New-York tribune., 1917-04-02
Organizing the House

The Republicans in the House Of Rep
resentatives cannot afford to put any OBJ
stacles in the way Of immediate organiza-
ton. Il is Of vital Importance that the
President should address the two houses
without delay. and he cannot submit
any recommendations until Speaker is
elected.
The Speakcrship is hardly worth fight
ing over. 1t is an Office without political
power. The Speaker no longer rules. lie
does not appoint committees. lie has lost
all voice in the determination OF the
Houses legislative programme. He IS
parliamentary moderator and nothing else
Before long, perhaps, the House Will treat
the Speakership as a non-partisan Office
lust as the British House of Commons
treats 1t.
Past deadlocks in the House over the
election of a Speaker were pardonaole
The Speaker used to be party leader
under the Reed rules a party dictator.
All power was concentrated in his hands.
The House delegated him supreme author
itv when it elected him. Since the over
throw Of Cannonism, however, the House
majority has taken to governing itself. 1t
selects its own committees and does ousl-
ness on its own terms.
Fortunately. the selection Of the com
nrittees is not essential to organization
That task can always wait. II Speaker
is chosen to-day the House can 60 TO work
without committees. It can receive the
Presidents message and, if need be. 1t
can find a way to pass the appropriation
bills which failed in the Senate month
ago without committee action on tnem'
There could be no excuse for delaying or
ganization and the passage Of these hold
over appropriation bills because Of party
souabble over a minor Office like the
Speakership.
There are many indications that the Re-
publicans in the House will not make
serious effort to elect Speaker. Mr.
Mann is the caucus nominee. But he can
n,t command solid Republican support
His record disqualifes him. He ought
not 10 be elected under any circumstances.
He knows that his candidacy is hopeless,
and by insisting on being a candidate ne
blocks the way for the election OF any
more acceptable Republican.
In our opinion, Republican interests
would be better served by the reelection
of Mr.. Clark than by the election of Mr.
Mann. The Republicans Of the House
are several votes short of a majority
If thev should organize the House they
would accept responsibility for the Houses
action. But they would lack power to
control that action. The best thing for
them TO do under the circumstances IS TO
secure as fair a representation on the
committees as possible and to remain
party in opposition.
The Republican membership in the
House has not yet been thoroughly purged
Of Cannon m. 1t has looked backward,
not forward. In the last Congress Mr..
Mann. as minority leader, was permitted
to make all the Republican committee as
signments. That was a mistake. 1t con-
tinued one-man power, for control OF COM
rnittee assignments is the club with which
party leaders in the House have always
beaten down independence Of thought and
action. This system has produced arbi-
trary leaders and servile followers.
The Republicans Of the House need a
little more education in self-government
before they return TO power. They have
begun to get that education in the right
way. At the caucus on Saturday the right
to name committeeman was taken away
from Mr.. Nam and vested in committee
Of seventeen, responsible to the Repubh-
can caucus. That is the Senate method,
and it is an effcctual check on czarism.
This action Of the caucus was highly
commendable. 1t is Of far more impor-
tance at present to develop a spirit of in
dependence, progressiveness and courage
in the Republican membership Of the
House than it is to elect Speaker or or
ganize the committees Of the present Con-
greSS.