Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-19
Suggestion of Change in Rules Body
With Speaker Eliminated.
PRESIDING OFFICER STAYS FIRM
Speaker Cannon Refuses to Accept
His Elimination.
MEMBERS STOP FROM EXHAUSTION
Proposition Considered by Regulars
90 Name Champ Clark Speaker
Rather than Elect Defiant
Republican.
CFrom a STAFF correspondent.l }

(From a staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 1S-(specia Tele-
gram)-Shall Speaker Cannon hold his
Lplace on the committee Of rules is the ques-
tlon which still faces the house OF repre-
sentatives. For thirty hours, in one of the
most extraordinary sessions Of the body's
history, members of the lower branch OF
the national legislature debated the ques-
tlon, finally at 4:4S p. IN. adjournng until
tomorrow at IL o'clock out Of sheer physical
exhaustion.
During the days fight, when It became
apparent the struggle was to be TO the
finish, some of the regular republicans
seriously considered electing Champ Clark,
minority leader, speaker on the theory
they would rather follow a democrat in
preference to a republican who defles the
majority of his party; this, of course con-
tingent on the defeat of the organization.
Speaker Cannon let 1t be known he would
not accept elimination from the committee
Fight One to Finish.
When Representative Norris OF Nebraska
introduced his resolution of yesterday
creating a rules committee of fifteen, he
proposed a plan which in the judgment of
dispassionate lookeron can have but one
result-the elimination Of Speaker Cannon
For hours the legislators debated, some sit
ting sullenly by watching the insurgents
and democrats make ready to take away
from the speaker the right he has had
under the rules for century and a quar-
ter-to be member of the rules COMMITTEES
and therefore one of the steering commit
tee, for that, after all, is what the rules
committee is
After a ling fight spent In fruitless har-
ranguings in which now and then some
thing ludcrous, something pathetic or a
flash of oratorlcal brlllancy made the
sleepy legislators sit up and rub their
eyes, the night brought no solution OF tho
contest.
Today there was a measure OF compro-
mise in the air ard recess was taken
from 2 until o. clock. The Insurgents, rep
resented by committee led by Messrg
Norris Of Nebraska Hayes of California
Gardner Of Massachusetts and Lenroot OF
Wisconsin, met self-constituted commit
tee OF regulars-Payne Of New York. Dal-
zell of Pennsylvania, Mann of Illinois and
Walter l. Smith of Iowa--to arrange a
compromise, If possible. While there were
bitter feelings in evidence, these members
met In conference with bitterness buried
as much as possible, and as a result they
sentative Martin Of South Dakota, that
the rules committee shall consist Of ten
members, six republicans and four demo-
Gratis, to be chosen by the house, but that
the speaker shall not be eligible to place
thereon.
Regulars Make Concession.
The regulars realizing they were up
against the fight Of their lives, conceded
the former proposition, but could not agree
that the speaker should be completely elm
mated, and that his right a representa-
tive in congress should be abrogated by
reason Of his speakership. That is where
they stand tonight
1t is possible that these representatives
of the regulars and insurgents may have a
meeting later further to consider the sltu-
alton, but Judge Smith and Representative
Dalzell, and even Representative Norris,
tired and exhausted as they were, insisted
that a nights rest might clear their brains
and in the light of another day the appar-
emily impossible agreement mlght become
possible.
When Judge Norris left the chamber at
the o'clock hour, the house had ad-
journed until noon tomorrow. On the vote
to adjourn, there was a number of changes,
Hlnshaw and Kinkaid voting for both
recess and adjournment, seeing the fultility
Of longer strain upon physical endurance.
Some of the members Of the Iowa dele
cation who are classed among the insur-
gents also voted to terminate the struggle
for a few hours, for 1t looks as II 1t will
be a real struggle, should the committees
fail to reach an agreement Judge Norris.
leader of the insurgents, was not par
ticularly hopeful tonight that such an
agreement could be reached.
The result is nothing more nor less than
a drawn battle. When the final roll call
came 1874 republicans voted to postpone
further action on the Norris amendment
until tomorrow and l5O democrats and in
surgents republicans voted to continue.
with the regular republicans voted four
teen of the insurgent following of Norris
OF Nebraska, who left him and sided with
the majority for a postponement The re-
suit, they said conveyed no significance
and meant anything else than that they
had deserted the insurgent cause.
The lull in the long battle came with APP
parent welcome to both sides, although
there was not a cheer Of victory from
either. When the speaker put the motion
to adjourn a general chorus Of ayes came
from the republican side. The democrats
mado no protest and there was no answer
to the call for the nayes.
Almost Full Membership.
The house for the first time in the pres
ent session had almost It's full membership
on the floor. When the speakers gave the
count the members rose YEARLY from the
seats and passed out through the liberated
aisles and in five minutes the scene OF the
record breaking endurance struggle was
cleared OF its 400 principles, the galleries
were emptied Of the hundreds OF spectators
who have occupied them constantly for
nearly thirty hours and only score or so
OF ianitors moved about cleaning up the
evidence OF the fray.
No such series OF scenes have been wit
messed IN a congress in recent years The
performance embraced every element from
the serious tragic effort 10 wrest from the
speaker the chief source Of his power 20