The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-20
Champ Clark Comments Upon
 the House Events
G. .. P. ON THE TOBOGGAN
in the Congressional Elections for the Democrats and Also n
 President in 1912

Washington, March 1s.-(special.)-
 Champ Clark, democratic leader, com
 menting on the results of the day, said:
 "The great victory of the democrats,
 aided by the insurgents, in changing the
 number of the members on the commit
 tee on rules and in changing the mode
 of selection. and above all. by excluding
 the speaker from the membership thereon, is a victory in the cause of good govern ment
 "rhe great victory from a democratic standpoint is that for the first time in | many years the democrats in a great, bit | ter and prolonged fight, stood together like a stonewall, not man breaking
 ranks. which augurs well for the future for harmony and victory, both this fall
 in the congressional elections and in 1912 in both the presidential and congression- al elections. The country is dissatisfied
 with the republican administration and the republican Congress
 The republicans are on the toboggan
 and if democrats outside of Congress will get together as the democrats in the
 House have gotten together, our victories 7
 as those of 1890 and 1892.
 Had the insurgent republicans stood by Us on that vote to declare the chair va cant and to elect another speaker, Can-
 ronism, with all the name implies, would
 have been as dead as the men who lived before the flood. As 1t is, the is- sue of Cannonism survives in full force,
 for as sure as a gun is made of iron, If the republicans elect a majority of the next House, MT. Speaker Cannon will be | reelected speaker. In the public mind
 Mir Cannon and Cannonism are absolute ly synomonomous. They cannot be disas-
 sociated by any sort of incantation or leg erdemaine.
 I've have in this victory simply scotched Cannonism, not killed 1t, and the ret result is that the people, if they real ly desire to do away with Cannonism, must do so by eiecting democratic House That's the only way known that resut--a consummation devoutly to be desired"
 Cannon's Statement Speaker Cannon made the following
 statement in the House before Represen- tative Burleson offered his resolutions: "Gentleman of the House of Represen- tatives: Actions not words, determine the conduct and the sincerity of men in the affairs of life. This is a government by the people acting through the repre- sentatives of a majority of the people.
 Results cannot be had except by ma jcrity. and in the House of Representa- tives, majority being responsible, should have full power and should exercise that power; otherwise the majority Is inef-. ficient and does not perform its func- ton.
 'The office of the minority is to put the majority on it's good behavior. advocating t-4@ |. .1x.t. fesses, ever ready to take advantage of the mistakes of the majority party and ap-
 peal to the country for its vindication. From time to time heretofore the ma jority has become the minority, as in the present case, and from time to time here after the majority will become the mi
 nority. The country believes that the re- publican party has majority of A in the House of Representatives at this time, yet
 such is not the case.
 There are two courses open for the speaker to pursue; one Is to resign and permit the new combination of democrats and insurgents to choose speaker in
 harmony with its acts and purposes. The
 other is for that combination to declare vacancy in the office of the speaker
 and proceed to the election of a new
 speaker.
 After consideration, at this state of
 the session of the House, with much of
 important legislation pending, involving
 the pledges of the republican platform
 and their specialization into law, believ-
 ing that his resignation might consume
 weeks of time in the reorganization of
 the House. the speaker. being in harmony
 with republican policies and desirous of
 carrying them out. declines by his own
 motion to precipitate a contest upon the
 House in the election of new speaker,
 contest that might greatly endanger the
 final passage of all legislation necessary
 to redeem republican pledges ana lulnil republican promises.
 sThis is one reason why the speaker
 does not resign at once; and another req
 son is this Tn the judgment of the pres ent speaker a resignation, in and of it.
 self is a confession of weakness or mis-
 take or an apology for past actions ''rThe speaker Is not conscious Of nav
 ing done any political wrong. The same rules are in force in this House that
 have been in force for two decades. The sneaker has construed the rules as he found them and as they have been con strued by previous speakers, from ,rhom- as B. Reeds incumbency down to the present time.
 "Heretofore the speaker has been member of the committee on rules cover ing period of 60 years, and the present sneaker neither has sought new power nor has he unjustly used those already conferred upon him.
 "There has been much talk on the
 mart of minority and insurgents of th'
 criticism of the speaker. culminatips in the action taken today. The req truth is that there is no coherent re-
 n,bIican majority in the House of Rep.
 resentatives. Therefore the real major ity ought to have the courage of its corvictions and logically meet the sit nation that confronts it.
 "The speaker does now believe and always has believed that this Is gov
 ernment through parties and tha' na rites can act only through major
 p1es ities The speaker has always be-
 iieved in and bowed to the will of the majority in convention, in eau cuses, in the legislative hall and to- day profoundly believes that to act otherwise is to disorganize parties, Is to prevent coherent action in any leg l islative body, is to make impossible | fine reflection to the wishes of the people in statutes and in laws, "The speaker has always held that q {C firt1