The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-27
REPUBLICAN
MANAGERS
Men Who Serve the Speaker
in the Game of
Politics.
BY Ernest G.. Walker.
mail Special TO the Advertiser

no keener coterie of lieutenants were
ever picked and trained for the siren
uous work of subduing insurrectionists
and standardizing Republican opinion
than Speaker Cannon has had at his
command. Napoleon was famous, among
other things, for his generals. Speak
er Cannon will be known among the
politicians for numerous qualities, of
| which will be his ability to select Rep
resentatives who are adept in Judging
and in handling men,
One frequently speaks of Chairman
Payne, of Ways and Means, and Rep
resentative Dalzell, the ranking mem
Der of rules, as two of the Speaker s
strong men. They are strong in their
particular lines but the Speaker never
looks to them when there is difference
of opinion about the wisest course or
when there is rebellion on hand and
! the insurgents are getting ready to
make trouble. He has his own trained
helpers for such tasks. His helpers
have been better than any other Speak
er for years has had and that has been
well. Tor while every Speaker has to
deal with instructions inside his own
party, the strength of such insurrec-
tions becomes more formidable as the
membership is increased. Speaker Reed
was nearly overthrow by members of
his own party two or three times, not
ably during the preliminary days of
the Spanish War. The late speaker
Henderson also had to face some very
dangerous revolts, but in these restless
days when constituencies start fires
behind their members of Congress,
revolt means more than it meant five
or ten years ago. The insurgent mem
bers are usually standing between the
wrath of the Speaker and the wrath
Of the voters who sent them to Wash
ington land they go out against the
Speaker because they prefer to take
his wrath than to run the risk of be-
ing kept at home.
The best whips the House has even
known have been the men Speaker Can
non brought out. The first of these
was Representative James A. Tawnev,
of Minnesota, the man who is now
leading an instruction on his own
hook It is not the first time Repre-
sentative Tawney has headed an in
surreetionary group. He comes to Con-
gress from tempestuous Minnesota |
district, with a large Republican ma
jority and yet, not so large but what |
it can be overturned Along back in |
the times when Theodore Roosevelt was
becoming President, Representative
Tawney led successful revolt against |!
Speaker Henderson and prevented the |
passage of measure for Cuban reel |
proeity. 1t was an unusual feat at that |
time and Tawney acquired consider |
able notoriety for bucking the party |
lines and winning out.
Generally Republican who leads an
insurgent movement. whether it be sue
cessful or not, is likely to be Sin
bad with the Speaker and the House
organization, but it was not SO with
Mr.. Tawney. He was looked upon as
a shrewd manager by Speaker Cannon
who proceeded to make him chairman
of appropriations when the right OPP
portunity came and then Representa-
tive James E. Watson, of Indiana, was
chosen as whip. And it should be said
that under the Cannon regime, the
whip is the leading lieutenant in
tactics. Watson was one of the smooth
est ever He could subdue insurrec-
tions and get a tab on the enemy s .
real strength with great facility. The !
Speaker became very fond of him.
Against the Speaker advice, in fact,
and against the advice of other friends !
Watson went into the fight for TOW .
ernor of Indiana, won the nomination :
md then lost the election to a Demo 4.
rat. So the Speaker was deprived of
another whip and he had to east about !.
.or still another crafty man in political
aeties. He selected Representative
Iohn Dwight from the Southern tier of
New York state, who has been in train
ng for a number of years and promises I
o be up to the standard of efficiency a
which his predecessors attained
Some of the Speakers best equipped I
actieians in the strenuous game of I
House politics have come from New Il
FORK. The political training man 5
.ets varies much with the state he :
alis from. The people in some states d
re not so acute at the game as the n
eopfe are IN other states. New York, "a
owever, measures up to a high polit- =
cal standard and several of the Repre- | =
entatives New York Republicans have IL
ent down here have had just the par 1e
lenlar kind of practise needed to g
andle a body of men, every one of ~ u
'hom is something of a politician him =
elf. Former Representative Lueius ~
aftauer. of Gioversville. was one of :,
nem- He never attained the position e
chief tactieian under Speaker Can -
on in the House but he was very
mart and the Speaker thought very y,
ghly of him indeed-so highly as a x L.
after of fact that when the big in :"
lrgent movement at the beginning of n
Re extra session was on and there ~
emed danger that the Speaker might -
, overthrown, Mr.. Littauer was sent he
II and took hand in subduing the ex
But there are dozen Republicans W