Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-04-25
Miles POINDEXTER
GIVES Views ON INSURGENCY In
The HOUSE.
Suggests Remedy for CannOniSm.
He Would Have q Non Partisan
Speaker as in the British House Of
Commons, Making Boss Like Can.
non Impossible.

The letter which follows was writ
ten for the Seattle Star by Judge
Miles PoindeXter. In commenting
on the letter and its author, the edi-
tor Of the Seattle Star says:
For various reasons the following
article, written for the Seattle Star
by Miles Poindexter, insurgent con-
sressman from this state, is timely.
Congressman Poindexter, despite the
fact that this is his first term, is one
of the leading men in the lower
house. After Victor Murdoch, Poin-
dexter is perhaps the foremost in
surgent in congress.
He was prominent in the recent
parliamentary Waterloo of Speaker
Cannon, and he fought Cannon to
the end. He voted to depose him, be-
ing one of the nine who rose above
party sentimentality. Poindexter
will be much before the people Of
this state shortly, and his views are
consequently important.
The letter follows:
The election of Asher Kinds as
speaker of the house would accom-
plish at one stroke the inevitable re-
form of that body
speakership is typical political boss.
On various public occasions he has
asserted that the Speaker is the head
of his party in the house, and re-
sponsible for the business transact
ed; and he believes in using to the
uttermost the autocratic power
which the rules have placed in his
hands, to impose his judgment on
the house.
Until recently he has had the pow
er of appointing every committee Of
the house and thus controlled the
standing and influence of every MEM
| ber of the house; and, as though
this were not sufficient, he has been
virtually the committee on rules
the chairman OF it himself and select
| ing his associates thereon. Through
this committee the speaker could Sc
cure complete suspension of the
rules; select bills to be considered
and cut off amendment and debate.
! AS If it We're not sufficient, the
speaker exercised discriminatory
power in recognizing and refusing
to recognize members upon the floor.
No such arbitrary and enormous
powers are vested in any other officer
under a supposedly free government.
He was in a position to dictate the
laws of nation, and did exercise it.
Furthermore, he exercised it to de-
feat progressive measures, to favor
special interests, and did SO in an
arrogant and fragrant manner. The
continuance of such a system, admin
istered by such a tyrant, if not re-
lieved by a revolution in the house,
would sooner or later have been re-
lieved by revolution in the country.
The proper functions of the speak
er are those of a parliamentary pre-
siding officer, and, as such, he should
be absolutely impartial and, as far as
possible, disinterested. Even though
he were disinterested and impartial,
except as a party leader, no one
would ever think of giving him con-
troll of the congressional desti lies
of every other member of the house.
The responsible party leader
should stand, as a member, upon the
floor of the house, and lead his party
by his wisdom, his ability and his
power to maintain himself as such.
II he failed in these respects, another
member of his party would take his
place; and if his party failed in these
respects, it would pay the penalty
ny lOSS vi COuliol hC tiCOi VI ilCO
representation would be restored.
The business of the house would be
conducted and expedited in an order
ly way under parliamentary rules of
procedure.
The office of speaker, presiding
over the deliberations and procedure
of the house should and could be an
office of great dignity and honor,
but entirely removed from the par
tisan passions, the bitterness and the
responsibility entering into and cre-
ating the issues upon which he
would be called upon to rule. 1t has
been suggested that Asher Kinds, the
present parliamentarian of the house,
and the speakers adviser, would be
suitable speaker. In my opinion
he would make an excellent speaker
though, of course, others are also
available. The speaker might or
might not be a member Of the house.
The constitution does not require
that he should be a member.
The foregoing changes are few
and simple. The house can adopt
them whenever so disposed; and yet
they would absolutely destroy the
present extra-constitutional dictator
ship of the speaker; would at once
restore representative government
in the house, and would set at rest
completely the pending contest over
the rules. 1t Is not an untried eX-
pertinent. for it is the prevailing
system in all legislatures, great and
small. in the world except the United
States House Of Representatives
notably in the British House of Com
mons, upon which our House OF
REPRESENTATIVES are modelled.
Machine politicians and stand
matters sometimes claim that the