Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1910-03-24
Crises in the House.


and Democrats succeeded in forcing a
resolution for a new committee on
rules, with the speaker eliminated
from the membership. Then, appar-
emily satisfied, the majority of the
insurgents rallied to the support of
the speaker and defeated a motion to
depose Mr.. Cannon and place another
man in the chair. 1t is declared in
some quarters that the so-called
"Cannonism, concerning which the
undertaking magazines and certain
leading insurgents have been preach
ing. derived its power from this COM
mittee, and that by the elimination
of Mr.. Cannon a great reform has
been effected which will open the
road for a more democratic pro-
cedure in the house of representa-
tives. The conclusion is wrong
Granting, for the sake of argument,
that reform in the organization is
desirable. The Teller fails to per-
ceive that the speakers removal from
membership in the rules committee
will make any difference whatever.
the new rules committee is to consist
of six members of the majority party
in the house and four members of
the minority party-that is, six re-
publicans and four democrats. The
six republicans will be nominated by
party caucus, that is, they will be
nominated by the regular republicans
and the insurgents will not have
place on the committee unless the
regulars choose to give them one.
The regulars. Therefore. still control
the committee as they have in the
past, and Mr.. Cannon, as speaker, will
continue to represent the regular re-
publican organization in the speakers
chair
In his remarks to the house, while
this motion to eliminate him from
the rules committee was pending. Mr..
Cannon pointed out that the sup
posed majority of the republican
party had become a minority, and the
logical course was for the new ma
jority, the insurgents-democratic
alliance, to take control. He refused
to resign, but he invited motion for
his deposition. Herein Mr.. Cannon
displayed not only his clear under
standing of the parliamentary system
but also his shrewdness as a politi-
clan. The insurgents had been will
ing to sacrifice party precepts in
order to enforce their desire for a
reorganization of the rules com
mittee, but they were not ready to
completely throw over their allegiance
to the republican party and follow
the logical course which their con
duct opened up before them. The
action of the insurgents, however, has
really dis-organized the house of rep
resentatives. Never again can they
he relied upon in a division AS Mr..
Cannon says, the majority has be-
come minority. able to retain power
only at the will of the insurgents.
ever ready to cast party allegiance
to the wind in order to force its
will upon the majority of the party
In the house Can this condition be
permitted to exist? 1t places all leg
lation at the mercy of the insurgents
and the democrats. A third party is
in control.
The insurgents, we are being told,
have won great victory" To the
Teller it appears that they have won
victory like that of Marlborough
at Blenheim. Nobody knows what
they fought for. "Cannonism" is a
myth. It stands simply for the sys-
tenn by which order is established and
maintained by means of the majorit,
Of the party in power controlling the
proceedings Of the house Of represen.
tatives. Such a system is absolutel,
necessary, IL anything is to be
achieved in a house made up of mel
of many varying views, nearly all OF
whom are anxious to take up tim,
with some particular hobby of theii
own The insurgents. being in
minority in the party, have founC
themselves without the influence the,
desire. but that invariably is the fat,
Of anyone in a minority. Unless tn,
insurgents go over permanently i,
the democrats, which they appear t.
be unwilling to do, they viii remain
in the minority. Mr. Cannon hat
) occupied the position of speaker foi
a great many years and has therefor,
become identified with the system