The San Francisco call., 1910-03-18
Denounces Insurgents

Denounces Insurgents
! Representative Reeder (R) of KAN
sas spoke amid disorder. With the
surrounding aisles packed with demo-
Gratis who interjected irreverent re-
| marks, he denounced the insurgents -
These proceedings are absolutely
unfair" he cried, unfair to the people
| of this nation. A small number of the
majority here, by combining with the
minority. assert themselves and declare
they will rule or ruin the majority"
Il am inclined to think" began
Reeder again.
Why don't you?" yelled democrats,
amid an uproar of applause.
| Reeder finished his speech amid
| tumult.
| Representative Cooper of Wisconsin.
one of the leaders of the republican
| insurgents. was recognized after Rep
resentative Olmstead. in the chair, sue
ceeded in restoring order. Cooper pro-
ceeded with defense of the course of
the insurgents and scathing denun-
citation of the regulars"
THE rules of this house give to the
speaker more power than is accorded
the presiding officer of any other leg
isiatfve body on earth" said Cooper.
He has the right to appoint all the
committees of the house. to name the
| Sidif ilSH Ol IIlOSS committees. while he
himself presides over the most impor-
| tant commfttee-that on rules-and on
TINS hoor he has the sole and supreme
1 right of recognizing members.
Il refuse to deal In personalities, to
denounce Speaker Cannon, although on
the floor of the house some months ago
he stood few feet distant from me
and without provocation called me a
| demagogue. And for what? For moth
ing except l did not agree with him
that there should be a high protective
tariff on Standard OIL"
An extraordinary scene occurred
when Cooper. recitfng individual in
stances in which he declared members
of the house had been punished hv the
speaker by being refused important
committee assignments, called by name
upon one after another of his colleagues
to testify to the treatment they had re-
| ceived at the hands of the speaker.
Cannon had left the chair and stood on
| the raised dais at the clerks desk oh
| serving the Wisconsin member with a
serious face.
Cannon Makes Defense
Interrupting at last Cannon asked if
Gardner of Massachusetts was in the
| house, and the Massachusetts, represen-
tatfve appearing, the speaker asked him
to tell the house how he had ceased to
! trial arts and expositions
Gardner said he had gone off that
committee voluntarily to avoid emba<-
rassment in his course as an insurgent
| Cannon then explained why he had re-
moved several members from their COM
mittee places. Fowler of New Jersey.
he said, as chairman Of the banking and
currency committee, had refused to re-
port the emergency currency bill after
the republican caucus twice had de-
clared in favor of that legislation Muir
dock of Kansas, Norris of Nebraska and
| Cooper of Wisconsin, he said, had re-
fused to abide by the will of the repub-
| lican caucus.
And" said Cannon, tthis being a
government by party, the speaker made
the appointments as he conceived it to
be his duty to the trust reposed in him
/ by his party
| after Cooper had concluded The
point of order only after due consid-
Grafton of precedents. After the house
| had refused to adjourn or to take a
recess the democrats cried amid great
excitement "Rulei Rule4'
| THE gentleman from Ohio,p shouted
the speaker above the din
Rule, Rule! Ruler insisted the
democrats.
| The Speakers frown left his face.
giving way to a genial smile. Cannon
kissed the tips of his fingers toward
his opponents, then bowed to them po-
| litely and recognized Kiefer of Ohio.
who spoke at length in support of the