Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-11
ADMINISTRATION FINDS OLD
HOUSE MACHINE IN BAD
WORKING ORDER.
MEMBERS REFUSE TO PULL
WHEN SPEAKER CRACKS WHIP
Situation Giving Administration Much
Concern and AIdrich Cannon Com
bination May Not Be Able to tDeliver
Legislation Promised to Taft-other
Washington Gossip.
Especial Correspondence

! Especial Correspondence
Washington. March 11-One Of the
phases of the situation in congress
which is troubling the managers of the
regular organiza ton there, in their eff
forts to get thru the legislation which
they have assured the president they
will pass,is the disorganized state of
things in the house.
No longer is there any concealment
of the fact that Speaker Cannon does
not WELD the power which he did for
merry. He is not able to crack the
whip and say that something must
or must not be done. And in the house
situati generally, there is an alb
sence of that unified organization gem
orally which once was able to jam
bills thru in spite of opposition
The situation in the house is giving
some of the senate leaders who have
been making promises to Mr. Taft what
legislation would be passed. no little
concern. Unless the senate and house
machines are able to work pretty har-
N oniously together. legislative plans
may go sadly awry
Trouble for Rail Bill.
For instance, things now are looking
highly troublesome for the railroad
bill. The house committee has made
highly important changes in it and
changed some of its vital features. The
interstate commerce court is in dan
ger. It will need strong hand in the
house to prevent this bill from being
greatly modified and made more dras-
tic But the strong hand is not in
sight
Speaker Cannon is in the position Of
a man who is not willing to put his au-
thority to the test lest it be disclosed
he had no authority. Sunny Jim"
Sherman. who used to be a tower of
strength to the old organization in the
house, has stepped into the Office of
vice president Jim" Watson, of In
diana, who could run a camp meeting
or rig up caucus, has gone back TO
the Hoosier state. Representative Mann
is showing signs of insurgency which
are disconcerting to the regulars. Rep
resentative Tawney, who is tower of
strength for the old guard, is not work
ing at the old guard business this ses-
sion as hard as he might. He has an
eye on things out in the direction OF
and doesn't poke his nose into
any unnecessary trouble. Serene
Payne Of the ways and means commit
tee somehow is not quite as militant
as he used to be. He was hammered
pretty hard when the tariff bill was
up by the more extreme Cannon ele-
ment in the house. 1t looks to man
up a tree as If he hadn't entirely re-
covered from the effects. Representa-
tive Townsend. of Michigan. who is in
charge of the railroad bill for the adj
is a capable man but he
did not help his standing as a leader
in house affairs when he gave way in
the fight to amend the house rules
He satisfied neither faction by his
course.
House Machine Crippled.
The result of the attitudes Of these
leaders is that the house machine is
not in the most effective shape for
driving. 1t is doing a good deal of
around these days. The roads
are rough and the going bad. They
show some signs Of not getting any
better in the near future.
The insurgents are lying back wait
ing for the first opportunity to show
their strength The result is that
speaker cannon IS dlrdlu 10 DiHS
before the house which
would give the insurgents chance to
overturn the chair or hitch On to some
special rule from the rules committee
an amendment providing for q general
of the house rules. This
explains why nothing has been heard
from the house ways and means COM
nittee on the cost of living resolution.
ho iy1S1 IT feared would
insist on electing the committee or at
least interfering with the cut-and-dried
program. And the rules committee
has been extremely cautious about its
course.