The Falls City tribune., 1909-03-12
PoLLARDS VERSION OF 1T
What the Congressman Thinks OF
the Washington Dispatches

'-'+ >@@
was shown the Washington dis
patches published in the State
journal under date of March LIST,
commenting upon his voting for
the adoption of the rule of the
House creating 4 calendar We'd
nesday, he made the following
comment:
1T seems strange. but it 80 often
occurs, that the advocates of reform
are so likely to fan into the habit Of
calling every man Il traitor or dishon-
est who does not agree with them in
all their views. | have attended ev-
cry meeting, ave one, of the so-ealled
insurgents and have taken an active
part in the discussions of the CON
templated changes in the rules of the
House. From the beginning of these
meetings, whenever the question of
taking the power of appointing com
mittees from the Speaker was discuss
ed, | always expressed a doubt as to
the good results that would follow
such action. / have felt that It would
be better to have t II : power
lodged in the hands of one man who
could be-held Irresponsible than 10 have
it divided between a committee OF II
men. \ committee of - would sim
ply result in placing the control Of the
House in the hands of the larger
states whose representative in the
House i 5 or Il times greater than our
own and by a system of log-rolling the
representatives from t h e smaller
states would receive little or no con-
sideration. If d representative did
not receive a committee assignment
he desired he would be cold by his
member Of the committee on rules
that he had done al he could but that
the other "A men prevented him hay-
ing his way. The tendency would be
to shift responsibility. not only in
committee assignments, but in all
matters Of legislation. where the com
mittee on rules might be called upon
to act. There is no possibility of the
Speaker Sinking responsibility on
any matter upon which he is called
upon to act, As proof that the on
templated change would not improve
matters it is only necessary to refer
to the ins~urrection in the Senate on
the part of new members for recogni-
ton. The committees Of the Senate
are selected by a committee on COM
mittees-the Senate ratifying the ac-
ton of said committee. The commit
tee on committees is made up of ena
tors with long service back of them.
They have absolute control over, not
only the committee assignments. but
of the legislation to be enacted. The
Senate Is now operating under d rule
almost identical with the rule it is
proposed. to have the House adopt.
Everyone knows that this rule has not
made conditions in the Senete any
better than they are in the House.
My contention has been that the re-
m0yal from the Speaker Of the power
to appoint committees would not
change the coutrol OF legislation in
the House or better conditions. There
cannot be to exceed p or % republic
can out of i219 in the Glst Congress
that are Directing to the Speaker APP
pointing committees. OF course tits
absurd to claim that these % men can
control the other l93 even though the
rule should be adopted. Under any
division of the country by %geographi
cal districts that could be made it
would be impossible for any one of the
% insurgent republicans to secure a
place on the committee 0 n rules. The
men OF long service in the House who
are now chairman of committees and
its recognized leaders backed by the
1913 will.elect every u Of the 9 re-
publican members of tie committee
ON rules, the % insurgents to the on
trary Notwithstanding. 1t would sim
ply he a transfer from the Speaker TO
a committee, wholly in sympathy with
him, the power to select the commit
tte s of the House. The change would
be a change in name only and not a
change in fact. l signed the bill in
troduced by the % republicans simply
because ! had acted with them in
these preliminary deliberations, feel
ing that committed TO it on that ac-
count and had this rule been present
ed to the House I would have Kept my
faith and voted for it even though it
did not meet my best Judgment
The other rule tn insurgents
agreed upon was a calendar Tuesday,
This rule submitted to the House pro-
yided not for a calendar Tuesday but
for a calendar Wednesday, in substan-