Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1910-03-26
COMBINATION
DENOCRATS
The Regular Republican Or6anf=
ZdfiOn Goes Down i'm Defeat.
Speaker Cannon Meets the Issue
NO WEAKENING ON THE PART OF THE CHIEFTAIN.
EVEN HIS ENEMIES ADMIRE HIS
COURAGE.

Washington, March Speaker
Cannon went down 10 defeat today.
but when his enemies believed him
20 be in utter rout he turned and
forced from them what practically
amounts TO vote of confidence. IL
was the last play OF a veteran aehter
and OF parliameutarian whose hand
has been trained by years OF practi.
cal experience.
The Speaker was forced from the
Committee on Rules by a vote OF
lSl 20 155, forty Republican insur-
gents siding with the solid Demo
cratic vote. The trick that the Speak
er turned on his enemies was in the
form OF a resolution presented by
Representative Burleson OF Texas, a
Democrat. declaring the Speakers
chair vacant, and ordering an cleo
tion OF Mr.. Cannon's successor. The
Speaker already had announced from
the chair amid an impressive silence
that he would entertain such a mo-
tion. IL was promptly voted down by
lSl TO l55 amid scene that is prob
ably without parallel in the history
OF the House of Representatives.
Only seven insurgents sided with the
Democrats in voting to depose Un.
Gle Joe from the post that he has
held for seven years. AS a matter
OF fact, the proposition TO GUST him
from the Speakership was rejected
by majority OF thirty-six, which is
ten more than the majority, that the
Speaker had when he was first elect.
ed TO the office.
BY paving the way for this vote
on the Speakership question, which
never has been directly involved in
the present fight. Mr.. Cannon ad-
roitly drew line OF sleavage be-
tween the issue presented in his pres
ent defeat and that known as Can
nonism. The vote will go before the
country as the best OF evidence that
Cannon the individual was not the
issue In the present struggle, but that
IL was the system which he had in
herited from his predecessor. 1t was
mighty clever move on the Speak
er's part and it also was the child of
his own brain, as his advisers had
been urging him to throw down his
gavel and resign.
REGULARS SHoRN OF POWER.
The Committee on Rules. under
the insurgent victory today, will be
changed from the form which 1t has
had for half a century and the Can
non organization viii be shorn of
the power which II has exercised un-
der IL for the last seven years. The
committee will be enlarged, prob
ably on Monday from five to ten men,
bers till OF whom shall be elected by
the House itself instead of being ap-
pointed by the Speaker. OF the ten, six
are to be Republicans and four Dem
ocrats. In the selection OF the mem
bers OF this committee will be found
the possibility OF another big row
in the House, although 1t Is conceded
that the insurgents and the Demo
Gratis will be able TO carry out their
will In the matter II they stick to-
gether. On this point, however, there
is a much greater chance of a split.
The resolution adopted by the in
surgent and Democratic vote speci-
fically eliminates the Speaker from
the committee.
From the very beginning OF the
fight In the House today 1t was appa-
rent to everybody that the Cannon
organization would be humbled and
the control of the House, temporarily
at least. transferred from the Re
publican normal majority TO the
actual majority composed of the In
surgents and the Democrats. The
first test vote foreshadowed defeat