Arizona republican., 1911-04-06
ADOPTION OF RULES
FOR SIXTY SECOND
REPUBLICANS OFFER PROTEST
IN VAIN
Complained They Were Gagged"
at the Outset

Washington. April Both houses
Of congress listened today to Presi-
dent Taft's brief message urging the
adoption of the reciprocity agree
ment with Canada. Then the senate
and the house proceeded further with
its organization, adopting the new
rules.
These are largely "A repetition of
those that had been handed down by
many congresses. The democrats
claim their greatest reform is taking
from the speaker his power To ap-
point committees and to designate
the chairman of each committee. The
new rules provide for the election of
committees and their chairman
The second reform is a return to
the former democratic practice OF
permitting amendments to appropria-
ton bills when these amendments
tend TO reduce expenditures.
The rules continue Calendar We'd
nesday" and the unanimous consent
calendar and seek to perfect the rule
for the discharge Of committees This
latter effectively does away with the
former practice of the stirling legis-
lation in committees
A special order limiting the debate
on the rules to four hours brought
the cry OF gag" from the republi-
cans. There were speeches of a more
or less political nature, but no ser
ious fight against the rules The
republicans claimed that they were
debarred from making such a fight
because of further provision of the
special order that only one substi-
tute set of rules could be Offered by
the minority.
The political battle that ragged for
hours was a foretaste of others to
come that are expected to make the
present congress notable. Mr.. Mann,
ably seconded by Messrs. Dalzell.
Olmstead and Former Speaker Can
non. charged the democrats with in
sincerity inasmuch as they spoke in
praise of the rules and had said that
they had no purpose to take to them
selves as a majority the right to con-
troll legislation. The republicans
characterized the rule to discharge
committees as Fan utter absurdity.
not to say idiotic"
Chairman Henry of the new rules
committee retorted that the rules
thus characterized had called out the
most doleful speech any man had
ever heard gentlemen make. He also
said that the fault people had found
in the past was not so much with
the house rules as with the bad adj
ministration of the rules.
Mr. Cannon's speech was easily the
feature. He was greeted with APP
plause from both parties when he
arose.
Il want to say here and now" he
declared. that substantially the rules
proposed by this legislature are an
endorsement of nearly all that is good
in the rules that has evolved since
the adoption of the constitution and
therefore l am not going to criticize
the rules merely because the majority
of the house proposes the adoption of
them.
Some times majorities and minori-
ties tear passion to tatters and appeal
from the standpoint of demagogy
and clap-trap to people that would not
know a rule or a code of rules if they
met il in the middle of the street.
And now il is said we have a
unanimous consent calendar. ] am
glad that we have. Along with that
is the saying. in the language Of the
distinguished gentleman from Kansas.
(Mr. Murdock), and the universal rep
resentation of the uplift magazines.
that it is no longer necessary to crawl
upon your knees. hat i'm hand, to ask
the speaker for recognition for unani
nous consent. When the unani
nous consent calendar is called. If my
judgment prompts me To object to
the introduction of a bill. no doubt
the man in charge of that bill will.
come on his hands and
knees with hat in hand. even the gen.
tlemen from Kansas. (Mr. Murdock)
trying to convince his co-members on
the floor that the consideration Of the
bill ought not to be objected to-"
Mr.. Cannon criticized the rules for
not permitting the discharge of the
rules committee itself and declared
that Gear Henry" would be not
more. nor less of a 'cZar" than was
the former speaker.
DENNIS DIXON.