The Washington times., 1909-03-10
NOT YET WHIPPED,
IS TODAY'S SLOGAN
Of THE INSURGENTS
Fight for Revision Of
House Rules Waxing
Hotter Now.
TAFT FRIENDS SAY
BATTLE is ENDED
Plan Now Afoot Is to Resume War
When House Convenes
Monday.
By ]. c. wELLIvER.

The fight over the house rules,
with President Taft, Speaker Can
non, the House organization, and
the regular" Senators on one side
and the Democrats and insurgents
CT the House on the other, is hotter
today than ever before.
The insurgents claim they have
not lost a vote as the result of the
espouSal of Cannon's cause By
President Taft.
Instead of ending the fight and
crushing rebellion, the White House
| pronouncement seems to have add
ed fuel to the flames.
The Administration and the Can
non forces insist that the fight IS
won; that not over nine insurgents
will stick to the end; that Cannon
will be reelected and the old rules
readopted.
The Democrats and insurgents
say they are working together.
The House insurgents, under the stag
rering blow dealt them from the White
/ House yesterday. went down for the
count. and looked ike easy losers.
1 But before they were out they came
up again, grinned, felt themselves OUT.
and this morning announced that they
were In the fight as hard as ever. de-
| termined TO stay 10 the finish, and. by
noon. were confidently predicting VIC
tory.
I'VE cannot find where we have lost
man." declared a group Of them AZ
/ conference at the House Office building
al noon. THE boys have been report
/ ing that they are as strong as ever in
! the cause. and while we don't expect
/ that every man will stand the terrific
pressure which is being put on them now
by the President. the postmastsrs, mem
bers of the Cabinet, and even Senators
1 who two days ago were in the most
l complets sympathy with Us. yet we eX-
pect to control enough votes TO win our
/ battle
/ The men who nave been carrying on
the insurgent fight OF the past session.
who stood through the calendar Wed
nesday fight and the ship subsidy strug-
gle, are not raw recruits. That fact
has been made plain by the fashion in
which they reformed their ranks TO-DAY
and went back 10 the fray.
Feel They kTs Right.
They feel. rights OF wrongly, that
they are on the right side of the ques-
ton: that a vast body OF opinion in
their home States is with them: and
that instead OF being rebels, they are
; taking the course which is calculated 70
save the new Administration from
serious mistake of policy
On the other hand. the forces of
Speaker Cannon and President Taft are
; Just as confident, according TO reports
today, that they have the fight won
Their revised list shows only nine hope
less recalcitrants in the insurgent list
which once boasted a proud thirty-four.
They expect nine Republicans 20 stay
to the last ditch and die in it No
/ more. They expect to re-elect Speaker
I Cannon and 10 adopt the old rules
With such a sweeping victory for regU-
be heard for years to come Of revolt
/ in the House
Such a struggle as is today in progress
has not been known in Washington in
many years
Last night everything. following the
! announcement Of President Tafts es-
pousal OF the regular cause, was chaos.
so far es the insurgents were concerned,
Meet in Groups
Groups of them got together and talk
ed over the situation; and II presently
developed that the worrying must be
done. not about those present. but about
. somebody else. Nobody seemed TO be
jarred. Before midnight, reports on the
: whole insurgent force were gathered in,
! and it was made plain that if the ranks
were TO be broken the telling charge
/, was yet TO be made by the regulars
The insurgents came up today with
: an answer 10 the charge that fight
4 over the rules, at the beginning Of the
new Congress, would mean delay, and
perhaps disaster, TO tariff revision
j THAT is a ghost which has been con-
i iured up to scare people who have not
4 fully informed themselves about the
: situation" said Representative Victor
: Arurdock Of Kansas for the insurgents
The fact is that tariff revision is quite
as safe. and perhaps safer, If we =
ahead and win this fight, than II Ne
e lose II has been our plan carefully &C
: avoid interference with the taFin re
|, vision. To that end, We propose, wher
: | WaVs and Means Committee for thi;
5 session, so that the work it has don'
e will not be lost.
: All Willing to Do That.
e Everybody is willing to do that; j
: has been our understanding long be
. fore the bogey of tariff embarrassment
was raised by the Speakers forces, fl
Q their desperation TO have an issue ol
which they could make US appear bs,
Republicans. 1t will be made yer.