The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-06-27
SPEAKER cANNoN's REVIEW.

Speaker Cannon s review of the work
of the session of Congress which has
just closed. has wailing note In 1T,
although on the whole, he is inclined
TO give ample credit for work done,
He calls it "strenuous session. and
comedies that at times there were ag-
gressive, earnest. positive clashes be-
tween the different interests represented.
Most strenuous, earnest and effective OF
ALL however, he does not specify, nat
urally so. because it was directed
against himself, and it almost dislodged
him from the chair, while effectively
curbing his power.
The Speaker discusses the enormous
appropriations, takes rather all apollo
getic tone with respect to them, and
turns a savage face towards the Dem
ocrats for wanting to make the appro'
priations even greater than the" were.
All this, however, will not explain away
the fact that Senator Aldrich, man OF
enormous business capacity, made the
open claim that $500, 100000 could be
tu III tuc RONEl w
if proper business methods were adopted
and enforced. Why did not Congress
take some steps toward installing those
methods, instead OF making the appro-
priations greater than ever betoreF 1t
is this that will have to be explained
TO the people in the campaign which
will end with the elections next Novem'
ber, and that explanation will be the
hardest to make of anything that will
confront the "stand-patters during
that campaign
Speaker Cannon claims that the work
of this Congress has been greater than
any other with which he has been iden~
lifed as member, and he continues:
cit has been constructive legislation
in the face of destructive tactics and
efforts to create factional strlfe.' 1t
has been constructive legislation be-
cause the executive department of the
Government usurped the control of Con
gress and directed that body what 1T
must pass, and what form the legislation
must take. The dispatches have had
constant accounts of the President call
ing III Senators and Representatives and
or that measure, must leave out that or
the other measure, and must conform
to certain ideas and forms that he
pushed to the front In the enactment
of law. If it is a good thing to have
Congress merely the echo of the e1ecu-
oln ~,
may be allowed, so far as constructive
legislation is concerned. But those who
are jealous of the rights of the Iegisla-
tive branch of the Government must
not be blamed if they see In the loss OF
prestige of that department, greater
danger to republican institutions than
any possible gain that can result from
the legislation enacted.
|, When, however, Speaker Cannon re-
fers to destructive tactics and efforts
to create factional strife,'' he becomes
crimly humorous The alleged destruc'
tive efforts, the alleged factional strife
were more because of him, his person
atty, and his bulldozing tactics than of
any other thing that can be mentioned
When it comes to a question of destruc.
ton, it must be remembered that he
was the one who undertook to destroy
all independent views in the House OF
Representatives. Every member who
did not bow down to his dictum was de
nounced as an enemy, a Democrat, and
fit subject for the gallows; he was
| degraded from his committee positions
and put down and ignored and snubbed
in every possible way. And when II
comes to factional strife, certainly moth
ing could be better calculated to Bti,
it up and embitter it than the course
Cannon pursued in endeavoring to crust
out all opposition to his views and tt
read out of the Republican party all oj
those independent spirits who are moi
able to see things through his particular
| focus
In his review of the work of Con
gress, Speaker Cannon shows fortl
anew his peculiar characteristics, hi
arrogance, and the one.sided views t.
which he is so prone. And these very
characteristics, with his narrow par
tisanship, make his apologetics as vel
as his assertions and claimss most inter
esting reading.