New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-02-04
DEMOCRATS RESTORE
POWER TO SPEAKER
Reverse Action They Took When
"Cannonism" Was Over
thrown in House.
NULLIFY NEW CALENDAR
"Underwoodism" Will Now Be
Issue, Republicans Assert
Insurgents Forced to
Eat Crow.
fFrom The Tribune Bureau. !

Washington. Feb. 3.-The House IN
surgents ate crow to-day when the DEM
ocratic majority rushed through with
forty minutes debate an amendment TO
the rules which practically nullif1es the
calendar TO discharge committees
This calendar was born of insurgent and
Democratic votes in the 61st Congress,
but the Democrats were then in the
minority, and were bowling against
"Cannonism" and committee DONNA
ton.
Over the protests of regular and IN
surgent Republicans the majority re-
versed itself to-day, restored to the
Speaker and the party machine the dom
mating influence they formerly pos
sessed, and reduced to a minimum the
possibility that any bill may be brought
from committee without consent Of the
Democratic organization. The method
employed under the gag rule" of the
House committee is simple but effective,
for the new rule provides that the cal
endar to discharge committees shall not
be in order until all motions Ito suspend
the rules" have been considered.
AS was pointed out by Representative
Lenroot and other minority speakers,
the new rule means that so long as the
Speaker cares TO recognize members who
wish to suspend the rules and pass a
bill, any member who proposes to dis
charge a committee from consideration
OF a pigeon holed measure must await
his turn. That turn will never come if
the House machine wills otherwise.
Heretofore it has been in order every
other Monday to call the calendar in the
following order: Bills for unanimous
consent, motions to discharge commit
tees and motions to spend the rules.
The new rule provides that the motions
10 discharge committees shall go TO the
foot of the list, motions to suspend the
rules taking precedence. Democratic
members defended the change on the
ground that it would prevent minority
flibusters on the discharge calendar.
Republican speakers pointed out that 1t
would have the practical effect of abol-
ishing that calendar, and that under the
new system the individual member will
be as helpless as he has ever been in the
past.
You restore to the Speaker the power
you took away from him two years age"
said Representative Lenroot. Just so
Ions as he cares to recognize members
with motions to suspend the rules it will
he impossible to call up the discharge
calendar 1t is now useless. The ma
iority of the House is going backward,
not forward"
Representative Dalzell declared that
"Reedism'' and "Cannonism' in the
House have merely given way to Under
woodsrn. He asserted, without denial
from the majority side that Representa-
tive Underwood has become the absolute
dictator of House proceedings, and pre-
dicted that within short time Under
woodism would become as great an issue
as "Cannonism" had ever been.
The amendment to the rules, proposed
by Chairman Henry of the Rules Com
mittee, was adopted by vote of 155 to
100, divided practically along party lines.
Representatives Anderson, of Ohio, and
Gray, of Indiana, Democrats, bolted and
voted with the Republicans against the
gag rule"