The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-21
ONLY A nALF-poNE JOB.

: . !
cided on Saturday that Speaker Can
non should be put to death. Half al
hour Inter, by a vote of 191 to 155. th,
same House refused to carry out 1t.
q e1n sentence. 1t was magnificent
while 1t lasted. but 1t did not last long
the ncw-found courage Of the so called
Insurgents running off with their legs
I Us soon as they had time to think what
they had done. Chump Clark, the
Democratic leader. protested that he
did not have any personal feeling
'against Mr.. Cannon. and Mr. Norris,
of Nebraska, the Brutus of the play,
absolutely denied that this Is per.
sonal fight or that 1t is % slap at the
Speaker or any man. The Speaker
himself appears to have kept his head
Very well. He deticd the House to put
the clincher on its work. to put him
ats only logical conclusion, and they
dared not complete their work. Mr..
Norris himself the ostcnsible leader in
the fight, showing tho white feather
In the very moment Of victory.
The Speaker has had too much power,
and Mr.. Cannon has used his authority
in the most outrageous way. He has
dominated the legislation OF Congress
with an outstretched arm: Ito has de-.
MED the members Of the House the.
least considerations; he has run the
Office for his wing OF his own party,
with no regard for any one who was
mot his personal friend or his partisan
ally. He has been doing this for years,
ever since he first became Speaker, at
each session of Congress growing little
less responsible. a little moro tyran-
nical, a great deal more violent in the
exercise of the powers given to him
by the Rules Of the House. II the fight
that has tust been made against him.
and which ought TO have resulted in
ms DISMISSAL from Office in deserved
disgrace, had not been largely personal
and almost wholly inslncere, We could
not refrain from shouting with the
multitude In the administration o
his office Mr.. Cannon has given Erea
own party. He would not allow Muir.
Hdoclz to do this and Cooper to do thai
and Norris to do the other and so i
came to pass that the disappointed ant
disgruntled among his own people lay
for him with Knives in their hands and
got their revenge. The Democrats
stood by the Revolutionists, as they
now call themselves to escape the
charge OF party treason, tried to make
the best Of the sorry material with
they were working. standing to-
sgether. as Champ Clark declared like
Sh stone wall.' but upon the bold chal-
lenge OF the discredited Caesar that
sssllc would entertain motion that an
actual majority Of the House, com.
posed of the Dens9cratia. members and
The insurgents. s.Who"had voted together,
so into an election for Speaker, the
Democrats stood nrm and the Insur-
gents ran for the tall timber
We take an interest in the matter
because 1t is only case Of dog eat
log, the Revolutionlsts being as IN =
worthy OF public trust as the Gear and
his allies-rather less to be trusted, in
ss Iced, as. while pretending to be much |
4 exercised about the peril to the liber-
les Of the people threatened by the !
tules or the House. they have almost
3 invariably voted as the Speaker and the !
q Republican majority in the House have
.lrected them to vote, and particularly
pom all questions affecting partisan
nd sectional interests. That the Dem
Gratis who fought with them last week
not trust them or their party, and i
annot trust them, Mr.. Clark made very
lear when he said. after the battle on
aturday. had the Insurgent Republic
ans stood by us on that vote to de-
larc the chair. vacant and to elect a
peaker. Cannonism. with all that the
anne implies, would have been as dead
the men who lived before the flood
. It is. the issue OF Cannonism SUR
Ives in full force. for. al sure as a
I'M is iron. IL the Republicans elect
majority Of the next House. Mr.
pe fll Cannon viii be reelected
2eaRef.k We have In this vic.
NY simply scotched cannon!sn, not
He'd IL. and the net result is that the
sopie, fithey really desire to do away
IN Cannonism, must do so by electtng
Democratic House In that event.
,wever. II there should he u consid-
able minority OF Republicans in the
ouse. " might be found that the
me Rules Of the House which have
suited In cutting cannons claws
onld heSof the same sort OF advantage
spe akcr Clark, or some other white
an who might be elected to that Of
e,
Nobody knows what the new Com
Ettee on Rules viii do. IT will be com,
ssed, az course. OF o majority of Re pub
ans. and While Its work may result
the adoption OF rules which Viii
ye the members of Congress a freer'
OF discussion. a right Of which
ey should never have been deprived,