The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-08-12
EDDY ON ssINSURGENTS.' =.

Z x
i from Frank Eddy in the Minneapolis
Tribune of the 9th inst. Mr.. Eddy
compliments Congressman Tawney fo1
his courage in being the only member
OF the Minnesota delegation to vote
for the Payne tariff bill, which be
terms one of the most magnificent ex.
hibitions of nerve ever manifested
IN the halls Of congress.
Referring to the insurgents, so.
called, Mr.. Eddy says there are three
well-defned classes of insurgents:
Natural insurgents, of which
Senator La Toilette of Wisconsin and
Representative Lindbergh of Mime
sofa are the most pronounced type.
A class Of men who will always in
surge against the majority no matter
what the majority stands for, the one
juryman who always stands out for
the right against the II that are obsti-
nate and wrong.
"This class of men are able, consci-
entious, visionary, conceited and,
viewed from a political standpoint.
disagreeable. In their own opinion
they are always right and unless the
views OF others correspond and coin
eide with theirs the others are wrong
and they alone are right; and as it is
very difficult to find man whose
views square on all tours with the
views of another they are in perpetual
minority.
"They can pick flaws in the Sermon
on the Mount and demonstrate them.
They can prevent the enactment OF
much legislation but they cannot Sc.
cure the passage of any affirmative
measure. They are the :" plain
clothes" men of legislative bodies, al.
ways looking for irregularities and
sinister motives and always finding
them, real or imaginary. They are
present in every legislative body on
earth and they are exceedingly valu-
able members.
"They are like ballast in balloon
impeding progress but necessary for
a safe voyage. No one wants to see
them disappear from legislative
bodies but everyone prefers that some
other state or district than their own
should furnish them, for as rule men
prefer an accomplished to preventer
and a legislator must be able to com
mand majority in order to accom-
plish. A natural insurgent is like a
man who is continually firing blank
cartridges on duck pass. He keeps
others from securing game, but he
don't fill his own bag with ducks.
"This class of men enjoy being in
surgents; they would not be anything
else if they could and they could not
be anything else if they would.
"Insurgents from principle-This
class embraces such men as Senators
Nelson, Bristow, Cummins, Repre-
sentatives Stevens, Volstead, Gronna
and many other senator's and repre-
sentatives. These men are not natural
insurgents. They much prefer to be
regular. They are strict party men;
believers in party organization and
party discipline, and can only be in
duced to 60 against the majority OF
their party colleagues by the strong
est reasons. They believe this bill is
bad; that it will be detrimental to the
welfare of the prosperity Of the people
as a whole and they have opposed it
with vigor that has caused it's sup
porters many sleepless nights and,
whether right Or wrong, their position
is entitled to the respect of all fair
minded men.
"Insurgents from policy-This class
need not be named. Those who have
followed the proceedings in the house
and senate can locate them without
difficulty. They have no convictions.
They voted against the bill because
they believed such action would en-
nance, their chances for reelection
and they would have voted for it with
equal alacrity if they had believed
the reverse had been the case.
"They shouted defiance at the
leaders for the benefit of their constit.
uencies and they whispered apologies
to the leaders for the benefit of them.
selves.
''This class of lawmakers are the
bane of legislation and they are just
as numerous in the ranks of the
regulars as among the insurgents,
and there are as many in the demo
cratic fold as there are in the re.
publican.