Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1910-04-01
'lINDBfRGl LITER

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. Tells Of House RUSS Fight
Questions RI cksfsIler
Foundation Idea
= (By e.. A. Lindbergh.
Last spring, Calendar Wednesday
was invented as an excuse for cold
feet Members to support the old
House Rules. OF course to have made
even that little concession was CALLING
to the reactionaries, but they had K
do it to save the day.
Last week, seemingly -egrettine
that. so much had been conceded, the
regulars sought to emasculate Calendar
Wednesday by giving certain Other
matters preference. On tuesday the
Progressives and Democrats defeated
an appropriation for the maintenance
of the Speakers automobile. The
Regulars blamed their loss to the
absence OF some of their colleagues.
The loss of automobile maintenance
to he paid for by the public, was not
so importent to them, however, as to
keep the impression from going out
to the country that they were losing
control Every reader will recall that
the Associated Press reports of the
past few weeks have been colored in
their accounts of weakness in the
Progressive ranks. With the sound of
trumpets on the morning OF Calendar
Wednesday, the whip of the regulars
demanded roll call, the idea being to
let the world know that they still con-
trolled. They sprang, what they
termed, a privileged resolution to
sheer Calendar Wednesday of its
purposes. That Immediately brought
on contest The Speaker took sides
with, and ruled IN favor of, his Old
Guard. An appeal was taken to tic
House, ana the Speaker made an i'm
FASHIONED speech, implorlng, nay,
almost praying, the members to
support his ruling, but that notwith-
standing. he was defeated.
On Thursday, the fight was renewed
with greater intensity. No printed
account can even approximately show
the intensity of the 70 hours running
contest without recess Some members
turned pale from exhaustion. The
Speaker had the power to hold OFT the
decision as long as he chose. He
took occasional rests by calling other
members to preside. He brought in
members to his support who were a
thousand miles away when the fight
began. So far as I know he had every
member but one present that would
support him. Even these who opposed
Cannonism could not refrain from
adm1rlng the grand old fighter,
Though he was not fighting for the
people, and this was peoples fight
If it had been purely personal
matter, should have felt like voting
for the Iron Duke from Danvllle to
keep bis seat; but the public is above
any personal consideration, and as
Cannon is for mahcine rule, I did
not allow my feelings Of admiration
for his great fight to give approval
to Cannonism. do not think, how
ever, that anyone should be criticised
for having voted against vacating
his seat. In the evening after the
contest, the Speaker himself stated
that only 9 of those who had voted |
against him had the courage of their |
am sorry that he
should have made that statement, tor
while I was one of the 9, I neverthe- !
less know that most of the lro-
gresslves who voted against vacating
his seat, have the courage of their |
1t was sudden motion. |
No time was given to mediate. There
was no debate. For three days the |
Speaker had been whipped again and
again in each successive contest. and
much of his power had been shorn.
There he stood just before the last
vote, tired and worn, facing the full
but game as ever. 1t
was psychological moment, and
sympathy may we'll be ex-
cused in that trying moment for hav-
ing erred in his favor.
The rules committee is ordinarily
one..for emergency. When:: the regular
rules do not ut, that committee brings
in special rule. to be adopted by the
House, to govern special case and
ends with that case disposed of. It
was that committee that brought in a
special rule that ettectually prevented
the Individual members from offering
to the Payne Aldrich
tariff bill. That committee has not
dared to bring IN special rules this
session. They feared a contest on the
rules, and it was only by an in
of the machine leaders
that the question was brought up at
this time. It would have come, how
ever, before the close of the session,
for the Insurgents had been prepared
for this all the time.
The $50, 000, 900 Rockefeller Founda-
ton as starter for an Educational
fund is knocking at the
doors of congress for federal charter.
Should that be supported? As yet
there is little opposition on the part
OF members, but as it has not yet come
up for discussion it is difficult to
forecast the sentiment of the House.
do not now raise the question of
good faith on the part Of Mr.. Rookie
Teller in his purpose. He has already
given, according to reports, about
$3.50, 600, 600 to different institutions
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