Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-03-25
CANNON'S DEFIANCE.
overruIed Speaker Expresses Himself
on the Situation.

| er Cannon made to the house Of repre-
sentatives last Saturday, when he lost
out in the fight over the re-orsaniza-
tion Of the committee on rules.
That Speaker Cannon, beneath the
harrow, feels every tooth point in his
heart, is indicated by the tone of his
bitter address from the chair:
| Gentlemen of the House Of Represen-
J tatives:
| Actions, not words, determine tine
conduct and the sincerity Of men In
the affairs Of life. This is govern
ment by the people, acting through
the representatives Of a majority Of
the people.
Results can not be had except by a
majority, and in the house Of repre-
sentatives majority, being response
BILE, should have full power and should
exercise that power; otherwise the
majority is inefficient and does not
perform it's functions.
THE office Of the minority is to put
the majority on its good behavior, ad-
vocating in good faith the policies
which 1t processes, ever ready to take
advantage Of the mistakes Of the ma
jority party, and appeal to the country
for its vindication.
| Majority Becomes q Minority.
From time to time heretofore the
majority has become the minority, as
| In ha nd ip,a 70
time hereafter the majority will be-
come the minority. The country be-
lieves that the Republican party has
majority Of forty -four in the house Of
representatives at this time, yet such
Is not the case.
1.-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 in the
house has been able by a small ma
jority, when the test came, to legislate
in conformity with the policies and the
platform Of the Republican party.
Such action, Of course, begot criticism
which the speaker does not depre-
cate-on the part Of the minority party.
THE speaker can not be unmindful
of the fact, as evidenced by three
previous elections to the speakership,
that in the past he has enjoyed the
confidence of the Republican party of
the country and Of the Republican
members Of tine house, but the assault
upon the speaker Of the house by the
minority, supplemented by the efforts
Of the so-called insurgents shows that
the Democratic minority, aided by
number Of the so-called insurgents,
constituting Is per cent Of the major
ity party in the house, is now in the
majority, and that the speaker Of the
house is not in harmony with the ac-
| tual majority Of the house as evidenced
by the vote just taken.
Two Courses Open.
| There are two courses open for the
speaker to pursue:
lone Is to resign and permit the new
combination of Democrats and insur-
gents to choose a speaker in harmony
with its aims and purposes. The other
is for that combination to declare a
vacancy in the Office Of speaker and
proceed to the election of a new speak
er.
| After consideration, at this stage Of
the session, with much Of important
legislation pending involving the
pledges of the Republican platform
and their crystalliZation into law, be-
lieving that his resignation might con-
sumo weeks Of time in the reorganiza-
ton of the house, the speaker, being
in harmony with Republican policies
and desirous Of carrying them out, de-
clines by his own action to precipitate
a contest upon the house in the elec-
ton Of a new speaker, a contest that
might greatly endanger the final pas
sage of all legislation necessary to re-
deem Republican pledges and fulfill
Republican promises.
This is one reason why the speak
er does not resign at once, and anoth-
er reason is this:
I'm the judgment of the present
speaker a resignation Is in and of it
self confession Of weakness or mis-
take or an apology for past actions.
The speaker is not conscious Of having
done any political wrong. The same
rules are in force in this house that
have been in force for two decades.
THE speaker has construed the rules
as he found them and as they nave
been construed by previous speakers
from Thomas B. Reeds incumbency
down to the present time.
| Seeks No New Power.
| Heretofore, the speaker has been
member of the committee on rules COW
ering a period of sixty years, and the
present speaker has neither sought new
power, nor has he unjustly used that
already conferred upon him.
There has been much talk on the
part of tine minority and the insur-
gents Of the 'czarism' of the speaker,
eliminating in the action taken today.
The real truth is that there Is no CO.
herent Republican majority in the
house of representatives. Therefore,
the real majority ought to have the
courage of it's convictions and logically
meet the situation that confronts it.
THE speaker does now believe and
always has believed that this is gov
ernment through parties, and that
parties can only rule through majori-
| ties. The speaker has always believed
| in and bowed to the will Of the major
| ity in convention, in caucus, and in the
| legislative hall, and today profoundly
believes that to act otherwise is to
disorganize parties. Is to prevent CO.
herent action in any legislative body,
is to make impossible the reflection Of
| the wishes of the people in statutes and
| in laws.
Question of Privilege.
The speaker has always said that.
under the constitution it Is question
of the highest privilege for an actual
majority of the house at any time 10
choose new speaker and again noti-