Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-27

heart and he has formulated much of his
political philosophy on them In one of
these fables the wolves wanted the sheep
TO discharge the dogs and employ the
wolves TO defend them Mr. Clark's COM
same protection to the tariff bill that the
wolves would have given TO the sheep.
The republican majority of the House,
with clear majority in support of the
tariff bill, would have been helpless in
any effort to register it's will, because any
resolution for special rule to bring the
bill to vote would have had to be re-
ferred to the committee on rules domi-
mated by Champ Clark, leader of the mi
nority and leader of the efforts to pre-
vent the enactment of the bill.
ITO put it in another way. the nominal
republican majority in the House would
have been destroyed, if all the minority
had co-operated with the so-called in
pledge of the republican national conven-
ton and the republican President. Mr..
Taft, would have failed as completely as
though a democratic House of Represent
atives had been elected instead of a
House with a nominal republican ma jori-
ty of forty-siX.
Now a word about the rules of the
House of Representatives which have
been so much discussed by people who
know SO little about them or those who
have simply found them a convenient
subject for Misrepresentation.
I'VE have had these rules since the
beginning of the government and SUBJ
stantially without change for the past
twenty years, until few months ago
two changes were made at the sugges-
ton of the so-called insurgents, who then
voted against the adoption of the modifi-
cations.
Bryan Rules Defender.
Uh 70
the democrats really think of these rules
should turn to the Congressional Record
for the first session of the FYfty-third
Congress. There he will find William J..
Bryan defending them with voice and
vote and especially defending the COM
mittee on rules having the right to bring
in rule to stop flibustering. He de-
clared:
We are simply putting power in the
hands Of the House to conduct its BUSH
ness and to stop delay
Did you ever here Mr.. Bryan ridi-
Guile this identical statement when il
came from republican?
In that Congress Speaker Crisp left tn =
chair to defend the rules. something no
other Spea ker ever did. and ne, like Mr..
Bryan, declared that
The power lodged in that committee
ton rules) is simply the power to report
to the House proposition for its action
He very truthfully said that the House
could always vote down report from
the committee on rules if ma iority op-
posed it. Both Crisp and Bryan We're
sincere then and they simply stated an
exact truth which had been stated many
times before and has been stated many
times since.
MY friend. Champ Clark. was also in
that Congress and voted for the adoption
or these rules. He was right then as men
who have responsibility placed upon them
are more often manly and honest than
when they have no responsibility and are
tempted to play the dema gogue.
IF the democrats should again secure
control of the House and Mr.. Clark should
realize his ambition and be elected Speak
err. he Will. as certain as he maintains
manhood worthy such responsibility, re-
turn TO the position he occupied then ant!
again become an ardent defender of the
rules.
Edmund Burke said many years ago:
L find 1t impossible to conceive that any
one believes in his own policies or thinks
them of any weight who refuses to adopt
the means of having them reduced into
practice
The First Insurgent.
1.-The rules will remain substantially as
they have been and are SO long as we
have Congress, and the majority party.
whether republican or democratic, respon-
sible to the people for legislation. will be
their defenders. The opponents of the
rules have always been the men who did
not feel responsibility for the transaction
of the business laid before Congress.
Those who denounced them in the past
have lived TO defend them as the wheel
turned and they came into responsibility
Ever since history began the man in
hn min orifN ho haa
by which he could overcome the will of
the majority, and We have a popular if
not absolutely reliable. record OF one cele-
brated character antedatins history whose
serve in heaven There was on first
great insurgent, and he wac pitched over
the battlements of heaven. Since the Gre
alton of man there have been those at
work. on earth 10 encourage instruction
against order. which is heavens first law.
Neither Bryan. Cummins. La Toilette
Rristow or their followers claim that it
can be changed during the coming four
years, but they all agree in one thing
namely that they will agitate-and they
are agtating--for additional tariff legisla-
ton and. as the car of prosperity drawn
by ninety million people moves on they
are seeking to hinder its progress by
criticism and denunciation, and this, too
within three months of its enactment.
The demagogue we have always with
people, the only way to dispose of him
is to move on. The proof of the pudding
is the eating of il, and | am perfectly
willing to trust the verdict of prosper
Gus and happy people in the elections In
1910. after the new tariff law
has been in operation for over a year.
Raps at Newspaper.
At the conclusion of his prepared
speech. which he read. Speaker Cannon
INDUCED in some eXtemporaneous re-
in which he became vehement in
his objection to the attitude of local
paper toward him. He quoted the paper
as stating in yesterdays issue that
Speaker Cannon realizes that his popu-
larty is on the wane,'' and declared in
response to that statement that during his
long life he had never turned his back
upon friend or his face away from
an enemy.
Twill you print that?'' he yelled toward
the press table. and added: II am sorry
the editor of the paper is not here to
answer me himself.
Speaker Cannon depiored what he eX-
Z. aimed as the custom of some newspapers
20 misiead their readers AN an ingenious
OF headlines. and intimated
that the support of newspapers was not
always necessary for the success Of a
man in public life. He cited the recent