East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-09-03
THE Ak WAITS
FOR UNCLE JOE
SUNSET OF CANNONISM is
BUT FEW HOURS AWAY
A Powerful Opposition Is Forming to
Depose the Iron Duke of Ameri-
can Politics"-Rebels TO His Tyrant
Rule Are Loading Their Guns
Aged Speaker Must Go.
bureau of United Press. J


Washington. Sept. S.-."Uncle joe
Cannon, the Iron Duke of American
Politics." is going to have a rough
road to travel during the coming ses-
sion of congress.
That is the opinion of members
here who are following the situation
closely. The throwing of the gaunt-
let by Representative Fowler, of New
Jersey, and his drastic arraignment
of the speaker and his machine" in
the house, is but the preliminary def
of those who are busily engaged in
laying plans to encompass the down
fall of the DanvilIe statesman and
the policies for which he stands.
The so-called insurgents made a
vigorous but Intellectual fight against
"Cannonism" at the last session. They
lost, but it is extremely doubtful
whether the speaker really 'got even
with these reformers by giving them
the poorest committee assignments in
his power. The insurgents them
selves are rather pleased that the
speaker treated them in this way
it gives them more ammunition for
the next battle, and it only strength
ems their contention that the greatest
of all evils in the present government
of the house is the speakers power
of suppressing men on committees,
or in packing the committees so
,tsfl h. at 20 n T.. xtsi1t
Then too, Speaker Cannon's repu-
tation wasn't enhanced part cularly
by the course he adopted during the
tariff session. He was aligned with
the high duty advocates. II was
Uncle Joe" who later was found
working-quietly but vigorously 4
against President Taft in his efforts
to secure reductions. Some members
are now wondering whether, II the
rules actually had been revised on
March 10, there would not have been
"real downward tariff revision
when the Payne bill was acted loon.
The chances are that during the 7axt
session every bit of legislation pro-
lilbAtu bN 5BNthtl NfelAlADIl NA'A ~
thoroughly scrutinized for possible
'jokers."
rhe president has already an
nounced that he will ask congress
next session to enact new railroad
legislation. He favors progressive
laws which will give the government
greater regulative power over rail-
way operations. So far, Speaker Can
non has stood sharply against such
legislation and he is hostile to any
attempt further to increase the gov
ernment's supervisory power over
corporations.
1t has more than once been whisper
ed that the president has small SYM
pathy for the one-man house of rep
resentatives. He doesn't like Gears
and "iron dukes" He wants a real
ly representative house of represen-
tatives, and it would not be at all a
surprise to members to see the guns
of the administration leveled against
"Cannonism" at the next session.
Meanwhile the insurgents are busy
on the Chautauquas and lyceum cir
cults laundering denunciations Of the
speaker. No one has yet had the te-
merity to tour the country in his fa-
vor. And so the sentiment against
the house machine grows. 1t is safe
to predict that some of those men,
bers who have been most active in
their support of Uncle Joe and most
concerned in the coercive methods he
uses, will have hard time getting
! reelected the next time.