The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-01-10
CANNON PULLS OFF FRAME-UP
 IN THE HOUSE
Congressman Norris Says Effect of Fight Against Speaker Last Spring Not NuIlified
Insurgent Leader Claims Uncle Joe Worked Ruse With Aid of Ills Friends
Especial from United Press.)

Especial from United Press.) Washington, Jan. 10.-Representa- tive George Norris, floor leader of the House insurgents and author of the famous Norris resolution that preci- pitated the fight against Speaker Can non and the House rules, last March, today made this statement on yes- terday's rules fight, for the United Press.
 Copyright 1911, By the United Press AsSociaions.)
 CBy Representative George w. Nor ris, of Nebraska.)
 The insurgent mem bers of the House. with 8 few of the Democrats, are able, today, to point to record that is conclusively in favor of the progressive conduct of the House. We day, by a combination of Republicans and Democrats but our record Is clear. The effect of our fight of last spring is not nullified and the pro- gressiye rules that we then wrote in- to the regulations of the House are for progressive American principles in legislation will go on. Yesterdays action of the House was at most 8 mere temporary setback.
 The attack on the precedent set by the House ruling on the so-cailed
 
 spring, when 1t was declared that motion to amend the rules is of the highest constitutional privilege. and the attacks on the insurgent rule amendments that have been in pro- gress since the beginning of this ses- sion of Congress, including the fili- buster against the Democratic "mo- tion to discharge rule" are typical samples of machine rule in the House. There is no doubt in my ring of the "old guard in the House with view to discrediting the ends accomplished by the bitter 1nsurgent fights of last March. Yesterdays rule fight was not an insurgent engage ment. It was started by Representa- tenant of the Speaker He offered his resolution and made an argument to the effect that 1t was privileged under the constitution, citing the decision of the House on my own resolution, last March, to sustain this point. He then hurled against his own position. to sustain the ruling of the Speaker that declared his resolution out of order. The appeal from the decision of the chair was taken by Represen- tative Gaines. of West Virginia, an- other friend of the Speaker, but when against his own appeal--voted to sus- tain the ruling of the Speaker. Both Mir Gaines and MT. Fuller, last March, voted to sustain the chair in ruling the Norris resolution out of order and held against the resolution itself.
 It looks to me; much like a frame up brought about by the Speaker and his friends for a yindication. ei
 The Democrats who voted, yester- that motions. to amend the rules are not of the highest constitutional privilege, declared they did so on the ground that their vote of last March establishing contrary precedent was revolution" and was not intended encies of the situation in the House, last March, fully Justified a legisla- tive revolution. On the 17th of March, Representative Crumpacker, chairman of the House census com mittee, had called up on the floor of the House, without receiving it from committee, resolution amending the census law Speaker Cannon ruled that this was a question of the high est constitutional prestige, that the constitution imposes upon Congress the duty of legislating for a census every 10 years and the House suS- tained that ruling.
 My resolution claimed privilege on exactly the same grOunds-that is, that the duty of the making of rules TOT tHo I1OuSe 1S piCSCIfpcu HI lhc constitution and the House, in re- versing the Speakers ruling against this. simply decided consistently with the, precedent established in the rul- ing on the Crumpacker resolution.
 This was not revolution. This was acting according to a precedent es- tablished by a vote of the House and by the Speakers ruling. It was pro- ceeding according to all the usual means employed in legislative activity in the House.
 But the fight for a free legislative e body in the House, directly respon- sible to the people, will go on. And there is no doubt that, in the end, the cause of progressive conduct of the affairs of the republic must prevail.