Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929, 1913-10-15
CLAIM CAUCUS
RULE IS MOST
ARBITRARY
ISSUE TO BE MADE OF
1T IN THE NEXT CAM
PAIGN BY THE REPUB-
LICANS, 1T IS SAID

three days after Champ Clark was
elected speaker three years ago
a correspondent dropPed into the
gentleman's office where he found
few faithful Democrats discussing
the rout OF their party in the House
upon a number OF minor matters. At
about that time the leaders assem-
bled and turned the naming of the
committees over to the ways and
means committee-Oscar Under
wood for short, and by virtue pf
that act the gentleman from Ala
bama succeeded to the place of
car, an expression they seem to
like about Congress. He had prof
tied by the downfall of Cannon
ISM" and to make this position Sc
cure he Immediately inaugurated the
caucus system, and from that day
to this has invoked it upon every
important occasion. The House pa
tronage was distributed through it,
and two tariff bills and currency
measure have been threshed out be
hind the guarded portals OF the "se-
cret caucus" The result is that
the Democratic members OF the cau-
Gus have always gone into the
/ House with a definite purpose OF
/ legislation that has swept all oppo-
sitiOn before it. When Reed and
Cannon were the speakers they did
not appoint their committees for
months in order that they might
better handle the opposition. Now
/ the committees are named instant
/ er. but the Democratic leaders who
| occupy the chairmanshipS defer to
| the caucus which. prescribes the
method of procedure. and. therefore,
all legislation that has been sug-
geSted outside the party program
has been strangled to death Osten.-
Sibly the "one-man power" of Can
non days is over, as the new meth
cd makes every member OF the
majority believe himself to be an
important part of the system that
rules. The Republicans never dis
I covered the full power OF the eau
Gus until it was directed against
them. though Speaker Clark remind
I ed Congressman Payne OF tariff
fame. in the course of u controversy.
that the Republicans had a hog
combine that no mortal man could
| break" and he added that it lasted
for sixteen years. The Republicans
are going to make an issue OF the
caucus-the same institution the
''Insurgents" refused to participate
i'll when the G. o. p was in power
The minority further asserts that
the rules OF the House under Can
than the present system in Congress
Speaker Clark has declared that
Eve must have organization to en-
act the will OF the people into
law" He further asserts that the
Democrats have this organization"
and he says they are using it in
fulfilling their pledges to the people.
Without attempting any apology ne
has told the Republicans that "the
custom OF the pot calling the kettle
black has never met with the high
est encomium in this country"
Right or wrong. the best of har-
mony has always been maintained
within the Democratic organization, |
and for three years every party plan !
has gone through a. sleek as
grease"
The Senators and Currency
The Senate has not yet fully 4
made up its mind" to pass the cur
rency bill Senators who oppose /
the bill have discovered that they /
are being hurried" and in case |
they can muster sufficient support !
it may be that the talking process |
will not be completed by Deem /
Der. in which case the round OF de-
bate would have to be done all over
again in the winter session. There :
some Democratic disaffectiou. and
notable Senators pointed out are
Reed and Hitchcock On the other
hand "a this is not necessarily a
partisan measure it is confidently
predicted that there will be plenty
OF Republican support.
The Fossilized Census.
The disclosures OF the Census Blu
rcau show that although three and
half years have elapsed since
the enumeration. much OF the work
remains uncompleted. and many of
the reports have never been made
Thus several million dollars worth
of census work has relapsed into
junk. Worse still. clerks are kept
on old work thereby holding back
annual reports that are useless I'M
less made on time
Virtrified Brick Roads !
Government investigation of vitri-
fed brick as 4 paving material for
country roads concludes that not
the first high cost. that
four distinct advantages are o6-
to-wit: Durability, easy trac-