The Irish standard., 1909-12-04
The Sixty-Second Congress
to Convene Next Monday.
In the Capacity of Master,
Not Servant, "Uncle Joe"
Has Packed Every Important
Committee of the House.
Especial to the Irish standard.)


G.. Cannon resumes business as speak.
or of the House of Representative
next Monday, it will not be with quak-
ing fears for the safety of his dicta
torship, as those who have been read.
ing the threats of the insurgents
might expect.
Quite on the other hand, "Uncle Joe
will, in all probability, call the House
to order with greater secret conf
dence 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 sim
gle moment that insurgency is q
thing to be taken seriously; and part
ly because he knows full well that he
has f1rmer grip on the making,
machinery of the United States than
he ever had before.
Be it known that wise old "Uncie
Joe" has gone over every part of the
mechanism which for years has ena-
bled him to hold back and crush legis-
lation sought by the people, and has
strengthened every weak spot in the
all-powerful legislative machine which
defies majorities in the House and lis
tens attentively to but one voice
that of the special interests.
Your "Uncle Joe'' has gone to the
trouble to "pack" every important
committee in 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 a 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
mittees, when considered with the
committee on 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.
are referred to committees. No meas
IRE can be considered unless reported
by a committee, except by unanimous
consent.
For instance, bills relating to a CEN
trail government bank, which Senator
Aldrich intends to eventually force
upon the country, must Of necessity
be referred to the committee on bank
ing and currency.
In appointing the nineteen members
of the committee on banking and cu:-
rency, the speaker saw to it that more
than half were men loyal to the Can
non AldrichTaft triumvirate.
The former chairman Of this i'm
portant committee was Chas. N. Fowl
err of New Jersey. Fowler showed a
disposition to be conscientious and in
dependent in the consideration of leg
islation that came before his commit
tee. And he was deadly antagonistic
to central government bank. Fowler
was kicked out and Aldrich's man,
vreeland. made chairman.
The committee on banking and cur
rency is not only packed in favor Of
any currency legislation Senator AID
rich's monetary commission may rec
ommend, but against any banking leg
islation that Aldrich may object to.
Aldrich represents the big Wall Street
bankers and thus the short cut from
Rockefeller, Morgan, ct al, to the
House committee on banking and cur
rency is only too apparent.
The committee on postoff1ces and
post roads is likewise packed, against
postal savings banks. Although every
other great nation adopted postal
banks years ago, the speaker still con-
siders them in the "vicious legislation
class. "Uncle Joe" conscientiously be-
lieves that as speaker it is incumbent
upon him individually to decide what
legislation should be allowed to pass,
and what should be killed. Convinced
that a certain bill should die at some
point enroute to Congress, the speaker
does not feel justified in giving the
other SCI members Of the House even
a chance to vote, because they might
be sufficiently indiscreet to pass the
bill.
In the case of postal banks, it has
long been commended by friends of the
project that the lower house would
pass postal bank bill with little cere-
mony if the measure should be al
lowed to come up for a vote.
y When it is considered that Senator
SPenrose Of Pennsylvania, who has
demonstrated his faithfulness to the
special interests as often as oppor {.
Etunities hevc offered. is chairman IF
the committee - nostofices and post