The Washington times., 1910-03-19
Three Republican Members
of Rules Committee Exer-
else Unparalleled Power.
ALLIES SEEKING
TO CUT AUTHORITY
Personalities of Men Who Enforce
Will of Party Leaders Upon Rep
Tesentatives of Interest.

The Speaker.
John Dalzell or Pennsylvania
Walter /. Smith OF Iowa.
Champ Clark of Missouri.
John J. Fitzgerald OF New York.
These five men are the Committee on
Rules as that body Is now constituted.
and Of these five the first three. the
Speaker, Dalzel and Smith. are the
Republicans who do its dork Clark
and Fitzgerald are the Democrats who.
under no circumstances, can circumvent
the wishes and purposes Of the other
three, because the Speaker OF the House
always has on the committee his two
most trusted captains.
In no other legislative body in the
world does such a small group OF men
exercise such tremendous power. This
Committee on Rules can. and does.
amend the rules OF the procedure OF the
House permanently or temporarily, as Il
sees ut. so long as the majority party
In the House IS a harmonious working
body. Against it the minority is as
poWeriess as a babe The COMMITTEES
can bring in a special rule so as TO
pass or defeat any bill II pleases, or IL
can vote into the procedure Of the
House permanent amendment TO the
rules.
II Is only In recent months that il has
abandoned the practice Of bringing IN
special rules because the OrganiZa-
ton has been afraid that the insur-
gents and the Democrats. allied. could
muster enough strength to defeat H. II
other words. the power of the Rules
Committee mas been weakened bv the
only thing which could weaken IL. a
disinteSration Of the party machinery.
To Is The design Of the insurgents and
the Democrats 20 enlarge the member
ship OF the committee so that so much
power shall not be put into the HANDS
Of three men and so that all parts OF
the country shall be represented on IT,
Personalities of Interest.
Because OF the power they have
welded for so long. the personalities OF
the men on the committee are Of more
nan passing interest
II IS 4 matter Of general opinion that
Mr. CaHnOn's personality. as expressed
In the chair and In his conduct OF the
business Of the House. is largely re-
sponsible for the straits in which he
today discovers himself.
Personally, the Speaker Is a good fell
low well met, viVacious, full of lest
and joke. SOOd-natured, obliged and
N'fAA2lAANA tAAN Out EAAth lL comes 10
running the House ne is dictatoriat and
sweeping IN his measures. SO long has
ne been accustomed 10 calling together
Dalzeu and Smii b ani fixing I'D ar
bitrary measures that the thing has be-
come a second nature 10 him. Ia the
business Of overriding ne mas shown
himself more and more proficient
There have been times when he put
in special rules for which there was
no necessity, except that he found
necessity IN his wish 70 speed along
this or that measure.
He has denoted men in committees
because they opposed his wishes. and
nc has taken others entirely out OF the
membership OF committees on which
they had done signal service for the
country. He has always used the Rules
Committee TO carry out HIS wishes, and
has often done IL in a way that unuec-
sssariIy riled and irrftated the House
membership Had he exercised more
diplomacy in his methods he would, IN
All probability. not be confronted TODAY
with the ire Of the insurgents.
A Parliamentary Standby.
John DalzelI. the next man on the
committee. is the parliamentary stand
by Of The Speaker. He is quick and re-
sourceful on his feet. a ready debater.
and unusually Gle ~ in expounding the
rules for his sic of a question. At
times he rises 20 eloqUence in his ap-
peals TO the JUse 10 support the
ring" which Is another name ~ the
Rules Committee and its henchmen.
With a long experience in the House,
and with an answering determination
n s7lrport Cannon and Caupou{sy- he