The Washington times., 1910-03-20
HOUSE REGULAR PREDICTS
ANOTHER CLASH TO COME
Parliamentarian Foresees Concentration of Power Re
curing Within Ten -Characterizes Norris
Plan Best Yet Devised, Bur Futile in Body

Frankly and privately, one of the
| best parliamentarians on the floor of
/ the House. whose views are always
1 listened TO by regulars and Insurgents
I alike, foretoid the effect of .the Norris
! resolution as follows today.
The result IS as much as the insur-
gents could have hoped TO expect II
/ is a liberalization OF the rules, but
| not 10 So great an extent as might be
| imagined
However nobody has ever been able
to suggest a better plan. one never
has been devised Had 1 been asked
TO draft a resolution / do not know
that I could have improved upon the
Norris resolution. However. IL viii
result I'm one Of two things eventually.
The Speaker viii either gradually
regain the power of which ne has been
shorn, or. within the next ten years.
there VIII be just as bitter a fight
against the chairman Of the Commit
tee on Rules and not against the
Speaker one or the other OF these
Two men must hold power II Is inn
possible, under the present system
and considering the size of the House
membership, To maintain semi-military
discipline with authority vested CO.
ordinately i'm two men.
concentration certain.
THE consequence is that within
shCrt time there will be a. concentration
OF power i'm the chairman of the Rules
Committee or again in the Speaker.
NO one has been able Yet Co devise
a plan whereby 5gl men, with 10000 bills
before the House. can have the riGlt
to call up individually certain meas
ureS FOR consideration There the
trouble lies.
In State legislatures and in the Sen
ate, with its limited membership. It is
eNpedlent for member 20 move to dis
thaTBe certain committee from the
consideration OF bin and 10 bring that
bill before the house.
You cannot delegate. without bring
ING cAaos. such right TO the members
or body which comprises nearly 900
mon from All sections Of the country.
all with varied interests
Here is the thing that has brought
a bout Lha present dISsaIigfa ctiOu,
The speaker of The House has had
the arponuve power as concerns all
committees a committee might ret
alll and delay report upon it, There was
no way I'm tive world by which the neru-
DeI interested In that measure could
move 20 discharge the offending corr-
mllIee unless The Committee on Rules
allowed him that privilege. and tho
Speaker OF the House. the same man
who named offending committees, was
chairman of the Committee C1 Rules.
Depends on Chairman.
Under tae Norris resolution. mura
viii now depend upon vino is made
chairman Of .he Committee on rrfas
l- Is 10 oe presumed that tie majority
party viii consent 20 NO one beng q
NE mber OF that committee except t~Ge
ana tried Republicans. who WlH ACT
not in a personal capacity SO much. as
I'm the capacity Of powerful. representa-
yves OF % Republican party.
1T viii simply be the substitution Of
six men for three men The additional
uneralty in the Committee on Rules. .
but that committee itself. Will be 0-t
little easier To handle than the old com .
mittes.
IF. through any chance. a rabld i1-
sUTEent should be named as chairman. .
chaos In committee and in the House
must result. 7 believe. however. tn4t q
the inSUTgeut representation uuou The I
Rules Committee viii be embodied in a /
man such as Gardner OF Massachusetts. I
true at heart 20 RepubIcanism and I
party control.
Speakers Power Gone.
There is no doubt that the Speaker I
has had wrested from him a vast
amount Of power. To my mind. there .
is also no doubt that either De mast /
eventually regain some OF that power I
DR. that he will become still more iwuJ- /
tent through the gradual UsUrpatiun Of /
1oNe or by the chairman OF the Rules /
Committee, whoever he nay be.
"The original Norris resolution was
almost vicious IN it's terms. II a com
uittee of fifteen. geographically select
n. had been named. IL would have re-
suited lu an era OF SelfEIneSS in the I
House that would have brought chaos b
The man from q section geOEraUhicallyI /
eIated 10 the Improvement OF the Mis-
issippi river would have mad demands
made upon biw FOR legislation beneficial Z
% that section, the man from the
Delaware river section would have been
orced 90 care Tor his interests. and
most distressing COnd ton would have
eSUlted
81 DO not belize that the Republican
.arrT. or any party tn power is -OiuE
o place upon the committee. as it VIII
o constituted. men who cannot he trust
q 90 subordinate personal interests iu
he interest OF narty spirit and promises
'or thar reason T regard the change as
liberalization. bur not "A radical liberal
Za-i0u. as was a. one time threatened. Do