Arizona republican., 1910-03-19
Congress in Insurrection.


 resentatives on Friday, and which at | this hour still has all Washington ex-
 cited was a manifestation of popular dissausfacuon with the. conditions which have fastened themselves upon
 the house. Whatever merit, or what
 ever lack of reason there may be in
 this dissatisfaction, it is idle to deny
 that it exists and is widespread. The
 country has accepted the notion. in-
 dustriously cultivated by the insur-
 gents, that Speaker Cannon and a
 half dozen leaders have so entrenched
 themselves in power. through an Ob
 are able to muzzle nearly four hun
 dred congressman and decide with
 autocratic power what measures shall
 be considered and what measures shall
 be left in the pigeon holes of the house. So that the republican insur-
 gents and their democratic allies have at least very large proportion of public sentiment with them in their demand for d reform of the rules.
 The situation is not hard to under
 stand. by even the most casual ob- server of congressional procedure. All congressmen are agreed-even the most rabid insurgents concede it- that it is impossible for the house to legislate in a practical manner under any system of taking up bills in the order of their introduction or in the order of their respective places on the calendar after they have been considered in committee So vast Is the volume of bills intrcduced-the number in a given congress will ex- ceed 25.O0O-that comparatively few of them can by any possibility re- ceive consideration by the house year by year. there has grown up the system of leaving it to a steering committed" to decide what measures shall be placed before the house for its consideration. True. there are suspension days" on which any mem Der who has been fortunate enough to secure, by previous arrangement. rec ognition' from the speaker, may ask the unanimous consent of the house for consideration of his pet bill. But the speaker, acting in the utmost fairness to all members. cannot give to any one member more than three or four ''recognitions" on suspension days in an entire congress. And single objection from member de- feats any bill proposed on suspension day" so that it is an exceedingly pre- carious chance any member has to put through even a small number of his bills If he happen to have one or more personal enemies among the members he is likely to be met with 'I object" when he proposes the con sideration of his bill on suspension day
 Trusting his fate to the committee on rules. the member. usually finds that the measures which he deems very important indeed are regarded by. the committee as less important than other measures which they have in mind-so that the average congress- man is forced to eat his heart out in at the failure of his bills. while he gloomily contemplates his fate at home when the people of his district learn that he Is failure.
 Speaker Cannon is, of course. abSo- luteIy right in his contention that some such machinery as his commit tee on rules is necessary to enable the house to transact business. But the speaker is altogether lacking in frank ness when he insists that "the ma jority can always do as it pleases. There is no certain way of ascertain ing a majority except by placing bill squarely before the house. Scores of members may feel like supporting ,. bill on it's merits, but they do not care to incur the enmity of the speak sr and his two republican colleagues ,f the rules committee by supporting | !, hostile motion against them. The i sneaker in the first instance may con l sign a member to oblivion by leaving | him off of important committees. and | , member who has incurred his i'll | will obtains. it has been observed | oreciously few 'recognitions." rules | committee of which the speaker is | he dominant member places auto cratic power in the speaker, and he 1 s enabled to decide what bills shall 70 before the house
 It was never intended by the fathers hat the speaker should be anything put the presiding officer of the house it was not intended that he should ,e the dictator of legislation and able O muzzle the entire house.
 The row of Friday developed over he motion of the insurgents to ere | Lte new rules committee, of which