Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1909-06-21
BY FRANCIS BURTON HARRISON

| by any congress on the tifht
made against Cannon rules. AS the
congressman from Nevada is concern
! ed in this fight and is under criticism
for his part in it The Appeal prints
The recent fight over the rules OF
the House OF Representatives has
been the cause OF must mismder-
standing and no little misrepresenta-
ton. AS one OF the twenty-thrce
Democrats who supported the Fitz
gerald amendments upon That Occas-
ion. | should be glad TO make plain
statement OF just what OC Cured.
approach that subject with some de
gree Of hesitation, however. because
owing to the tcChniCalities involved,
members OF Congress themselves. and
10 greater degree newspaper men,
have been cOnspicuously unwilling
or unable to inform themselves as 10
just what the rules are, and what it
was they wanted when clamoring to-,
reform In fact, it may be said that
those loudest in the cry for reform
have been precicely the most isuor-
ant about the rules.
The rules OF the House were moi
made by Speaker Cannon. They are
the gradual growth of nearly one
hundre. and twenty years Oh parlia-
mentary practice. AS used in recent
Congresses they are the result OF a
cOditication by Democratic Cong
ress in 1880, With four ?dditions made
by Speaker Reed. The Reed rules in
turn We're adopted by the last Dem
ocratic House Of Representative and
enforced to the nilt. OF late years,
however, serious abuses We're found
to be growing up; individual mem
bers complained to their constituen
cies that they had no rights upon the
floor; that the Speaker, under the rul-
es, WronStuliy appropriated all pow
ers. Finally in the last campaign.
CannOnism. is it was termed, form
ed one OF the issues OF the day and
helped to decide the election Tor OF
against his party in several Congress
siOnai districts. Thus. upon the as
semblying of the SiNty-tir>, Congress
the rules were to be reformed; tnat
was obvious to all. What then were
the reforms demanded? They can be
no better described than by telling
YOU just what the Fitzgerald amend
ment to the rules actually secured OF.
the opening day OF this Congress. pre-
facing my statement with the remark
that, with one important exception,
the Fitzgerald amendments accom-
pliShed all tnat the most ardent re-
formers had been demanding. What
that exception is Will discuss later.
The Fitzgerald rules then provided:
First, for certain days i'll the House
OF Representatives when it shall be
in order 10 ask for "unanimOuS con-
sent" for the consideration OF bills
which the member in charge has TAX
en- the trouble to have fired on the
Clerks calendar. This removes one
OF the chief causes OF discomfort in
the past. Heretofore. members have
gone in supplicating manner hat IN
hand, to the Speaker TO ask his sra
CIouS pei IllSSlolI u NdII up iltIl PEI
bills before the House. We have done
away with that. Now each member
in the open, before his fellows, is en-
tilted to ask the House TO .Onsider his
bill.
Second, every Wednesday is estab-
hshed by the Fitzgerald rules as a
calendar day upon which bills upon
the calendar must be considered in
their order. This rule also requires
a two thirds vote of the House to
set aside any calendar day in favor o.
any other business. This does away
with one of the worst abuses Of the
past which had grown up through the
careleSSneSS and ignorance OF the
House itself. Through lack of insis-
tence by the membership On the House
upon frequent call OF committees, it
had come TO pass that he Speaker
considered. Now any bill reported by
a committee and rightfully on the cal
endar will have its day in the House,
whether the Speaker wills or not.
The third great reform accomplish
ed by the Fitzgerald amendments was
the securing TO the minority of the
right to move to recommit any bill
upon its tinai passage, with lnStruc-
tions to the committee to amend,
showing by a record vote the stand
of the minority upon the question in
vOlved in the bill. Heretofore, the
minority has had no such right, ii
having been the practice OF the
Speaker to recognize a friendly mem
Der of the majority to move to recon-
nit, thus shutting out members of the
minority from any expression of their
views.
These reforms just mentioned are
substantial. They take away from
the Speaker and give to individual
members the rights it was intended