Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-02
Cannonism Defined for Republican
Reader.

Rock Island, April Editor The
Argus: 1 would be pleased If you
would define the word Cannonism for
me. 1t is an expression that is con-
stantly appearing in the newspapers,
but note that no one goes so far as
to attempt to show by cold facts that
Cannonism is a bad thing for the
country. Please define Cannonism for
us.
A REPUBLICAN READER.
Cannonism means government by
the special interests If special in
terests" is too vague, we will put it in
another way, for it is far from our de-
sire to wish to handle the subject of
Cannonism vaguely. Cannonism means
government too much dictated by the
steel trust. the sugar trust, the har-
vester trust. the lumber trust, the COM
bination of New England cotton man
ufacturers, Standard Oil, the railroads
and the Rockefeller organ-Wal street
banks
Cannonism means that when the in
terests of the common people and the
interests of such corporations as those
luulCdAtNs CO@hS AAAlO NOhhASNs NAC ~
cial interests get the legislation they
want and the common people get that
which they do not want. (See Payne
Aldrich law for concrete illustration)
Boiled down, the term Cannonism
means legislation shaped and framed
less in accordance with the needs and
desires of the American people, and
more in accordance with the needs
and desires of those big interests
which donate literally to campaign
funds or control state political ma
chimes. National needs, under Can
nonism, are entirely secondary to
party needs.
Anything to build up the party is
the cry Of the Cannonite. 1t is typical
of the Cannon type of politician to re-
gard federal positions as the legiti-
mate prey of the party triumphant on
election day. Work." he calculates,
after he gets his Job in Washington.
Il worked to get here! You don't ex-
pect me to work now that l am here?"
Progressive legislation, under Cannon
ism, is a myth, only fit for use in
stump campaign speeches, but party
solidarity-why that is something
practical, a reality, as it were.
But where does Uncle Joe' come
in? is asked. Uncle Joe" is merely
a part of a great machine. Fire is con-
centrated on him because his position
as speaker of the house keeps him in
the spotlight more than it does the
other Cannons. Yet he is little more
to blame for the work of the complete
machine than any one of those 155
members who to every practical end
placed their approval on Cannonism
when they voted against the Burleson
resolution which would have deprived
Cannon of the speakership. Cannon
ism does not refer to one man; it re-
fers to a system or policy which would
be as bad under any other name
Then you retract the charges that
have been made against the speaker
personality the republican reader is
no doubt asking. Not at all
Uncle Joe" personally misuses the
power vested in him as speaker to
block and chloroform proposed legis-
lation desired by the people, and to
promote the passage of measures de
manded by the campaign-contributin
special interests.
1t is the speakers duty to appoint
all committees save the committee on
rules 1t is notorious fact that
Speaker Cannon has packed every i'm
portant committee of the house with
men who have the same convictions
on particular legislation that must Of
necessity come before them than he
has. In this way the speaker Yields
an enormous power, because he can
block or hurry the passage of any
legislation he desires.
Ali but nine of>the 21S republicans
in the house voted against the resolu-
ton to unseat Uncle joe" The milk
in the cocoanut, therefore, is that Can
nonism and the present republican
party are SYNONYMOUS.