Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-13
BrOussard's Reward

1
Robert f. Broussard. of the Third Lou
siana district, is member of the ways
and means committee of the house, and
his assignment to this all important body
| is charged to the Democrats Recent oc-
icurrences in the house tend to indicate
however, that Mr. Broussard, a fine fell
low personally, is more of a Republican
than Democrat, and Speaker Cannon is
open to criticism for charging Brous-
sard's appointment to the minority. It's
all right enough to make Broussard d
member of the ways and means COM
mittee, but it isn't all right enough to
put him there as a Democrat.
| Broussard voted with the Cannon ma
chine against a, revision of the rules OF
the house.
Broussard, as a member of the ways
and means committee. voted i'm the conf
mittee for the Payne bill, although d
| Democrat.
Brousard. in the house, supported the
rule to cut off debate and ram the Payne
bill through
Broussard voted. in the house, against
| free lumber.
Yet Broussard serves on the ways and
means committee as Democrat He does
not train with his party on the tariff or
the management of the house, however.
Herbert Parsons Vote
Herbert Parsons. Republican, a repre-
sentative from New York city, voted
against the machine rule to cut off de-
bate and pass the Payne tariff bill. Mr..
Parsons vote has been the subject of
considerable comment, he having always;
heretofore voted with the machine. Every
body i'm the house sat up and took notice
when he voted may" on the PROPOSE
| ton.
Parsons simply objects to the ma
chine methods of the Republican bosses"
explained Victor Murdoch, of Kansas. in
discussing the vote "He has long wanted
to rebel against the bosses, but they have
managed to keep him I'm line heretofore
There was no particular schedule that
moved Parsons TO oppose the rule. He
| Just didn't like the method of ramming
the bill down all our threats, and seized
the opportunity to protest.
mo, Parsons is not yet full Pledged
insurgent, but he will soon be, 1 believe.
| He has seen that his vote the other day
| didn't cause him any bodily harm, and
| his spirit of independence will continue
to assert itself until finally he is en-
tirely off the reservation.
And there are scores of others like
| Parsons. The insurgent movement is
/ not dead by any means, neither is it
sleeping soundly. The days of the house
| machine are numbered.
A Safe Bet
| Parsons vote was as much of a sur
| prise to the Murdoch band of insurgents
| as it was to the house machine. The
| Murdockites supposed that Parsons
| would respond to the party lash, and the
| machine men thought of course he would
1 L., Da pannbIinan hOG
1 of the New York county, Parsons bolt,
never? But ne bolted just the same.
| Any suggestion of what might have
| happened to that rule, under different
i conditions, is of course speculative, but
/ it is a afe bet that had Parsons pur-
| pose to vote as he did vote been gener-
| ally known two days before the rule was
reported Speaker Cannon, John Dalzell
and Serene Payne would have had a
| sweet time passing it through the house.
1t is practically certain that they could
have never passed it with Republican
| votes, and it is decidedly doubtful If they
could have raided the wobbly OLD Demo-
| cratic party for enough votes to offset
the Republican defections.
The announcement that the Republican
leader of New York county, the leader
! by grace of God and Theodore Roose-
Welt, intended to oppose the rule would
| have meant assertions all along the line.
But Parsons held his tongue. A single
word from him would have stiffened the
| backs of the weakened Republicans
and the rule would have gone a-glim-
mering.
| Hides and Skins
! To Mr.. Underwood, of the Birmingham,
4 Ala. district belongs much of the credit