The National tribune., 1910-01-13
THE FIGHT AGAINST CANNON
The Victory Was Accidental, and
Its Consequences Much Exag-
gerated.

gerated.
speaker Cannon had quieted the
clamor regarding. the elimination OF
himself from the next Congressional
campaign. He fought hard and vigor-
ously from the platform in several
Western cities and did effective work.
But now the issue of Cannonism is be-
ing raised anew by the insurgents. They
have encouragement from their sue
cessful sortie against him and his lead
ers on the Ballinger-Pinchot joint reso-
lutions No one denies the untoward
Influence upon the Republican -organiZa-
ton, but after all the victory was the
result of a f1uke. 1t was one of those
accidents which happen where consld-
cradle bodies of men are engaged IN
determined controversy.
The insurgents Immediately hailed
the victory as the end of Cannonlsm.
They took special pains to emphasize
that the President glOated over their
success and hoped they would win more
victories against the Speaker. They
have been saying that the rest would
be easy. They would take the House
under control-along with their Demo-
cratic allies-and run things to suit
themselves.
1t is Just as well to bear in mind
that such statements are tremendously
exaggerated, if not in substance false.
There-is many a good, hard fight left
in the old man from Danyille. The in
surgents and the Democrats are not
vet sufficiently numerous to command
a majority of the House whenever they
will The President, whatever his at
titude toward the Speaker, is hardly
in a position to gloat over the defeat
that the Speaker and the organization
sustained. For the President knows
the Speaker always a crafty politician,
suggested when the matter of drawing
a joint resolution for the Ballinger-
Pinchot investigation was preached by
= Representative Dalzell, of Pittsburg,
ranking Republican member, next the
Speaker, of the Rules Committee, said
it would be better to have such reso-
luton drawn at the other end of the
Avenue. Accordingly the matter was
taken up with the President. at whose
direction Attorney General Wickersham
drew the identical resolution, which
the insurgents and Democrats amended
by providing that the House members
of the joint committee should be elect
ed on the floor and not appointed in
the usual way, by the Speaker.
NIanuvering for Advantage.
If the insurgents could once get the
President -on record as opposed to
Speaker Cannon they would make a
great tactical gain. Recruits would
flock to their standard. There are al
ways in the House a number of thick
and thin Administration members, ready
TO follow the President to any length.
II would then become easy to raise the
standard of revolt in company always
with the Democratic allies, defeat rules
for the consideration of special bills
and even modify many of the measures
to which the Republican majority
stands committed. The demoraliZing ef-
feet of the recent allied victory is con-
ceded, but it does not signify that the
Speaker has thrown up the sponge or
that the insurgents and Democrats are
going to have their way about every
thing from now until Congress ad- !
journs More victories may be expect |
ed over the Speaker, bRt one of the |
good Influences will be to make mem |
bers of the House stay in their seats
and attend to the public business. Abb |
senteeism has grown to serious proper
tions there. Probably there are 90 |
members of the House who have at |
tended hardly a day of the session since
early December. This is specially true
of men of every section. 1t holds re- /
earding members from States all the !
also of many previous sessions |
The members usually come down to |
Washington on the first day or soon |
thereafter, so as to be recorded on a T,
roll call or two, and especially to draw I,
their mileage. Then they hasten back !
home on some plea or other. Urgent |
business or sickness in the family figure |
in the more general excuses. In some |
districts, where there are no large met |
ropolitan newspapers. the absentee |
members manage to arrange it that |
their disappearance from Washington |
shall not be noted in the public prints. |
OF course, they arrange pairs, as a rule,
but the fact remains that their alb |
sence embarrasses the party leaders in |
numerous ways. Hereafter the lines |
will be drawn more tightly than ever
against these absenteeS. Most of them |
will be rushing down to Washington for |
a few days and then quietly slipping /
back home again to attend to their pri- |
vate affairs on the same old plea of ur- |
gent business or sickness in the family. |
The wives and daughters and sons |
whose health has done duty in this alb |
sentee cause are legion. There are |
some Congressman whose families !
would seem to include confirmed inva- !
lids. But the feverish quest of the /
dollar, which has grown so intense in |
recent years, has laid hold upon Con- /
gressmen quite as violently as upon |
other citizens, and plausible excuses
which the constituents at home are not /
likely to inquire about very carefully
are very welcome indeed
The Congressman have increased /
their salaries to 1880 a year. not TO
mention mileage, allowances for pri-
vate SECRETARIES, stantionery and the .
like, which swells the actual compensa-
tion materially beyond the $500 fig
ure. Whsn they tell the story Con
gressmen work tremendously but the /
fact remains that their presence in
Washington is required only about six
months Of year on the average.
Speaker Cannon knows that, and now
he proposes that the Republicans i'm
this categroy shall stay here and help |
MN Eight the battles of the party as
they were elected to do.
THE pRcNDFNT