Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-21
FIGHT
MAY BRING ON
POLITICAL WAR
Speech of Speaker Makes
Insurgents Show Much
Bitterness
WILL RENEW ATTACK
Administration Measures
Are at a StandStill
for Present
ASSOCIATED Press1
IN IASHINGTON, March 2O-The Ti-
wv tanic strl1ppIn nUar the sneak ker-

=
w tanic struggle over the speaker
| ship Of the house of representa-
tives, which reached its climax late
yesterday in the destruction of the
speakers power in the committee on
rules, yet leaving Mr.. Cannon the
speakership itself may have marked
not so much the ending of a three days
battle, as the beginning of a political
war.
The recognition by all factions of
this possibility was the principal fea-
ture today in the political situation
in Washington.
Hardly anybody here thinks the con-
dition of affairs after the momentous
| battle represents a satisfactory con-
clusion The speaker and his friends
appear to interpret the refusal of the
house to depose him as justifyng them
in claiming to have wrested victory
from defeat Endorsement from re-
pudiation.
Not a few of the insurgents who
voted for Mr.. Cannon's retention are
wondering today if they made a po-
litical blunder: whether their anti
Cannon constituents will not indeed
hold the retention of Cannon in the
speakership to have nullified the vote
to eliminate him from the rules COM
mittee.
The Repul lican regulars complacent-
Iv claim the insurgents who voted for
! the speaker have returned to the party
fold. The Democrats taunt these IN
surgents with having been recreant 10
the logic of their insurgency. Nobody
seems entirely happy about the OUT
come. Even in the senate, the regulars
are apprehensive lest the lnsurgent
| conhagration may spread to that
house: the insurgent senators are Won
dering whether they have made the
most of their opportunities.
Speaker Cannon's defiant speech last
night before the Illinois Republican as
sociation. in which he contemptuously
de,ounced the insurgents of the house
who stood by him in the final test as
"cowardly members of congress, with
| ont the courage of their convictions
has cut to the quick those men VINO re-
sponded with their votes to what they
say they believed to be their duty TO
the party and to the country, ana
| saved him from utter humiliation.
insurgents Are Bitter
Today the feeling among these in
| surgents was one of bitterest resent
ment over the attitude assumed toward
them
"If this is the manner of our treat
ment for saving the Republican par
ty." said one of them today, who re-
| fused to allow his name to be used,
"this battle just ended will be followed
| by another beside which the first one
would be but skirmish | can speak
for no one but myself, but If this is to
be our reception I am done. We are
not towards. We of the insurgents
who cast our votes yesterday against
unseating Cannon were the braVest
men in that house. 1t took consurn-
mate courage, and it probably Will
cost me my seat in congress. But II
we are to be met with calumny be-
cause we sacrificed ourselves to save
the house of representatives from
| chaos and disorder and to prevent the
ruin of the Republican party, then l
am in favor of carrying this war to the
finish"
This member said he had talked with
one or two insurgent leaders who Vot-
ed to save Cannon. and they were III
a similar frame of mind.
"When / read in the papers today
the speech Cannon delivered before
the Illinois association last night my
blood boiled with Indignation" said
this insurgent.
Taunt That Enraged
The portion of the speakers speech
| that has enraged the insurgents who
saved him the speakership follows
"There was a new majority today.
1t consisted of the Democrats and
Is per cent slough from the Republi-
can party. They destroyed the COM
mite on rules. Then what did they
do? A resolution was presented de-
claring the office of speaker vacant.
Then what did these men who have
been denouncing my personality these
simon-pure followers of Cummins and
| LaFollette, do then? Only eight of
them had the courage of their convic-
! tions. The result was that, while l
was elected speaker by a majority of
26 last March, they refused to turn me
out by a majority of &c. This com
bination abolished the committee on
rules, which has, after ALL simply the
power to report to the house, although
some seem to think it is-like the bibli
| cal example of Let there be light, and
there was light
You in Washington know different
! ly. But the people in the country APP
parently believe the uplift magazines
and the cowardly members of congress
who wrought such havoc today. They
said the speaker should not be mem
! ber of the committee on rules, which
theey made over into a committee of
ten. Much depends upon the makeup
of that committee.
May God bless and keep these men,
for so far as 1 am concerned he only
/ can bless them. Many So-calleu ne
publicans are, in fact, Populists, and
are trying to outdo Bryanism."
Fight over Rules Committee
No meeting of the insurgents to con-
slider their future course has been
called, but undoubtedly will be held
within a day or two.
The next conflict will come, if it
comes, on the election of the new rules
| committee provided for in the Norris
resolution. The committee is to be
elected by the house. instead of being
appointed by the speaker, as hereto
| fore
Neither the regular Republicans nor
the Democrats have made arrange
ments for party caucus, but both
caucuses will be held within the next
three or four days.
Representative Tawney, one of the
Continued on Page TwO)