Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-23

The Journal at 1O:15 o'clock last night
received by mail from Washington, a
letter from Congressman Charles 6.
Edwards asking that the following sell
explanatory statement be printed in Sun
days Journal. The statement in full, fol-
lows:
The six Georgia Observation-Disclosures
Howard. Brantley, Edwards, Lee ana
Grggs-who voted in opposition TO Mi
nority Leader Clark on Monday for the
Fitzgerald amendments to the house
rules are serene and good-humored un-
der the criticisms that have been fired
at them. They say these criticisms are
being made under the excitement of the
moment, and under a misrepresentation
of the facts by many. They say
We differed from some of our Demo
cratic brethren as we had the right TO
do, on a question of policy not of prin-
ciple. We believed it more in keeping
with Democracy and the plank of the
Denver platform declaring for revl-
sion, rather than create a committee
composed of nine Republicans and siA
Democrats to carry out the Democrats
platform
while four of the Republicans on the
committee were to be insurgent Republi-
cans, the committee was to have nine
months in which to make a report, which
was ample time for the nine Republicans
on it TO get together and decline to make
any amendments that would protect the
rights of the minority in the house. We
believed that now was the time to re-
wise the rules of the house and not next
December We voted for amendments
prepared by a Democrat and prepared II,
strict accordance with the Democratic
platform We could not understand how
il could be Democratic on the one hand
for Democrats to vote for a resolution
dictated by Republicans, creating a Re
publican committee to revise the rules,
and on the other hand be unDemOcratic
to vote for specific amendments prepared
and proposed by Democrat, simply be-
cause these amendments met with sup
port from some Republicans. If it is
Democratic for some Democrats TO at
filiate and vote with some Republicans,
II can't he unDemocratic to permit the
remaining Republicans to follow the lead
of the remaining Democrats. We not
only voted for Democrats amendments
in strict accord with the Denver plat
form, bur we violated no caucus pledge in
doing so.
For twelve years and more no Demo-
cratic caucus has been binding. 1t has
only been advisory. There was no rule
adopted last Monday making the caucus
action binding or anything more than
advisory. At this caucus the resolution
that was afterwards introduced by min
GRITTY leader Clark in the house was not
read, nor were the names of the gen.
tlemen included therein as a committee
stated. Pending the question of adopt
ing resolutions generally for a revision
of the rules to be demanded by Mr..
Clark, Mr.. Howard. of our delegation.
in open caucus inquired of Mr.. Clark
if he would hold 1t contrary to the pro-
posed caucus resolution. for a Democrat
to vote for amendments other than those
that might be proposed by Mr.. Clark,
and which had not received caucus sane
ton, provided they were in accord with
the general Democratic idea of re-
vision, and Mr.. Clark said he would not.
When the house met all Georgians voted
for Mr.. Clark for speaker. and they all
voted against the adoption of the old
rules. They helped create a situation
wherein they could force the majority
members to accept amendments to the
rules now, and they took advantage of
that situation"
Amendments Valuable
1.-THE amendments secured are exceed
ingly valuable to the minority and are
more so than any committee composed
Of nine Republicans and six Democrats
could reasonably be expected to make.
Under the Calendar Wednesday, forced
out Of the majority just before the close
of the Sixtieth congress, 1t was left in
the power of the majority of the house
to set it aside. Under the Fitzgerald
amendments a two-thirds vote is neces-
sary to set II aside. In other words
the Republicans, being In the majority,
could, prior to the Fitzgerald amend
ments, set it aside as often as they
pleased. They cannot set 1t aside in this
congress now without the help of Demo-
Gratis, as a two-thirds vote is required
For many years the Democrats have
complained of the permanent and spe-
cial rules under which they have never
been able to get a record vote on any
affirmative legislation. They have been
compelled to appear before the country
in the light of obstructionists simply
Under the Fitzgerald amendments the
minority can always have a record vote
on their proposed legislation, and the
committee on rules can never report a
special rule taking this right away"
Unanimous Consent Calendar
1.-The great bulk of legislation is pass
ed under the unanimous consent rule,
but until the Fitzgerald amendments a
member having a bill to pass had to call
on the speaker and secure his permits
sion to ask unanimous consent of the
house to consider it. Now there is a
unanimous consent calendar. and mem
bers bills come up automatically. The
Wednesday calendar, protected as II now
is by the Fitzgerald amendments, to-
gether with this unanimous consent call
endar, seem to guarantee effectively the
power Of the house to consider such leg
islation as it pleases without consult
ing the wishes of the speaker. 1t was
very easy and quite natural after the
Fitzgerald amendments were adopted, for
some of the organized Republicans to
say these amendments strengthened the
Republican house organization and other
wise to express approval of them. The
fact remains, however, that these same
organized Republicans, although in con-
troll of the house for many years, never
proposed them. Many Democrats now
agee that these amendments make a
great improvements in the rules, although
some OF them preferred to risk the pro-
posed committee of nine Republicans and
six Democrats to recommend changes
rather than to adopt them. We disagreed
with them on this in good faith and in
good feeling, recognizing their sincerity
as equal 10 ours. We feel that we took
advantage of an opportune moment, and