 In Illustrating specifically the power of the speaker to absorb the powers of end, the outlook quotes the Appalachi- an-White Mountain bill, a measure foi the preservation of certain of our great forests, which has been recommended by the President passed without dis sent by the senate and unanimously recommended by the agricultural com. mittee of the house In the Fifty-nintf congress. It Is commonly understood that Congressman Henry from thl' State lost the charInanship of that committee, to which he should have been advanced, because he dared yott contrary to the private wishes of Mir Cannon. In the present congress hC has succeeded in having the bill re ferred to the judiciary committee for construction of it's constitutonality and receiving from that committee al opinion declaring it's unconstitutional ity. "The house of representatives i, not even permitted to consider tn, question whether it ls constitutional and whether it Is wise. The whole question is foreelosed by the speaker and a committee which he has appoint ed and to which he has submitted | for decision" This conduct ie no too severely condemned as government by oligarchy. Then comes the consid eration of the two possible escape from it, one by making the speaker O the house judicial officer, as in th British house of commons charged with the single task of promoting tn orderly administration of the bushes of the house, and the other by givin the minority, acting through ten pc cent. of the membership of the hous the power to demand a vote on tn question whether any pending meas ure should not be reported by com mittee for consideration