New-York tribune., 1910-07-20
THr spF4EFP n KANSAS

TIE SPEAKER N KANSAS
The Hon. Joseph g. Cannon shows
that politicians can be grateful. if re-
publics are net. by hraving the terrors
OF July Temperatures in Kansas to make
speeches in behalf of the Republican
Representatives from that state who
stood by him last March when the House
ended his ahsolutism. The Speaker Is
stout-hearted fighter, and his efforts IN
these suItry days to help those who
helped him are natural and commend
able Yet II is question whether such
assistance as he has given will really
benefit the Kansas Representatives who,
having fought 10 prevent liberalization
of the House rules and the overthrow
of one-man rule in that body, ere now
asking vete Of confidence from their
constituents
u is all very veIl fer Mr. Cannon to
talk about the necessity Of naainta ming
partv organization in the House and OF
making effective there the viii of re-
snonsible majority. II the insurgents
had attempted 10 obstruet Republican
policies or TO defeat legislation prom
ised IN the Republican national plat
form they could be effectively attacked
as party wreckers But the record of
the last session of Congress proves that
they gave as hearty q support 70 the
Republican legislative programme out
lined bv President Taft as was given to
II BIZ the Cannon regulars As The
Tribune pointed OUT at the time, Mr.
Cannon nnisinterpreted q movement in
tended TO correct certain abuses in the
rules By limiting the Speakers authority
as an attack on the whole system OF
party government. He declared in March,
lust after he was removed from the
Committee on Rules. that the Republican
party no longer controlled the House
But as matter Of fact practically all
the great measures which made the last
session notable were passed after the
Speakers deposition by the Republican
ma iority. which. according to his method
of figuring, no longer existed
In spite of the remarkable efficiency
shown by the majority in the House
after the enlargement of its powers OF
self lf-government, Mr.. Cannon seems still
possessed b the delusion that the change
was fer the worse instead of for the bet
ter. He said at Brrlingame, Kan. on
Monday. that if elected 70 the next
House he would rather ''be there in
Republican minority. a real, virile Re
publican minority, than to be one Of an
apparent majority that could not take
account of stock and know from one day
"to another whether it was the majority
cor the minority" Apparently, the Speak
er's notion still is that a majority has
neither virility nor any other political
virtue if an accounting of stock for the
whole Congress cannot be taken from
the moment it elects Speaker and turns
over to him entire responsibility for its
legislative programme. But in our opin-
ion few persons in Kansas or in any
other state believe with Mr.. Cannon that
chaos came when the Republican ma
iority in the House began once more at
the last session to do its own thinking
OF that the results of the session com
pare deplorably with the results of other
sessions when the Speaker took ac-
count of stock and the majority meekly
registered his conclusions.
Republican candidates for Congress in
Kansas and elsewhere will have to stand
for reelection on the work of the last
session. 1t will help no Republican NOM
| inee. either at primary or before the
voters generally. 10 insist that the re-
markable output of legislation subse-
quent to the diminution Of the Speakers
/ ncwers was due to a lawlesS and hybrid
ma iority which did not deserve Il e name
of Republican. The Kansas Representa-
tives who supported Mr.. Cannon in the
rules fight will not find their chances for
reelection increased by such an argu-
ment The Speaker Will harm them
more than he benefits them by spreading
the idea that they deplore the new or
| der in the House and what has been
/ accomplished under it. and, if reelected,
will cooperate with Mr.. Cannon to re
store the discredited ene-man system of
government