Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-06-28
The STRUGGLE in Congress

The readers of The Semi-Weekly Jour
nal have been favored with various car
ICONS and short articles on the present
situation, but it is necessary that a per-
son should know a good deal about the
workings of congress to understand what
has been said and what has been really
accomplished by the overturning of the
committee on rules.
was well acquainted with Hon. Joe
Cannon, for he was a continuous member
of congress from 1875 to 1881, when 1 was
on the ground and observant of the plans
and purposes of factional legislation
When 1 knew so much about the matter
there was a Democratic speaker and a
Democratic committee on rules, but the
senate was Republican, and the admins
tration was Republican under Presidents
Grant and Hayes, of course. Speaker
Kerr and Randall were active Demo-
Gratis, although Speaker Kerr died before
he was able to finish out his first term,
a victim to tuberculosis, then called con-
sumption. The fight was strenuous, of
necessity, but the parties were united.
and each fought under its party banner.
Now, the situation is changed, and the
house, senate and executive are all d.
rected by the leaders of the Republican
party, and it is a revolt inside the party
which produced the great sensation re-
Gently in congress. There are few sena-
tors who were in sympathy with the rev.
dictionary tactics of the dissenters or the
Insurgents, as the regular Republicans
have named them.
The trouble started some years back
when Hon. Joe Cannon was made speak
err but 1t only grew to white heat and
revolutionary proportions when the re
vision of the tariff was agitated in Wash
ington, since Mr.. Taft's election to the
presidency.
1t is a we'll known fact that the west
has long been restless under the high
tariffs placed by the Republicans in the
east. The feeling has been continually
growing and the unrest continually en-
larging and widening.
When the last presidential campaign
was on, Mr.. Taft made a solemn prom
Use before the people to revise the tariff
and lower the duties on articles of COM
merce in which the west and east were
interested, one to obtain reductions in
behalf of the consumer and the other to
keep up RICH rates, because of the inter-
ests of the manufacturer.
The western people believed that re-
vision would come on, and voted for Mr..
Taft resting secure in the open declara-
lions made by him as a candidate for the
presidency.
Now what happened? The monied
men of the east-of New York, Philadel-
phia, Boston and other large cities-were
not willing to reduce, because they had
been made immensely wealthy by these
high tariff rates and they concluded To
hold on to these high duties, and 1T is
charged that Cannon was made speaker
with the understanding that he was to
shape legislation on that line; and ne
could do the work by making up the
committees in their favor, and also by
refusing to recognize their opponents
when they sought to urge their claims
and expose the hypocrisy Of the pledge OF
Mr. Taft. who was elected on the PROM |
Use of revision
These western congressman very well !
that there was back fire at
home. Jordan had been a hard road 20
travel in 1908. They pointed to Mr.. Taft's !
promise to revise the tariff downward, on 1
every stump in their respective states. |
as proof positive that the Republican
party would be their friend when the tar
If bill came before congress, to help the |
producers.
Hon. Joe Cannon also very well under !
stood that it was the money OF great l
concerns that made th3 /
national election go for Taft and 1t was
doubtless true his selection as speaker
was comprised by the same sort of cam !
paign money. He therefore went into !
office bound hand and foot, and has done |
what he was expected to do, namely, shut |
Oft any reduction of rates, and to do this |
he used the small committee on rules to |
tyrannize over both Republicans and
Democrats who were protesting against |
famine prices for food products and who |
rallied loudly against low prices in Eu- |
rope and Canada, while the people OF the !
United States were forced to buy as these |
f1nwNrm Y