The Washington times., 1915-03-26

When Uncle Joe Cannon. at the
opening of the next session OF No"-
gress, gets down off his porch at Dan
Vile and betakes himself and that iohs
black cigar to Washington. he VIII ma
that Cannonism still reiSns In mo
House.
True, he will find that he is no longer
Car and that all no has to do WIN
Cannonism is to sit back In his scat
and gaze at its manifestations. Or
perchsnce, he will arise at times TO
hurl a few remarks at 1t. But 1t Will
he in effect the same old system, a
little revamped, but so nttie chanseu
that the rank and file OF the tiouse
will be remote from control oil the
AFFAIRS of that body.
Substa ntially this idea Is expressed by
the National Voters League. 1t does
not use these words, but It's meaning Is
not dissimiar. The National voters
League Is a well-known organization
which has been for some time engaged
in trying to elevate politics and 10
make the House of Representatives
that which It's name implies IL IL, d
branch Of Congress really representa-
tive of the public Will.
Makes Proposed Changes.
Lately the league has prepared re-
port on the Sixty-third Congress. inns
report Is to be widely distributed. Tho
report enumerates changes In House
procedure which it believes ought to DC
made, and it finds that in recent years
the House has not improved essential
ly, that 1t is not yet cmancipated, ana
that It lacks a regular and orderly
method Of doing business.
The report goes farther than to say
Cannonism still lives and reigns. In
fact. it declares the forces tnat con con
were even more tyrannical than Can
nonism 1t finds. too. that the same
forces are prepared to controi the next
House.
ures are not passed on their merits
Nothing can get through until by oper-
alton Of the rules 1t has been given
privileged status or until by specia'
rule debate on il Is curtailed and gag
ged and provision for a vote is made;
1t is pointed out in the report OF inc
National Voters League how the prep
aration to continue the preseht,oa!
Cannonism in the House mas peS,.
who are reelected have met and nave
allotted the places they want. Inc new
members are left to take what they
can get Tho Democratic party caucus
has approved this program.
Eurtharmore when the next session
opens. the old rules will be adopted, ana
the effect of this will be to continue tho
old system for two years longer
Majority Leader Rules.
II used to be that the Speaker. backed
bv a coterie of powerful supporters
ruled the House. Since the Speaker 'ost
mower to name committees, he has sunk
in importance. The real power now -
the majority leader and the Committee
on Committees back of him, plus a
small group of leading committee chair
men.
In order to emancipate the House, the
league has outlined a program for re-
form of the rules. Sooner or later, IL as
declared. there will be another great
struggle in the House over the adoption
of some or alb these ideas.
It NAV be held down in the next
House, but, it is agreed, it is bound to
come, for it is unthinkable that the
House membership should be reduced
for a long period to the position OF a
machine to register the will OF small
body OF leaders who are astutc enough
to control the Democratic caucus and
thus to dominate legislation.
Among the more striking changes
which the National Voters League pro-
noses is to rearrange the committees
completely and abolish half the commit
tees; to have the committees elect their
own chairmen: to have the committees
select their own employees, and not allow
the Chairmen to pick political friends
whom he can use for his political work:
to have the committee employees work
for the committee exclusively: to re-
uuire open sessions of committees. with
public records of proceedings, the min
utes to be published semi-monthly in
the Congressional Record; TO require