The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-03-25

resolution of Representative Nor
ris of Nebraska, requiring reorgani-
zation of the rules committee, increas-
ing it's membership from five to ten
and declaring the speaker ineligible to
membership thereon.
By the curiously Identical vote of
191 to 155-but with a decidedly diff
ferent personnel of alignment-the
house defeated resolution of Repre-
sentative Burleson, of Texas, declar-
ing the speakership vacant and order
ing the immediate election of a sue
cessor to Mr.. Cannon.
The 'BurIeson Resolution.
Representative BurlesOn's resolution
was as follows:
Resolved, That the office of speaker
of the house of representatives is here
by declared to be vacant and the house
of representatives shall proceed to the
election of speaker"
Speaker Makes Statement.
II move that the house do now ad-
journ," shouted Mr.. Norris, of Ne
braska, as soon as the vote on his reso.
luton had been declared by the speak
| er.
"The speaker" he said, in tones that
suggested the asking of favor" asks
the indulgence of the house for not to
exceed three minutes to make a state
ment."
| Silence was restored by this request
more quickly than it ever had been re-
stored by the gavel of the speaker. The
house was breathless as the speaker
began his statement.
The speaker said:
| Gentlemen of the house of repre-
sentatives: Actions, not words, deter
mine the conduct and sincerity of men
in the affairs of life. This is a gov
eminent of the people acting through
the representatives of a majority of
the people.
Majority Should Have Power.
| Results cannot be had except by a
majority and in the house of represen-
tatives a majority, being responsible,
should have full power and should ex-
ercise that power; otherwise the ma
jority is inefficient and does not per-
form its functions.
"The present speaker of the house
has, to the best of his ability and judg-
ment, co-operated with the Republican
party, and so far in the history OF this
congress, the Republican party has
been enabled, by very small major
ity, when the test came, to legislate in
conformity with the policies and the
platform of the Republican party.
"Such action, of course, begot criti-
cism-which the speaker does not dep
recate-on the part of the minority
party.
| "The speaker cannot be unmindful
of the fact, as evidenced by three pre-
vious elections to the speakership, that
in the past he has enjoyed the conf
dence of the Republican party of the
country and of the Republican mem
bers of the house.
Minority Now Majority.
"But the assault upon the speaker
of the house by the minority, supple
mented by the efforts of the so-called
insurgents, shows that the Democratic
minority, aided by a number of So
called insurgents, constituting Is per
cent of the majority party in the house,
is now in the majority, and that the
speaker of the house is not in harmony
with the actual majority of the house,
as evidenced by the vote just taken.
There are two courses open for the
speaker to pursue; one is to resign and
permit the new combination of Demo-
Gratis and insurgents to choose speak
er in harmony with its acts and pur-
poses; the other is for the combination
to declare a vacancy in the office of
speaker and proceed to the election of
new speaker.
/ Resignation Refused.
after consideration at this stage of
the session of the house with much i'm
portant legislation pending, involving
the pledges of the Republican platform
and their crystalization into law. be-
lieving that his resignation might con-
sums weeks of time, in the reorgani-
zation of the house, the speaker being
in harmony with Republican policies
and DESTROYS of carrying them out. de-
clined by his own motion to precipi-
tate contest upon the house in the
election of new speaker, a contest
that might greatly endanger the final
passage of all legislation necessary to
redeem Republican pledges and fulfill
Republican promises.
/ House Nav Choose Sneaker
The speaker has always held that
under the constitution it is a question
of highest privilege for an actual ma
jority of the house at any time to
choose new speaker, and again noti-
fies the house that the speaker will,
at this moment, or any other time,
while he remains speaker. entertain,