The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-10
Democrats and InSurgent Republicans Sustain the
 Speaker In Ruling
CHANGE OF FRONT IS
 SURPRISING IN EFFECT
Which He Was Once Badly Beaten But House Members Change
 Their Views

Washington. January 9.-Speaker Can non had his hour of triumph in the House today Badly battered in the three days storm that swept the House last March and tore from him much of the power that had been his. the speaker 'came back" In a way that brought a grim smile of satisfaction to his rugged the insurgents" decidedly dscomfted
 Today the speaker was sustained by an overwhelming majority on ruling which was identical with the one he made last March. when the House angrily over ruled his decision through a combination of nsurgent republicans and democrats. Today on the eve of their return to pow CT the democrats voted almost solidly to sustain the ruling of the chair The in- surgents-27 of them-stood by their guns and fought the speaker bravely But robbed of democratic support, their bat tie was d losing one from the start.
 It was the first big political maneuver of the present session of Congress. and
 
 the results. They taunted the democrats increasingly for their change of front The House was in Its gayest mood. and dur ing the three hours the fight lasted there was an almost continuous gale of laugh ter.
 Haunted for his inconsistency, Repre- sentative Fitzgerald of New York, one of the democratic leaders in the rules fight, retorted that for the sake of consistency ne did not propose to be foolish. Clark Sustains the Chair When Champ Clark of Missouri, slated to succeed Speaker Cannon. voted to sus- tain the chair today on the same point of order which furnished the basis for the successful insurgent campaign of last March, the republicans broke into storm of applause.
 Representative Underwood of Alabama joined MT. Fitzgerald in frankly admit ting that he thought the speaker was right In his ruling last March and that he ruled in line with the precedents of the House.
 "But," said Mir Underwood, I've voted to overrule the speaker because we thought the time had come for revision and for a majority of the House to press it's will. At that time there was reason to believe the rules committee was attempting to obstruct legislation. No such condition exists today and con sequently there would be no revision.
 Then when you voted to overrule the speaker you admit you engaged in an unlawful enterprise" snapped Represen- tative Mann of Illinois.
 Tt was not unlawful; it was neces- sary,' interjected Mir Fitzgerald The in- surgents refused to be downcast by their defeat. Twenty-six democrats voted with them against the speaker and they claim that these ''insurgent democrats will be their allies in all future fights.
 "Poppycock, said Champ Clark, when told this. Every man voted as he pleased. That was my advice to them. The vote had no significance whatever as party proposition"
 Simms Is Amazed
 Representative Simms of Tennessee dcm- 1. ocrat, contributed some real excitement to the debate by declaring that he was amazed at the statements of some of the leaders on his own side that they knew the speaker was right last March but had voted against him. 'I am one of the ignorant who believe that the speaker was wrong then and that he Is wrong now And l would rather be ignorantly honest than knowingly dishonest" he de- clared.
 Representative Hardy of Texas took MT Simms to task for employing such harsh language. He said the whole truth was that MT. Simins did not believe in false pretenses and neither did he.
 It was on the point as to whether pro- posed amendment to the rules. offered from the floor, constituted high consti- tutional privilege" that the storm broke. 1t was precisely this question that called out the revolution of last March when Representative Norris of Nebraska offered an amendment to the rules providing for a rules committee of 15 members, to be elected by the House instead of three members appointed by the speaker
 Beginning of the Fight
 Speaker Cannon ruled the Norris reso- lution out of order. Today Representa- tive Fuller of Illinois offered a resolution amending the rule relating to the dis charge of committees from the considera- ton of bills. It was purely technical A point of order raised against it and the speaker declaring he would ignore the precedent set by the House last March when 1t overruled his ruling In the Nor ris case, held that the Fuller resolution was not privileged.
 An appeal from the chair was taken Immediately. It was taken by a regular republican, Mir. Gaines of West Virginia. who demanded yea and nay vote. The speaker was sustained by 235 to 5S. Those voting against the speaker were:
 Republicans (2D-Cary of Wisconsin. Cassidy of Ohio. Cooper of Wisconsin, Davis of Minnesota. Fish of New York Haugen of Iowa. Goode of Iowa. Hayes of California, Hinshaw of Nebraska, Hll- lingsworth of Ohio, Rowland of Ohio, Kendall of Iowa. Kinkaid of Nebraska. Kopp of Wisconsin, Kusternlann of Wis consin. Lenroot of Wisconsin. Lindberg of Minnesota, Madison of Kansas. Miller of Minnesota. Morse of Wisconsin, Murdock of Kansas Nelson of Wisconsin Norris of Nebras a. Poindexter of Washington, Steenerson of Minnesota, volstead of Min nesoita and Woods of Iowa.
 Democrats (20-Booher of Missouri.