Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-24
DEMOCRATS IN REVOLT
Declare Open War Against
CIark's Leadership.
"BOLTERS" ISSUE A Def
Justify Their Votes in Support Of
Fitzgerald Rules.
TO ACT INDEPENDENTLY
Assert They Have in No Way Vio-
lated Party Platform Pledge in
Refusing to Be Gagged.
TO ACT INDEPENDENTLY

democrats is wide and yawning wider. A
fight is on against the leadership pro-
gram inaugurated by Champ Clark Yes
terday and last night Mr.. Clark was noti-
fled by most of the Fitzgerald faction
that they would not follow his standard
any longer. but would act and vote in
dependently whenever they got good and
ready.
The whole row is simply the result of
the natural and inherent antagonism be-
tween the Bryan or radical faction of
the House democrats and the conserva-
tives. AS one of the latter said yester-
day. ollie James leads Clark. the leader.
and is in turn led by Bryan" For years
the radicals have been the minority fac
ton of the House democrats and John
Sharp Williams kept them So Now.
however. they are on top. Some folks
say the unusual position has made them
giddy.
Defending their action in not attending
the democratic caucus Monday night and
In voting as they did on the day the
House organized for the Fitzgerald
amendments to the rules. the six Geor-
gle "bolters" from the party, Representa-
DAohsASS' AAS1A6SlOh, lctp I1OWdFus
Grfggs and Edwards. assert in a state
ment made yesterday that 1.-The action Of
the caucus last night in adopting rules
10 make the action of future caucuses
complete vindication at the hands of the
caucus itself for the votes We cast on
the day the House organized.
Defend Their Votes.
They claim that their votes were in
xs-it
and the presidents of the party for all
time and not lin violation of any party
caucus They were democratic votes on
amendments initiated and proposed by a
democrat and We stand by them"
They declare that the fight against one
man power under the rules of the House
was lnsincere and merely pretense in
which connection they call attention to
the caucus held on the morning Congress
ocrats should take their voting orders
blindly from Mr.. Clark on the floor of the
House and follow his lead regardless of
where he went" and also to the caucus
neid that same evening. where it was
soiemniy resolved that no democrat
should accept a committee assignment
at the hands of the Speaker unless Mr..
Clark consented thereto.
speaking for ourselves as democrats
and. as we believe. for a large majority
Of the democrats we represent they add.
we want to say further that in our
opinion the plan of fusion of recent
years so popular with the leadership of
our party should be abandoned, unless
cratic principles The evil of this last
attempted fusion was, first: the aban-
donment of democratic precedents since
the foundation of our government ana Of
our party, and, second. the protection of
the republican party by unloading its
sins OF commission and of omission on
the fake called 'Cannonism.' -.
What Is Meant by "Cannouism."
They ''deplore the unseemIy wranele
that took place" at Monday nights eau
Gus. and declare that they did not at
tend because they thought their absence
would 'be more conducive to harmony
than our presence" In reply to the reso-
luton adopted i'm which their action In
supporting the Fitzgerald plan of saving
Cannonism' was declared to be ''in con-
f1ict with the caucus action of their partv
and in violation of it's platform pledge"
they hold that more indefinite and
meaningless criticism could not have
been written
They say that 1.-THE term Cannonism. ="
is indefinite and uncertain as to its mean
ing.
III it relates to the individual, tbev
state, we laid the foundation for his
elimination by our action in proposing
that depocrats insist on their republican
allies voting against him, and the caucus
threw our proposals to the wind If 1t
relates to the republicanism of which the
individual Is the exponent. we have no
sympathy with that, and the criticism is
ba se1ess."
The rules of the House, they say. have
never Handicapped the majority party.
Their evil has been that they disfran-
chised the minority party" They declare
that every Congress. whether democratic
Or republican, from the first has conceded
to the Speaker 1.-The power of organizing
the House by the appointment of the
committees" and that while there is a
rule which reserves this power to the
House itself. that body has always re-
fused to exercise its power in this regard
What They Object To.
For a democratic leader to propose in
the House amendments TO the rules that
are in violation of all democratic prece-
dent because they take such power from
| the Speaker" they protest, land to an
nounce policy that reverses the policy
OF every democratic Speaker and of every
democratic House for a hundred years is
one thing, but when it is proposed to
Icritlcfse democrat for not following him,
that is another thing: and it is still an
other thing when such criticism is at
ltenpted to be justified by reason of a
caucus action obtained through the ap-
Indication nj rI,io nd