The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-03-24
Terrific ADDIauSe

crowded for thirty years.
Terrific Applause.
WASHINGTON. d. c.. March 10
Promptly at noon Speaker Cannon
called the House to order. When the
Speaker entered the House the scene
presented was one of great excitement
The applause and yelling of the MEM
bers was Vociferous. Every one real
lied that a crisis was at hand. Quiet
prevailed while the clerk read the
journal
At % minutes past II Speaker Can
non began the delivery of his ruling
There was absolute quiet in the Huose.
everyone realizing that a crisis in the
organization Had arrived. The Speak
er conCi"ued has ruling at 1924, and
as he announced that the chair sus-
tanned the point Of order, the regu-
lars broke into terrific applause.
which lasted several minutes
Representative Norris, of Nebraska,
appealed from the decision OF the
chair. Representative Dalzeu. OF
Pennsylvania. moved to lay the APP
peal on the table.
Representative Gaines. of West
Virginia, moved that the House adj
Journ. This latter question was suu-
alitted to the House and was voted
down 10y large viva voce vote.
Representatives Dalzell, Of Penn
sylvania, and Clark, of Missouri, de-
manded the ayes and nays which were
ordered.
The Speakers Decision.
The Speakers decision was in part
as follows:
THE chair has been somewhat
criticised because in this matter he
has been slow 10 rule. But the ques-
ton which was brought so uneXpeCt
eddy upon the attention OF the House
in a revolutionary manner. as il seems
TO the chair. is OF such transcending
J Importance TO the future procedure OF
the House that the fullest. even the
most protracted discussion seemed
justifiable.
In no other manner could the most
| complete Information be brought TO
| the consideration of the question, and
in no other way could the largest par
1 ticipation of the membership OF the
| House be assured.
The very object Of the rules is to
/ provide an orderly way for consider
! ing those and other subjects entrusted
/ to the House. To give all those sub
jects constitutional privilege would be
/ To establish constitutional chaos in the
/ House. There are. however. certain
| functions which the Constitution en-
/ joins on Congress to do, also fixes the
| time for doing these things. Thus the
! clause directing the disposition of a
/ bill vetoed by the President says that
! the House shall proceed TO consider
/ II. This has always been understood
| as meaning that the House should at
/ once proceed To some act of consider
alton.
To-day. however. the chair is asked
/ TO permit a proposition FOR new rule
/ TO come in, although the rules pre-
scribinS the order of business require
us 20 proceed to other matters, and il is
claimed that the chair would be justi-
fed in doing this because the Consti-
tuition says that each House may de
termine the rules Of its proceedings.
Whether the word may means shall
or not. the chair Will not stop to ex-
anime. The Constitution fixes no
time when il shall he done, and as
the House may, and has in one no
Ia bic Instance, proceeded without
rules il does not seem to the chair
that there is here given any cOnstitu-
tiOnal mandate which would justify
the overriding of the rules.
Fortunately in this crisis the chair
is not compelled to rely on his own
judgment. swayed as he might be by
/ The passions and purposes OF this
/ hour. He can look back to another
/ hour when in a day of calm, the navi-
/ gators who steered the business Of
| this House took their latitude and
| longitude unem barrassed by the ext
gencies of tempest.
The pathway of the chair has been
/ oiazed not BY any flushed majority In
a moment OF fractional success not for
any ends of one political party as op-
/ POSED 10 the wishes of another poiu-
cal party, not under auspices which
prejudice, the chair because of memo
/ CleS of political Affiliations of his own;
/ but on a question of order raised by a
great Democratic floor leader of this
House and decided by great Demo
cratic Speaker.
years ago proposed a question of con-
stitutional privilege, exactly as is pro-
posed today to offer from the floor for
| immediate considera ton, a proposition
looking to the amendment of the rules.
| Speaker Samuel }. Randall heard the
/ arguments for and against the ella m
! of Mr.. Mills, decided that the PROPOSE
| ton to amend the rules was not a case
of constitutional privilege.
| The chair SuStains the point Of or
! der, and holds that the resolution is
not now in order"
WASHINGTON, d. c., March 10
This morning found Cannon play
/ ing a desperate game to save his face.
With the Democrats and insurgents
holding the whip, the regulars are
/ bending every energy to bringing
ceived from various legislators, worn
out by the long struggle. but this
morning brought no indication that an
agreement had been reported.
At the same time it was conceded
that the resolution Of Representative
Norris over which the battle has been
waged will hardly be adopted. So
cumbrouS that it would inevitably re-
suit in much confusion, the indications
are that it will give way to another.
The plan which has met with most
favor is that contained in the resolu-
ton agreed to by the regulars in con-
ference, increasing the committee to
ten and eliminating the Speaker as a
member. This reads:
1.-The Committee on Rules shall con-
sist of ten members, six OF whom shall
be members of the majority party
and four of whom shall be members Of
the minority party, all OF whom shall
be elected by the House by a ma
jority vote.
1.-The Committee on Rules shall elect
its own ch, 2sRp.
"All ruI. Rerts thereof incon-
sistent wit Nation are hereby
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