The Sauk Centre herald., 1910-03-31
.LINDB[RGH'S TALE.
Sixth District Congressman Tells
About DethrOning Cannon
A MEMORABLE fight
Vivid Pen Sketch of How the Duke
of Danville Went Down to
Ingi0ri0uS Defeat

uuysVi aVuS DVsOuS
WASHINGTON, d. c., Mar. 21.-Last
April CalendarW ednesday was invent
ed as an excuse for ''cold feet" mem
bers to support the old house rules.
OF course to have made even that
little concession was CALLING to the
reactionaries, but they had to do it
to save the day.
Last week, seemingly regretting
that SO much had been conceded, the
regulars sought to emasculate Calen-
dar Wednesday by giving certain
other matters preference. On Tues
day the Progressives and Democrats
defeated an appropriation for the
maintenance of the speakers auto
mobile. The regulars blamed their
loss to the absence of some of their
colleagues. The loss of automobile
maintenance to be paid for by the
public, was not SO important to them,
however. as to keep the impression
from going out to the country that
they were losing control. Every
reader will recall that the Associated
Press reports of the past few weeks
haye been colored in their accounts of
weakness in the Progressive ranks.
With the sound of trumpets on the
morning of Calendar Wednesday, the
whip of the Regulars demanded roll
call, the idea being to let the world
know that they still controlled. They
sprang, what they term, a privileged
resolution to shear Calendar Wednes-
day of it's purpose. That immediate
ly brought on contest. The speaker
took sides with, and ruled in favor of,
his Old Guard. An appeal was taken
to the House, and the speaker made
an impassioned speech, imploring, al
most praying, the members to sup
port his ruling, but notwithstanding
that he was defeated.
On Thursday, the fight was renew
ed with greater intensity. No print
ed account can even approximately
show the intensity of the 20 hours
running contest without recess.
Some members turned pale from ex-
haustion. The speaker had the power
to hold off the decision as long as he
chose. (He took occasional rests by
calling other members to preside.) He
brought in members to his support
who were thousand miles away
when the fight began. So far as l
know he had every member but one
present that would support him.
Even those who opposed Cannonism
could not refrain from admiring the
grand old fighter, tho he was not
fighting for the people, and this wasa
peoples fight.
If it had been purely a personal
matter, / should have felt like voting
for the Iron Duke from Danville to
keep his seat: but the public is above
any personal consideration, and as
Cannon is for machine rule, l did not
allow my feelings of admiration for
his great fight to give approval to
Cannonism. ] do not think, however,
that anyone should be criticised for
having voted against vacating his
seat.
In the evening after the contest,
the speaker himself stated that only
9 of those who had voted against him
had the courage of their convictions.
/ am sorry that he should have made
that statement, for while l was one
of the 8, / nevertheless know that
most of the Progressives who voted
against vacating his seat, have the
courage of their convictions. 1t was
sudden motion. No time was given
to mediate. There was no debate.
For three days the speaker had been
whipped again and again in each sue
cessiye contest, and much of his
power had been shorn. There he
stood just before the last vote, tired
and worn, facing the full membership
but game as ever. 1t was a psychic
logical moment, and human sympathy
may we'll be excused in that trying
moment for having erred in his favor.
The Rules Committee is ordinarily
one for emergency. When the regu-
lar rules do not fit, that committee
brings in a special rule to be adopted
by the House, to govern a special case
and ends with that case disposed of.
1t was that committee that brought
in a special rnle that effectuafly pre-
vented the individual members from
Offering amendments to the Payne
Aldrich tariff bill. That committee