The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-03-24

Cannon has been %dethroned. III
is still speaker, but he is no longe
the czar he was.
The House of Representatives O
the United States of America ha
been given a measure of freedom.
Once again it may be said hat tn,
people seem to rule.
Without parallel in American his
tory is the remarkable action take1
last Saturday by the lower house o.
congress.
II Cannon has been arrogant and
insolent in his long sway he has beer
punished anu Inundated as was new.
er any$other man who held his place.
What has occurred has been an
election without ballots. The voters
of the United States have stripped
Cannon of the most Of his power
without even going to the polls.
When the present session of con-
gress opened, the insurgents could
not possibly count enough votes to
dispute the rule OF Cannon. AS the
special session wore on Cannon grew
more and more confident of his con-
troll. He proclaimed the 'insurgents''
democrats in public address and he
refusedsto recognize them as members
OF nis party In the transaction of bust
ness by the House. In a small sense.
ne has been taken at his word and
the "insurgents' have refused to
give him the recognition he denied
them. In q large sense, the rise Of
opposition to Cannon, the sweep of
disapproval Of his record on the tariff
bill and in the regular session, drove
away from Cannon's support enough
Of the congressman he recognized as
republicans to bring him to his down
fall. For Unjust be remembered that
the ~oyeFturning OF the autocrat Of
the House val accomplished by the
votes Of Regulars" who went over
TO the sinsurgents'' and by the
absence Of other regulars" who
dared not vote with him.
Never has there been such a dem
onstration of the power Of public
opinion. For the first time the Ameri-
can congress has recognized, as the
British parliament always has done,
the necessity Of keeping the conf
dence Of the people. There. will be
no election until next fall, but the
people could not have spoken more
clearly If a vote had been taken last
week.
Speaker Cannon, in his challenge
to the House to retire him, Saturday
evening, declared that the majority
rules In congress. This has been a
fayorite remark with him. BY it he
5AyA&SEHM@2saENAEs aEsaA&mH
has always defended his maintenance
of power. But it will not be forgotten
by the American people that this
same Cannon kept, congress in con-
tinuous session for forty hours in a
vain effort to prevent a declaration
by what he knew to be a majority
against him. He refused, utterly
without warrant, except in the slim
pretense Of a f1libuster by his sup
porters. to put to a vote an appeal
from his decision on a point of order
against Representative Norris amend
ments to the rules Of the House. Not
until his friends had exhausted every
hope Of using some compromise or
agreement to change the hostile ma
jority into q minority, did he re-
luctantly recognize the majority for
which he has always protested so
much love.
There will be q variance of opin-
&NeeSI EA HzTH ~
Ion ON the refusal by the s'insur-
rents" to Join with the democrats
and declare the speakership vacant.
eo1ntense 10 the feeling against
Cannon that one may expect criticism
of the Insurgents" for failing to
taks advantage Of the opportunity
toAepose him. But the Insurgents
VIII take the position that their
rolurss shows they were making a
Sbattisf Tor principles and not for re-
sveanaSe. Besides. Il the Insurgents"
q IyaIanalliance with the democrats,
4 VA voted the speakership vacant.
sliIs SSsrSggI,ulairs'' would have been dis
SSsS5fS11 Skosanyitost the same combination