Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-25
LITTLE CHANGE IN METHODS
COMPARED TO DAYS WHEN
"UNcLE JOE" WAS CAR.
NATIONAL VOTERS LEAGUE
DEMANDING REFORMS
Would Make House Of Representatives
Live Up to It's Name-Demoeratic
Forces in Control During Late SEES
sion Declared to Be More Tyranni-
cal Than Cannonism.
Especial correspondence

Washington, March 25-When Uncle
Joe" Cannon, at the opening of the next
session of congress. gets down off his
porch at Danville and betakes himself
and that long, black cigar to Washing
ton. he will find that Cannonism still
reigns in the house of representatives.
True, he will find that he is no longer
czar and that all he has to do with
the CannoniSm is to sit back in his seat
and gaze at its manifestations. Or.
perchance, he will arise at times to
hurl a few remarks at it. But it will
he in effect the same old system. a
little revamped, but SO little that the
rank and file of the house will be re-
mote from control of the affairs of that
body.
Substantially this idea is expressed
by the National Voters League. 1t
does not use these words but its mean
ing is not dissimiiar. The National
Voters League is a well-known or
sanization which has been for some
time engaged in trying to elevate poll
tics and to make the house of repre-
sentatives that which its name implies
il is. branch of congress really rep
resentative of the public viii.
Shows No Improvement.
Lately. the league has prepared a
report on the Sixty third congress.
This report is TO be widely distributed.
The report enumerates changes IN
house procedure which il believes
ought TO be made and it finds that in
recent years the house has not i'm
proved essentially, that il is not yet
emanCipated. and that il lacks a resu-
lar and orderly method of doing bust
ness.
The report goes farther than to say
Cannonism still lives and reigns. In
fact. il declares the forces that con-
troled the house which has just ended
were even more tyrannical than Cam
nonism. II finds, too. that the same
forces are prepared to control the next
house. Under the system that obtains,
measures are not passed on their
merits. Nothing can get thru until by
operation of the rules it has been
given a privileged status or until by a
special rule debate on it is curtailed
and gagged and provision for vote
is made.
It is pointed out in the report of the
National Voters League how the prep
aration TO continue the present-day
Cannonism IN the house has been
made. In the first place the members
who are reelected have met and have
allotted the places they want. The
new members are left to take what
they can get. The democratic party
caucus has approved this program.
Furthermore. when the next session
opens. the old rules will be adopted
and the effect Of this will be to con-
tinue the old system for two years
longer.
Il used TO be that the speaker,
backed by coterie of powerful sup
porters. ruled the house. Since the
speaker lost power 10 name commit
tees he has sunk in importance. The
real power now is the majority leader
and the committee on committees bacl!
of him plus small group of leading
committee chairmen.
Plan to Emancipate House.
In order to emancipate the house,
the league has outlined a program for
reform of the rules. Sooner or later,
there will be another great struggle in
the house over the adoption of some
down in the next house but it is bound
to come for it is unthinkable that the
house membership should be for a long
period reduced to the position of a
mere machine to register the will Of a
small body of leaders who are astute
enough TO control the democratic
caucus and thus to dominate legisla-
ton.
til oh, yoc
which the National Voters League
proposes is to rearranse the commit
tees completely and abolish half the
committees; to have the committees
elect their own chairmen; to have the
committees select their own employees
ard not allow the chairman to pick
political friends whom he can use fol-
his political work: to have the COM
mittee employees work for the COM
mittee exclusively; to require open SEES
sions of committee, with public records
of proceedings, the minutes to be pub
lished semi-monthly in the Congress
sional Record: to require calendars OF
all public business before committees
to be kept; to require committees to
report on all matters before them
within reasonable time; and to adopt
la budget system, thus saving mncn
time on appropriations as well as tend
ing to abolish the pork barrel.
Chance to Save Time.
It is the theory Of the league that
under wise system the house would
find time for the consideration Of many
important matters which it now does
not fina time .c take mn. For instance
a budget system would make it un-
necessary to take up so many months
of debate on appropriations asfafe nov
consumed.
Among other things, 1t is proposed t.
allow the District of Columbia NOR
largely to handle its own AFFAIRS ant
| make it unnecessary TO devote so mucf
time each session Of congress to dis
trict problems.
Pleasant Surprise.
Lucille was carefully brought-u VI
1 - SAT- aod