The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-21
THE REAL CAUSE OF
CANN0N'S DOWNFALL
Crumpacker's Pique Over Ad-
verse Vote Started Row
NORRIS In THE BREACH
When crumpacker Failed 10 Get AtteB-
tion on His Resolution Norris
Jumped in and Brought About
the Great Crisis

washington, March 2o.-The most IN
significant sort of resolution OF ne
particular consequence to anybody was
the direct cause OF the whole three
days war which has just ended in the
House of Representatives. This was a
little resolution not 90 words in length
introduced by Representative SABBATH
democrat, of Illinois, providing that IN
the coming census the enumerators
should ascertain the mother lansuag e
spoken by the people of this coun-
try
1t was this harmless resolution which
Representative Crumpacker, republi-
can, of Indiana, chairman of the House
census committee, presented last We'd
mes and which entangled the. House
in disagreement that lasted all that
day to the exclusion of the business of
calendar Wednesday.
Defeated then, Representative Crum-
packer renewed the offering of his rese-
luton on the following day of Thurs
day and Speaker Cannon's ruling on
1t that day brought forth from the
pocket of Representative Norris of
Nebraska the rules resolution which
had been reposing there for weeks for
just such an occasion, and precipitated
the titanic struggle which ended to-
night after three days of unprecedented
chaos and disorder in the House.
Had Representative Crumpacker been
content to take his defeat "Wednesday
and 1t meant nothing more than tnN
he could not have gotten his commit
tee resolution considered on that par
ticular day, and all would have been
Well, and the greatest battle in the
history OF the House would probably
never have been precipitated.
Mr. Crumpacker believed he was right
and he felt piqued over the refusal of the
House to consider his little resolution
The next day, Thursday, he brought out
again before the House the same matter
Speaker Cannon ruled that it was based
on constitutional grounds and therefore
was privileged matter. In making this
ruling the speaker had been assured by
the republican whip that he had
enough republican votes on the floor to
sustain him in his ruling, but Just here
the plans went awry, and a deluge fol-
lowed that finally swept the speaker from
his chair and back again.
When the House voted that day fol-
lowing the speakers ruling on the CEN
sus resolution on the question OF sus-
tanning the chair, a majority Of the
House voted against the speaker
Immediately Representative Norris. the
irsurgent, was on his feet. His time had
come, the time for which he had waited
and watched for weeks with his creased
resolution in his pocket, ever ready to
seize an opportunity to introduce it. Smil-
irg. deferential and entirely innocent Of
the impending cataclysm, Speaker Cam
non recognized the gentleman from Me-
braska," with his pocket-worn resolution
In his extended hand Immediately Mr.
Norris asserted that under the speakers
ruling just rendered on the Crumpac ker
resolution his own resolution on the re-
oiganization of tho rules committee
which he now offered, was also privileged
on constitutional grounds
There was no way out for even the willy
speaker. For two whole days and a night
ne did not rule on the Norris resolution
and held the House in Allowance while
every effort was exhausted by the repub-
lican side to secure enough votes to s1s-
tain the speaker and prevent the reorran
ization Of the rules committee, and the
rout and ruin of the forces of the Houae
organization. In vain. Votes SUFFICIENT
TO defeat the Norris resolution were never
found.