New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-04
THE RrSTrIT IN KANSAS.


The result of the primaries in the
Kansas Congress districts proves that
the Republican members who stood by
Speaker Cannon in the fight to liberal
ize the House rules seriously misjudged
home sentiment. 1t is easy for Repre-
sentative who has served several terms
AT Washington To acquire 4 new perspec-
tive in politics. In a body organized as
the House of Representatives was until
recently organized. a member might
readily he miSled into thinking that he
owed more respect 10 the Will and Judg-
ment of the Speaker than to the wishes
of the voters who elected him. Under
the system in vogue in the House MEM
hers consented to shift their individual
responsibility for legislation 10 the
shoulders of the agent whom they put
in the Sneakers chaiS Many of them
came 10 think that they owed their in
fiuence in the House solely TO the favor
of the Speaker and that they were emit
tied to credit for standing by him even
at the risk Of offending their constitu-
ents Time and again last winter sup
porters of Mr. Cannon declared that
..Ioyaltv" 10 him compelled them TO resist
any effort to curb his excessive powers,
forgetting that loyalty is due only by
the subject 10 the sovereign and that the
sovereign in the case was the constitu-
encv and not the Speaker, the latter
being properly only the creature of the
House. executing certain duties at its
direction and for its convenience.
Although Mr.. Cannon courageously
faced the siroccoS Of Kansas to plead for
the denomination of the six members
from that state who stood by him last
March his plea was largely in vain,
FoIlr of the six have been defeated, and
the delegation in the next Congress, if
ne seats are lost. will he six to two
against him instead Of six TO two for
him We said when Mr.. Cannon was
making his speeches in Kansas that they
were hardly Of a character 10 help the
cause of his supporters, inasmuch as he
seemed to interpret opposition to one
man rule in the House as recreancy to
Republicanism. No question of party
regularity was involved in the fight for
the revision of the rules and the Re
publican ma iority in the House after
the revolution OF March last exhibited
more unity than before and vastly more
energy in carrying into effect the Re
publican programme of legislation. To
condemn insurgency in Kansas was
therefore to raise Fictitious issue and
To set the Kansas voters TO thinking
whether they approved the sort Of "loy-
atty which elevated the Speaker to the
throne and pushed the constituency into
the background. Evidently they did not
relish the displacement. Mr.. Calderhead,
the most active Cannon man on the dele
CATION and a member of the Ways and
Means Committee was defeated by the
largest anti-CannOn plurality, and the
only supporter of the Speaker receiving
a satisfactory Endorsement from his CON
Stituency was Mr. Campbell. who made
speech in the House last winter 10
show that in his dealings with the
! Speaker and the Committee on Rules the
balance Of trade was altogether in his
favor
The system with which Mr.. Cannon
has been identified has been overthrown.
The voters are through with it, and it is
time TO forget it III the interest of party
progress and harmony.