Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-18
EXPECT HIM TO RETIRE
Belief Grows in House That He Will
Not Be Candidate.
LINING UP FOR CONTEST
Middle West Members Credited
With Laying Plans to Gain Con-
troll in Next Congress.

Just now which has to do with the cleo
ton of a Speaker of the House In the
Sixty-second Congress. 1t seems. some
how or other, despite Uncle Joe Cannon's
emphatic statement to the contrary, to
be tacit1y accepted by both friends and
foes of the Iron Duke that he will not
be candidate for the Office of Speaker
in the next Congress. He may remain
in the House, but if he does, so the opin-
ion seems to say. it will be as a private
In the ranks. Some of his friends are
even citing precedents to show that a
man has stepped out of the Speakers S
chair and still continued to serve his
party on the floor of the House.
Among northwestern delegations the
speakership is being talked over with
great animation. The middle west-and
that includes the northwest-has controll-
ed the speakership since the time of Tom
Reed of Maine, and the representatives
of that section will put up mighty
struggle to retain their grip on the Of
flee. In this fight the republicans of the
middle west expect to have the powerful
support of the Cannon organization and
the Speakers friends.
Program Mapped Out.
The statement was made today by
leading member of the Minnesota delega-
ton that the next fight for the speaker
ship would be waged by republicans from
the middle west and a combination of
republicans representing the east and the
Pacific coast. 1t was this very same
combination that put through the AL
drich-Payne tariff law in such form as
to excite bitter protests from the west,
and the fight for the speakerShip in the
next Congress will be waged on the one
hand by those who are sincerely earnest
in their desire to reduce rates and on the
other by men who are satisfied with the
tariff law that was approved by PreSl-
dent Taft last August
Inquiry discloses the apparently WELL
established fact that more than year
ago Mr.. Cannon had made up his mind
to retire from the speakership. He had
selected as his successor Representative
James s. Sherman of New York, who
later was nominated and elected Vice
President on the ticket with William H.
Taft. Mr.. Cannons second choice was
James E! Watson of Indiana, who re-
tired from Congress to make the race for
governor In Indiana and was defeated
Mr.. Cannon's present choice is said TO
be Representative James A. Tawney of
Minnesota. Certainly no member of the
House stands closer to the Speaker, or
Is on more intimate terms with him.
Plenty of Candidates.
But the indications are that there will
be score OF more of candidates for this
great Office. Pennsylvania will put for
| ward John Dalzell and Marlin f. Ohm
stead; New York, Serene f. Payne and
j. Sloat Fassett: Illinois, James r. Mann:
New England, Hill of Connecticut Nc
Call or Gardner of Massachusetts, Some
of these men are friends of Mr.. Cannon,
while others are opposed to him. None
of them stand as high in the estimation
of the Speaker as Mr.. Tawney. The
Winona member is looked upon by the
Speaker as one of his boys
If Mr. TaWney is a member of the next
Congress-and his chances look brighter
today than at any time since he and
Theodore Roosevelt first locked horns, a
couple of years agO-and has behind him
for the speakership the strong influence
of the> Cannon organization, he win have
a great advantage in the race. But this
will amount to nothing unless he has the
support of his own delegation. The nSne
of Representative Frederick c. Stevens
OF st. Paul is favorably mentioned by the
speakership gossipers in the cloak rooms
| nowadays. He is regarded highly in the
House, although he has not nearly as
| large a personal following as Mr.. Taw-
| ney, and is not SO generally known and
| SO popular. But it is only fair to say
that at this time Mr.. Stevens is stronger
with his own delegation and with other
| delegations from the northwest than is
| Mr. Tawney. The statement as to the at
| titude of the Minnesota republicans is
based upon an inquiry made among
| them. II they caucused on the speaker
ship today their choice would be Stevens
of st. Paul.
| 1t should be pointed out in this CON
| nection that Mr.. Tawney Is the only
| regular republican who finds himself In
an insurgent delegation, or at least in a
delegation where insurgents are in the
majority, who was Endorsed by his COL
Il oHo%1 3nl4
tions came to name their members on
the republican congressional campaign
| committee.
Confidence in Tawney.
| This, in Mr.. Tawney's case, was an
| EXPRESSION Of personal esteem and conf
dence an act that was greatly appreciat-
ed by the member from Winona. But in
this instance it was made plain that If
Mr. Stevens would accept he was the
| first choice for the states place on the
| campaign committee. But MIR. Stevens
| declined and Mr. Tawney was elected.
| However two votes were cast for the st.
| Paul member. one of them by Repre-
! sentative Tawney and the other by Rep
| reSentative Davis. MIR. Tawney has a
| high regard for his colleague. Stevens.
| 1t may he stated without fear of sue
cessful contradiction that the majority of
| the Minnesota members are opposed TO
| the continuance of Mr.. Cannon In the
Speakers chair Some entertain a feel
| ing of deep hostility to him, a few like
| him, but with possibly one exception they
are unanimous in the belief that for the
good of the party Mr.. Cannon should
make it known, long before the coming
| elections that he will not be candidate
for the Speakership of the new Congress.
PRESIDENT REELECTED.