Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-03-22
INEVITABLE RESULT.

= ASASh~ ~ - =
In a large and uuwieldly body Ike
the National house Of Representatives,
it is necessary that strict rules be
adopted and much power be given TO
the presiding officer, if business is 70
be expedited and desired results in the
way Of legislation attained. No objec-
ton can reasonably be offered 20 the
giving of great power TO the Speaker,
so long as that power is not abused
1t will be recalled that prior to the
election of Thomas B. Reed as Speak
er. the house was little better than
digorganized mob. Reed brought order
ont of chaos and made the lower
branch Of Congress an effective and
dignifed working body. The change
for the better was not accomplished
without resort TO stringent methods,
and no man in public life was ever
more bitterly assailed than was the
man from Maine He was denounced
by his political opponents as an "au-
tocrat" and Car" and those mem
bers OF his own party who were inter-
ested only in their own pet measures
and selfish schemes could find no Ian
guage strong enough to express their
disapproyal Of his methods.
Through all this storm Of opposition
and abuse, Reed sat unmoyed, for he
knew that he was right. He fully real
ized the fact that the house, with its
rapfdly growing membership, had
come to possess little Of the nature Of
a deIiberative body and that wise and
necessary legislation could be ac-
complished only by placing its control
largely in the hands Of the committee
on rules. Reeds position was fully
vindicafed when, at the next session
Of Congress, the Democrats, with a
majority in the house and their own
Speaker in the chair. were compelled
to adopt practically the same rules in
order TO accomplish anything what
ever in the way Of needed legislation.
The rules were again re-enacted in
1885. when Reed was once more elect
ed Speaker.
Those persons who seek to justify
Speaker Cannon's course by claiming
that he Is but following in the foot
steps Of Thomas b. Reed, are arguing
contrary to the fact. Reed at no time
abused the power given him by the
rules Of the house. Fully appreciating
the grave responsibility resting upon
him. he exercised that power wisely
and periodically for the cOuntry's
good Reed, while intensely loyal to
his party, was a man of great tact
and ability, and Of broad and states
manlike views.
Cannon, on the other hand, while
possessing a few admirable traits OF
character, is nothing more than
narrow. vindictive politician. Thor
oughly wrapped up in his own selfish
notions and schemes, more deeply in
terested in the welfare Of the private
interests than in the public good, and
resting smugly cOmplacent in the fan
cied security Of his official position, he
has governed the house with an iron
hand. Taking advantage OF rules
adopted for the purpose Of securing
speedy action on necessary public
measures. he has used this very pow
er to prevent any legislation not ac-
ceptable to him. no matter how much
il might have been needed by the
country Through an alliance with
Aidrich in the senate. he made the
promises Of the Republican party. as
expressed in the Chicago platform,
impossible OF fulhument and gave TO
the country the tariff bill demanded
by the trusts and moneyed interests
Deaf to the warnings and entreaties
Of party leaders and party newspa-
pers, the Aldrich-Cannon combine
carried their program through Com
gress and the result was @ tarin meas
ure satisfactory to none but few
steel kings and monopolistIc manu-
facturers-
To those who have kept in touch
with public sentiment and public
opinion as It exists in America today
the downfall Of Cannonism has long
seemed inevitable. II would appear
that only Speaker Cannon and few
druuk-with- power leaders in the h1usa
and senate were blind 20 the hand
writing on the wall This little
eoterie Of selfish politicians, bent only
on carrying out their own designs.
evidently did not realize that the end
Of one-nan rule was 50 near for they
steadfastly refused TO heed an warn
ings and danger signals Even the
canvass recently conducted by the
Chicago Tribune iu which 5000 Re
publican editors in the United States
voted against a continuation Of Can
nonism. and only s9o voted for 81.
failed 10 arouse them. Il required a
Jolt like the one given them hy the
house last Saturday 10 open their
eyes to the true condition of affairs .
Any talk 20 the effect that the Re
publican party has been disrupted hy .
recent events in the house fs the YER
Iest nonsense. The Republican party .
is tn better shape than Il was before .
Saturdays hattle has cleared the at
mosphere. and there is nothing nov @ .
prevent both sides in the BepuhiIcan .
ranks from standing E5lidly for the
Taft program ard fully redeeminE tke .
party pledges unlsss the Cannon s5u- I
pafhlzers shah hiizsly persist ia their .
taetics i 3 hardly likely /.
that they wM care 20 do thlz. how F.
ever. as election day IS not far dls1a-t
and most o. them are DESTROYS O. be-
Iur sent hack 10 WashInEton-
II the Republicans In the house do
aot proceed nov 20 enact NEEDED leg
station and carry out the promEssz q
he Chicago platform. q uiu he thslr
sWn fault II is not probable that ths /
sue Of Cannon and Cazno1iEn VII
onEer plague the party. Tor II T. q
God prediction 70 make that Mr. Can-
on vii not again ny for rs-slecticr-
"A ts.s -.n.-a L. III ha p. z aa-ll-