The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-04-07
RENEW FIGHT !
SPEAKER CANNON
Taft Is Getting Nervous Over
Fate of Railroad Bill, as There
Is Much Opposition Develop
ing-WaShington Delighted
With Explorer Shackelton.

insurgents, that the struggle which
terminated in taking from the Speak,
er OF the House the power TO appoint
the Committee on Rules, was the last
one against the House machine which
this session would witness is not to be
realized. The fight which is to come
and come soon, will be more bitter
and with the issue far more impor-
tant than the one recently ended.
me struggle this time is to be over
the appointment of the standing COM
mittees of the House. These appoint-
ments now are made by the Speaker
and always have been so made. The
contention of the Democrats and the
Republican insurgents is that this
gives the presiding officer too much
power; that ne exercises too great in
huence in legislation by exercising
TINS power so as to reward friends
who advocate the things he desires to
see enacted into law, and to punish
those members who will not vote for
the bills he wants put through. There
Is no doubt speakers have done this.
ana none in the world that Speaker
Cannon has done il.
The Democrats are going to caucus
on the resolution proposed by Repre-
sentative Sims, of Tennessee, direct
ing the Democratic members of the
Rules committee TO try to have this
reform accomplished. 1t is believed
the majority of the Republican in
SurgentS, VINO have heard from their
homes since they refused to go with
the Democrats in declaring the speak
ership vacant, would have to support
such a resolution were il got before
the House. But there is grave doubt
whether Representative Fitzgerald
and the twenty-three Democrats who
went over to the Republicans on this
vote last spring would vote with the
Democrats now.
There are interesting stories in cir
culation to the effect that large I'm
terests" who wish the control Of the
House to remain in the hands Of the
Speaker, whether he be Democrat or
Republican, are watching the trend
OF affairs very closely, if not taking
hand in forcing developments, or
suppressed.
President Wants n Caucus.
President Taft is getting exceeding
ly nervous about the fate of his rail-
way bill. So much opposition is de-
veIoping TO il that he fears il may not
be enacted in anything like the form
in which 1T was introduced In the
House Committee on Interstate and
Foreign Commerce it was slashed all
TO pieces before being reported, and
the strong speeches in opposition to IL
which have been made in the Senate
indicate a strength of opposition
which does not bode we'll for early
action, to say the least. There is no
Senate
save by unanimous consent that a vote
be taken on fixed day and this is
not granted until every Senator who
desires has had his say.
IL is hard to close debate in the
Rouse these days, for the Republi-
cans are afraid TO bring in a special
rule, liking the length of debate and
the hour for voting on any measure
as the Democrats and Republican in
surgents have nasty way OF getting
together and turning down the rules
IL is not any harder now than ever
it was TO get a rule. il the House ma
chine desires IL, for while the Rules
committee now consists OF ten mem
bers instead OF ave, six OF the ten are
as strongly regular i'm the Republican
procllVities as the three who con,
posed the majority OF the old COM
nittee.
So the President wants the Repub-
leans and insurgents Of the House To
get together in caucus, and agree 10 |
De bound TO vote for bill with GER
am features The Republican lead |
rs nave not yet informed him wheth- |
n this is feasible, nor can they do |
10 until they learn what the insur- !
'ents Will do about it. They have the |
Bet They Won't Cut Ii.
The safest bet a man can make is
hat the bill introduced by Represen-
ative Cox, of indiana, cutting the
Mileage of Congress from twenty
ents per mile 10 five cents. will not
ecome a law, or even reported from
he committee 10 which il was re-
erred, Tor TO report il might mean
nat II would have TO be passed. No
1ember could afford to vote against
;, II the bill were put on it's passa ge.
one or TWO mbers of Congress-
re inclined TO be spiteful about Mr..
OK S bill, saying he knew il would
OF DG rGnOTfpd and h.
uced II for buncOmbe However thts
nay be, il long has been thought nv >,
theirs than members of Congress that
o allow travelling expenses at the rate
at least five times the actual cost.
ven since members have ceased TO
lde on passes, was pretty diggin' II
Mould be said that many members Of
congress advocated this reduction of
Mileage when the House Increased
ne salaries of members from $4,000 |,
the sum of $500 year. But take |.
ny OFFERS to wager that the bill will ,
ct out of the committee pigeon hole i
Delighted With Sir Ernest.
IL mas been long time since a Wis
tor has so greatly delighted Wash
ngton as has Sir Ernest ShackIeton.
mo took party to within a hun
lred miles of the South Pole. nd Il
would have reached his goal had ne
ad nifty pounds more of food He is
me physical speciment, clear-eyed Il
rank, boylsh, frank-spoken fellow i
boxing like an American from the
Western country and leaving not the
hghtest doubt of his nationality when
re opens his mouth, for he is a
bloomin', blarsted Britisher' through
nd through, though he has a sense
I humor far keener than subjects
I King Edward are supposed to pos
ess BY the way, Sir Ernest told a
tory at the National Press Club i'm
ms city, which could not by any pos
Ibllity have originated from any man
ut an American.
once there was a young Esoui-
lauX,' said Sir Ernest, who fell
eeply in love with a maiden, who
we'd with her father not far from
ne young mans hut. But the old man
'ould have none of him, and would
OF even allow him to come about the
lace. Finally, the young fellow de- Il
ioed he would steal the girl, and laid
Is plans. Between his home where
e lived by himself and the home of
is sweetheart there was a deep chasm
! the ice, spanned by an ice bridge
lie determined that he would go over
his sweetheart's hut at night. seize
er while she was tied up in her sleep
lg bag, carry her over TO his cabin.
h