The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1923-12-19
Spoi|s Must Be Removed in conqress
No Victory Over Pie Counter Will Be Gained
Until Constructive Change Is Made
In Congressional System.

and that the second phase of the bat
J, tie over the changing of. the rules
will only be used for endless and use
!, less argument and debate with the
! final outcome that the Old Guard will
be as strongly entrenched as ever be-
fore and that the insurgent group
may have secured few important"
committee assignments.
Jockeying for Position
The big sensation Of opening week
lin congress was the "jockeying for
position" for that was all it amount
ed to, two-days' holdup Of the low
Ter house by a small bloc of seven
teen members.
And they temporarily scored just
like similar group did few years
ago when Speaker Cannon, was
"shorn" of the autocratic power then
held by the speaker of the house Of
Representatives, and which is still
held but in different form, lin the
Committees"
On account of the narrow Repub-
lican majority in the house it was
discovered that small group of
seventeen men could deadlock the
house and bar its organization until
such a time as one or the other of
the two crowds would yield point or
two, on committee pledges The
old political barter system is in full
swing.
Speaker is Elected
On opening day the Republicans
nominated Congressman Frederick Il.
Gillette, of Massachusetts, for
speaker, the Democrats nominated
Congressman Finis j. Garrett, of
Tennessee, and the LaFollette group
of men in the house styled the in
Esurgents, nominated Representative
Henry Cooper, of Wisconsin, for the
position. Four ballots were taken
and no one received sufficient num-
Der of votes to elect, Adjournment
was taken until Tuesday noon and
the second day of congress saw a
repetition of the first days perform
ance! Before adjournment was
taken a caucus or conference" was
arranged between Republican Floor
leader Longworth and Representa-
tives Nelson, Woodruff and La Guard
ia, insurgents, for that evening.
The third day of congress brought
the election of Speaker Gillette and
a complete organization Of the house,
the insurgent group having decided
to abandon" their fight for a tenn
fporary thirty days on the assurance
|of Representative Longworth, the
Republican leader, that opportunity
would be afforded later to freely Of
fer amendments to the house rules.
From the start the insurgent group
maintained that the reak fight was
for "rules revision" Just how far
the amendments offered will ever get
was not indicated.
Following is the program as
agreed to by the Republicans and in
surgents. First, that the rules of
the sixty-seventh Congress should be
adopted as the rules of the Sixty
eighth Congress for thirty days
only" So that's that.
Second, that during. these thirty
days amendments to the rules may
be offered by any member, to be
referred to the committee on rules,
which committee shall consider such
amendments and make a report
thereon to the House.
The End Is Reached
'Third, within such thirty days
the committee shall make a report of
the rules and such amendments as
they recommend. The rules and
amendments as reported by the COM
mittee shall be subject to reason
able discussion, amendment and rec
ord votes Of the House. and that's
the end of it all.
Fourth, when the committee shall
have made it's report any member of
the House shall have opportunity to
offer amendments to any rule Of the
House and may call for record vote
thereon, whether such rule has been
included in the report of the COM
mittee or not.
'Fifth, one motion to recommit
shall be in order. Only one.'"
After the jockeying for this posi-
tion had been going on for three
days the Republicans announced to
the country that such revision of
the rules program" had been "in the
pocket Of the proposed chairman of
the committee on rules for week."
This brought laughter from the DEM
ocrats, who kidded the Republicans
about such report having been
pocketed for days. This Republican,
Will Wood, "well-known congress
fNoutsuua<4 ~, powA ~