The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-27


been helpless in any effort to register
IT'S VIII, because any resolution for a
special rule to bring the bill to a vote
would have to be referred to the COM
mlttee on rules dominated by Champ
clark, leader of the minority ard lead
er of the efforts to prevent the enact
nent Of the bill.
To put 1t in another way, the nomi-
nal republican majority in the house
would have been destroyed, If all the
minority had co-operated with the so
called 'insurgent Republicans" and the
very first pledge of the Republican ma
uonal convention and the Republican
president, Mr.. Taft, would have failed
as completely as though q Democratic
house of representatives had been elect
ed instead of a house with a nominal
Republican majority of 46.
Mr.. Clark has always been regular in
his own party. For his benefit and that
of Mr.. Bryan I cite the rule adopted
by the Democratic majority, August Ii,
1884, for consideration of the Wilson
tariff bill, for which both Mr.. Clark
and Mr.. Bryan voted. and which ac-
cepted en- bloc over 800 senate amend
r.ents. This rule was reported by Rep
resentative Wilson of West Virginia,
from the committee on rules, but he
stated that. it was in accordance with
the action and will of the Democratic
caucus:
Resolved. That after the adoption of
this resolution, dt shall be in order in
the house to move that the order here
tofore made requesting a conference
With the senate on the disagreeing votes
of the two houses or H. r. 1864 be re-
scinded; that the conferees heretofore
appointed on the part of the house be
discharged from further duty in that
behalf, and that the house rece0e from
its disagreement to the senate amend
ments 10 said bill in gross and agree to
the same; that after two hours debate
on said motion (Which shall be be in
civisible) the vote shall be taken with
out delay or other motion"
Crisp and the Rules.
Speaker Crisp left the chair and took
the floor in support of the rule. Among
other things. he said:
Il want the gentleman (Mr. Cockran)
to understand and I want the country
to understand that the deserters from
the cause of tariff reform are not these
conferees and others who have been
making this great struggle and who
now advise that this bill be accepted,
but the deserters are rather those gem
tlemen, who in the midst of the fight,
because they do not approve all the
provisions of this bill hold back and
say, We will have no lot or part in
this struggle further
Mr.. Bryan, in defending his vote on
that bill said:
II voted for every thing in that bill
today, because that is the best we could
co, and now am going to do better
by voting for these separate bills. I
want to suggest we did not go Tar
enough that they may stand in the at
titude Of the criminal who, when sent
to the penitentiary complained of the
inef1ciency of the prosecuting attorney
and said: He has not done his duty;
he ought to have had me hung, but
instead of that I get off with a term
in the penitentiary.'
Now a word about the rules of the
house of representatives which have
been so much discussed by people who
know so little about them or those who
have simply found them convenient SUBJ
ject for Misrepresentation.
We have had these rules since the
beginning of the government and sub
stantiaily without change for the past
20 years, until a few months ago two
changes were made at the suggestion
of the so-called insurgents" who then
voted against the adoption of the modi-
fcationS.
In the Fifty-first congress, presided
over by Speaker Reed. changes were
made to prevent filibustering and en-
able the majority to conduct the BUSH
ness for which it was responsible. The
Democratic minority denounced these
changes as despotic and revolutionary
and succeeded in infiaming the country
against Mr.. Reed as tyrant who
throttled the will of the peoples repre-
sentativeS. Such was the success OF
that agitation that the Democrats con-
trolled the house in the Fifty-Second
and Fifty-third congresses. In the
Fifty congress they had to try
to get along without some of the fea-
lures of the Reed rules which they had
denounced. but in the Fffty-thtrd con-
gress, when they had tariff bill to
enact, they made a clean sweep of their
old prejudices and took these rules to
their breasts as though they had or
iginated them. They went further and
enlarged the power of the committee
on rules by giving it authority to sit
report at any time and without previous
notice.
Refers to the Record.
Anv one who desires to know what
The Democrats really think of these
rules should turn to the Congressional
Record for the first session of the Fifty
third congress. There he will find
voice and vote and especially defend
ing the committee on rules having the
light to bring in a rule to stop fill
clustering. He declared:
1--WE are simply putting power in the
hands of the house to conduct its
business and to stop delay"
Did you ever hear Mr.. Bryan ridi-
{ uIe this identical statement when it
{ anne from a Republican?
In that congress Speaker Crisp left
the chair to defend the rules. some
thing no other speaker ever did. and
he, like Mr. Bryan, declared that.
1.-THE power lodged in that commit
ee Con rules) is simply the power to
report to the house proposition for
us action
He very truthfully said that the
louise could always vote down re-
port from the committee on rules if a
majority opposed it, Both Crisp and
Bryan were sincere then and they sim
riv stated an exact truth which had
been stated many times before and has
cen stated many times since.
My friend, Champ Clark, was also
in that congress and voted for the
adoption of these rules. He was right
hen, as men who have responsibility
placed upon them are more often
manly and honest than when they have
10 responsibility and are tempted to
play the demagogue.
If the Democrats Should again Sc