The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1909-11-28
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From The Times Regular Correspond
ent, Clyde H Tavenner.
ESPECIAL TO Iar noss,se TINES,

ESPECIAL TO the MnRNsNG TINES,
Washington. Nov. 27-When Joseph |
g. Cannon resumes business as speaker
of the house of representatives. on Dec. |
.. it viii net be with quaking fears for
the safety of his dictatorship, as those
who have been reading the threats o.
the insurgents might expect.
Quite on the other hand, ..Nnele
joe will in all probability call the
house to order with a greater secret
confidence in his power to rule than he
ever possessed before.
The speakers optimism will be due
partly to his temperament, which does
not permit him to conceive for sin
gle moment that insurgency is thing
to be taken seriously, ana partly be
cause he knows full well that he has a
firmer grip on the law-making machin-
cry Of the United States than he ever
had before.
Be it known that wise old Uncle
joe has gone over every part of the
mechanism which for years has enabled
sought by the people, and has strength
ened every weak spot in the all powerful
legislative machine which defes ma
iorities in the house and listens atten-
lively to but one voice-that of the
special interestst
Your >'Uncle Joe has gone to the
trouble to Stpack'' every important
committee of the house. BY this is
meant that in appointing members to
committees he has placed a majority
on nearly every committee that either
thinks as he does on legislation that
must of necessity come before par
ticular committee, or else the speaker
has appointed men that he knows will,
beyond the shadow Of doubt, do his
bidding. The power to appoint com
mittee, when considered with the COM
mittee rules, makes the speaker the
master and not the servant of the
house. Under the rules all the com
mittees are appointed by the speaker.
| All measures introduced in the house
are referred to committees. No meas
ures can be considered unless reported
| by a committee. except by unanimous
consent
/ For instance. bills relating to cen
| trail government bank, which Senator
Aldrich intends to eventually force
upon the country, must of necessity be
referred to the committee on banking
and currency.
| In appointing the 10 members of the
| committee on banking ana currency, the
were men loyal to the Cannon Aldrich
! Taft triumvirate.
The former chairman of this impor
! tant committee was Charles n. Fowler
of New Jersey. Fowler showed dis
! position to be conscientious and indie
pendent in the consideration of legis-
iation that came before his committee.
/ And he was deadly antagonistic to a
/ central government bank Fowler was
/ kicked out and Aldrich's man, Vree-
land, was made chairman.
The committee on banking and cur
reny is not only packed in favor of any
currency legislation Senator Aldrich 9
monetary commission may recommend,
but against any banking legislation
that AI1rich may object to. A1drich
represents the big Wall street bankers,
and thus the short cut from Rockefeller,
/ Morgan, ct al, to the house commit
apparent.
The committee on postoffiees and post
roads is likewise packed against postal
savings banks Although every other
great nation adopted postal banks years
ago. the speaker still considers them in
The ''vicious legislation class. I'm
Gle Joe'' eonscientiously believes that
as speaker it ia incumbent upon him
/ Individually to decide what Legislation
should be allowed to pass, and what
should be killed. Convinced that Ger
tain bin should lie at some point en-
route through congress, the speaker
does not feel justified in giving the
other 391 members of the house even q
chance to vote, because they might be
sufficiently indiscreet to pass the bill
In the case of postal banks, 1t has
long been contended by friends of the
project that the lower house would pass
a al bank bill with little ceremony
if the measure should be allowed to
come up for a vote
When it is considered that Senator
Penrose of Pennsylvania, who has dem
onstrated his faithfulness to the special
interests as often as opportunities have
offered, is chairman Of the committee
on postoffces and postroads in the sen