The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-08-23
DEMOCRATIC HOUSE
has OVERTHROW
CANN0NISMI
AN ACHIEVEMENT THAT SHOULD
BE SET DOWN TO ITS EVER
LASTING CREDIT.
EVERY MEMBER NOW HAS
RIGHTS So LONG DENIED
Speaker is No Longer a Car but
Merely Presiding officer With
Power to Appoint Committees Gone
Be no Return to Old order.
(By Walter Caine.)


Special to The NewS.
New York. Aug. 23.-Now that Con
gress is about to adjourn, one of the
achievements of the Democratic
House shauld not be lost sight of,
but set down to its glorious and ever
lasting credit. That is, its complete
overflow of what had come to be
known as Joe Cannonism.
What Joe Cannon Was.
So audacious and insolent had the
Republicans of the country become
under long tenure of office that they
they had almost completely des-
troyed the representative character
of the popular branch of Congress.
1t had become House of Represent
atives in name only. All power had
been given into the hands of the
Speaker and the chairmen of the
various committees, and these latter
were dominated by the man who held
the gavil. Free debates had become
a thing Of the past. The right to ap-
peal had been disregarded. No men,
Der of a committee had a right to
demand action upon any measure
without the consent of his chairman,
and the latter was but subordinate
to the imperious will Of the Speaker.
lmnnrfonf MI 1axr
through sessions and could never be
brought forward. The Speaker could
declare or deny a quorum. There
was no calander save in pretence by
which members could be guided. The
committee on rules had the power TO
declare what business should be
transacted and what not. 1t was pow
erful to change any order at any
time, to alter any rule to suit any
occasion. To catch the Speakers eye
was contingent upon personal favor
tism or political expediency. Any
member who protested could be taxi
en- from the floor The Speaker was
the appointed power and controlled !
all the patronage of the House. He
named the chairmen Of committees |
and their associates, hence every
chairman was his puppet and was per-
mitted to move only as he pulled the |
string. 1t was not House. 1t was
one man, and that man, as is ever
likely to happen, was irascible, stub
born, vain of his authority, a poten-
tate all capable to the unlimited |
abuse of power. Members were fore
ed to take whatever medicine he had
ministered and be thankful that it
was not worse. It was autocracy on
a drunk, Caesarism militant and all
powerful. The only way to distroy
It was to welt until ii became hobc
less by the weight of its wrong do
ing. For many terms the thing went
on. Finally the people, tired of send
ing men who were but wax figures to,
represent them, decided the best way
to make them representatives in fact
was to give the House over to the
Democratic party. This they did in
1910. Then came the tragedy. Then
it was that the knife was put to the
throat of the besotted wrong. With
out loss of one moments time the
majority determined upon
a new code of rules upon radically
methods.
The New Order.
Today the Speaker of the House
is its presiding officer. Every
member has equal rights with
every other member. Chairmen of
committees and members thereof are
chosen by a committee on committees
and the Speaker has nothing to do
with it. The membership of the COM I
mittee ON rules has been increased '
to broaden as far as possible or ex-
pedient, its views of conditions and
problems which may arise. There is
3 calander which puts all measures
On an equal basis of opportunity for
hearing and being disposed of. Free
discussion obtains In its fairest form
and parliamentary usage has come