Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-30
EINEAID AS AN INSURCENT
Congressman from Big Sixth Tells Of
His Opposition to Cannon.
DEFENDS COURSE IN THE FIGHT
Declares lie Has Missed only one
Meeting of the Insurgents and
Has Been Ms Active as the
Average Member.

BROKEN BOW, Neb., Jan. 2e.-(special)
Owing to the fact that numerous people
in this part Of the state have been express
ing much concern as to Congressman Kin
kaid's actual position in the insurgents -
ranks. H.. G. Myers of this place wrote
him a letter on the subject and received
the personal reply which follows. The let
ters referred to are from Congressman +.
a. Hayes and A. r.. Gardner, the latter
gentleman deploring the fact that on the
day OF the dinner Mr.. Kinkaid had un-
dergone a painful operation and was unable
TO attend;
January q. 1909. Herbert g. Myers,
Broken Bow. Neb.-My Dear Mr.. Myers:
I am i'm receipt OF your esteemed favor OF
the 18th inst. by which you write me fur
ther as to what / may have been doing In
the way of opposition to the official influ-
ence Of Mr.. Cannon. In my reply to your
first letter | stated that nothing had been
done or could be done by the present con-
gress, which is the Sixtieth congress, in
The way Of the election OF a speaker for
March 4, and while your last letter virtu-
ally grants this to be true. you further
state in effect that my constituents regard
the "insurgent" element as the most pro-
gressive OF the congress and that newspa
per reports have failed to identify me with
This element You state that 'the main
proposition under consideration is, In what
way have you been using your influences
against the influence OF Speaker Cannon?'
ENtDlNANk Will Eag AAt VIZ way WI NY VI
mention in which opposition TO Speaker
Cannon has been manifested by the I'm
been by agitating a change OF the rules, to
the end that less power be conferred upon
the speaker and more be reserved TO the
membership fundamentally.
Wnat have 1 done in this respect? Prsc-
tically l have done the same as other in
surgents," not so much as Colonel Hep
burn of Iowa, MIR. Gardner of Massachu-
sets or Mr.. Hayes OF California, who have
been the most active and conspicuous; but
more than a few and certainly as much as
the average. l have attended all the meet
ings save one, when IL was impracticable,
and i am pretty confident that every other
member identified with the movement, not
excepting the chairman himself, has missed
one or more of the meetings. More than a
year ago / became identified with the de-
mand for the very reformation of rules
now being sought, as a letter which Con-
gressman Hayes has volunteered to give
me, and which l shall send YOU. will YER
ify. l was one of the first TO advocate a
change in the rules, especially reserving
the right to the members of the house
themselves to name the standing commit
tees, and that is the principal thing now
being sought, at any rate by a majority of
the insurgents
However, this idea was not new to me
by any means when | became Identified
with the movement during the last session,
for | was an active factor in the legislative
session of 1883 of Nebraska in establishing
the first precedent that members of the
state senate themselves name the members
OF the standing committees, with the chair
man OF each. Hitherto the lieutenant gov
ernor had named the standing committees
OF that body. A few republican state sem
ators, OF whom / was one, Joined with So
called independent republicans and demo-
Gratis and carried the proposition against
the opposition of other republicans and
| possibly a few democrats. Ever since the
session Of lsss this precedent has been fol-
lowed and 1 have ever since been an ad-
vocate of the rule and principle and for at
least a year have been working for the
adoption of the rule in our national house
OF representatives.