The Washington times., 1910-03-19
House Lineup Leaves Him
lmpotent TO Enforce.
His Will.
REGULARS FEAR
STRAIN ON PARTY
Uncle Joe's" Determination to Die
Fighting Stands in Way
of Compromise.
BY IOHN SNuRE.

The backbone of the tremendous
power which Speaker Joseph G. Can
non has so. long welded has been
broken. To all intents and purposes he
is deposed.
1t does not matter what the action OF
the House today may be. Among both
regulars and insurgents It is recognized
that it will be impossible in any event
for Mr.. Cannon longer to run things
with a high hand. He cannot reward
and punish men at will hereafter. nor
can he dlcta;s to the House what legis-
lation shall 5c enacted and what shall
not
The overwhelming sentiment in the
House is that the Speaker ought not re-
main a member of the Rules Commit
tee II the House has a chance TO ex-
press itself on that proposition pure and
simple the Speaker will not remain on
the committee. From the outset Of the
revolt against the Speaker there has
never been any doubt of that.
His Power Broken.
Tho only salvation of the Speaker. as
every one has recognized from the first,
has been TO muster enough votes 10 pre-
vent his ruling on the Norris resolution
being overridden.
Leaders of the regulars freely admit
that with the Sneaker once overruled on
this question, they would De swamped
with votes.
for the rest Of this session, would main
tain himself there by such a narrow
margin that he would not he in posi-
ton 70 dictate Removed from the com
mittee, whether by force or by an
agreement. his power would sink to but
q fraction Of what II has been.
This is tho fourth day Of. the great
struggle in the House. 1t will 10 down
10 history as ole Of the most strenuous
OF the parliamentary battles ever waged
in the Congress Of the United States.
Bitterness Finds Vent.
While the issue has been IN some
measure obscured by the parliamentary
situation and by the bitterness Of the
debate, In which invective has been
hurled back and forth, and the sup
pressed bitterness OF months and years
mas been given vent, there is lust one
s. eat question at the bottom Of IL all:
This question Is: Shall One-man povyer
In the House be allow ed to continue or
shall the House become the really rem
resentatitve body which the Constifu-
tiCn contemplated
Under the present organization of the
House. going back for years. through
the days of Reed and Henderson and
even farther back. the Sepaker has
maintained himself i'm dominant sutbor-
lty over the House, ruling II with q !
roo or iron, largely for two reasons
one or these is that he belongs to the |
Hues Committee and that that commit |
tee Is made up OF men who do his bid I
ding He Is practically the Rules Com
mittee- The other fact is that he an /
points the committees Of the House.
The Speakers Power.
Master Of the Rules Committee n
is in the power Of the Speaker to saw
what shall happen 10 every resolution
of investigation introduced in 1bel
House
Such resolutions go to the Rules Com
Tnittee and dc not emerge from II unless
the Speaker gives tho word. II a special
or standing rule is to be made. If isl
fashioned by the Rules Committee Tbai
6pect 70 special rules for the considers. /
ton of legislation was well illustrated
In the tariff struggle. when II restricted