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MARCH 3(, 10
The Commoner.
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JOSEPH G. CANNON was ro-electod speaker
of . the house of representatives. He re
ceived 20-1 votes against 166 votes for Champ
Clark, the democratic candidate, with twelve
votes scattering. Although Mr. Cannon was re
elected by practically the solid republican vote,
thirty-one republicans known as "insurgents"
rebelled and voted with the democrats against
the adoption of the old rules. These republi
cans were: Cary, Wisconsin; Cooper, Wiscon
sin; Davidson, Wisconsin; Davis,, Minnesota;
Fowler, New Jersey; Gardner, Massachusetts;
Good, Iowa; Gronna, North Dakota; Haugen,
Iowa; Hayes, California; Hinshaw, Nebraska;
Hubbard, Iowa; Kendall, Iowa; Kinkaid, Ne
braska; Kopp, Wisconsin; Kustermann, Wis
consin; Lenroot, Wisconsin; Lindbergh, Minne
sota; Lovering, Massachusetts; Madison, Kan
sas; Morse, Wisconsin; Murdock, Kansas; Nel
son, Wisconsin; Norris, Nebraska; Pickett,
Iowa; Poindexter, Washington; Volstead, Min
nesota; Woods, Iowa; Hollingsworth, Ohio;
Johnson, Ohio; Steenerson, Minnesota.
REPRESENTATIVE Dalzell, of Pennsylvania,
brought about the first test vote on the
rules when he moved that the old rules be
adopted for this congress. He moved the pre
vious question in order to shut off debate and
this motion was carried by 194 yeas to 189
nays. Seven democrats voted with Dalzell on
this motion. These democrats were: Broussard,
of Louisiana; Estopinal, of Louisiana; Gold
fogle, of New York; Riordan, of New York;
Conroy, of Louisiana; Moon, of Tennessee, and
O'Connell of Massachusetts. All of the thirty
one "insurgent" republicans voted with the ma-
jorlty of the democrats against this Dalzell
motion.
WHEN THE next motion: to adopt the old
rtlles Tvas submitted it was defeated by
189 yeas to 193 nays. On this vote the thirty
one "insurgent" republica s voted with the ma
jority of the democrats while but three demo
crats O'Connell, Estopinal and Broussard
voted with the Cannon men. Champ Clark, the
democratic leader, then offered a resolution pro
viding 'for the appointment of a committee of
fifteen to revise the rules, this committee to
report at the beginning cf the December ses
sion Mr. ClaTk dema ded the previous ques
tion on his resolution but the motion for the
previous question was defeated by a vote of 179
yeas to 203 nays. On this motion sixteen demo
crats and five insurgent republicans voted with
the Cannon men. Then Fitzgerald, democrat,
of New York, proposed a substitute for the
Clark motion. The Fitzgerald amendment made
no change in the present method of the selec
tion of the committee on rules or other com
mittees which are now appointed by the speak
er It enables i member to have a proposition
brought before the house without having to go
to the speaker for recognition and makes a few
other minor changes, none of which, it is said,
are at all disagreeable to Mr. Cannon. Newspaper
reports agree that it was plain that there was
a clear understanding between Cannon and Fitz
gerald The Fitzgerald amendment was adopt
ed by a vote of 211 yeas to 172 nays. On this
vote Hollingsworth and Johnson of Ohio, and
Steernson of Minnesota, republicans, deserted
the insurgents and voted with the Cannon men.
Twenty-three democrats deserted their party
associations and voted with the Cannon men
These were as follows: Bartlett, Nevada,
Brantley, Georgia; Broussard, Lousiana; Conroy,
Louisiana; Edwards, Georgia; Estopinal, Louis
iana; Fitzgerald, New York; Fornes New York,
Goldfogle, New York; Goulden, New York,
Griggs, Georgia; Harrison, New York; Howard,
Georgia; Keliher, Massachusetts; Lee, Georgia;
Lindsay New York; Livingston, New York; Mc
Dermott, Illinois; Moon, Tennessee O Connell,
Massachusetts, PMers, Massachusetts, Riordan,
New York; Sparkman, Florida.
O
a'S A RESULT Cannonism is practically vic
A torious. The Washington correspondent for
the Philadelphia North American says: In
preventing the house from doing away with the
old nefarious system, two men stand forth as
entitled to particular distinction. One of theso
is Fitzgerald, of Brooklyn, a follower of the
notorious Pat McCarren; the other Is Town
send, of Michigan, one of the authors of the
Esch-Townsend rate bill and a former supporter
of the Roosevelt policies. Townsend was a
leader in the insurrectionary movement, chiefly
because the system prevailing in the house pre
vented the house from getting an opportunity
to express its actual convictions with respect to
great public questions. Today he declared that
the adoption of the old rules and a contin
uation of the boss system are absolutely
necessary to the enactment of such remedial
legislation as the president is pledged to recom
mend to congress. Townsend is a fair example
of the man with good impulses who yields to
pressure and deserts the principles for which
he has contended. As for Fitzgerald, he is a
Brooklyn democrat. It is now recalled that
Pat McCarren, the Brooklyn boss, came to Wash
ington last winter and remained hero two weeks
and held some conferences with Speaker Can
non. It is believed the deal by which Fitz
gerald was to rush to the salvation of Cannon
ism was arranged then. Why the five or six
Tammany members from New York City went
to Cannon's aid is not known definitely, but
conjectures are plentiful, especially among tho
democrats. The Georgians who went to tho
support of Cannon were led by Livingston, who,
obviously, wished to preserve his place upon
the appropriations committee, and by Griggs,
who Is also a seeker for favors. The estimate
placed upon these deserting democrats by their
fellow democratic members was expressed in
the democratic caucus which followed the ses
sion of the house this afternoon. The attitude
taken by the democrats at a caucus held this
evening, after the house adjourned, is in sharp
conflict with the new policy of Cannon. A reso
lution was adopted to prevent members of the
minority accepting committee assignments with
out the approval of Minority Leader Clark. Tho
resolution read: 'Resolved, That it is the sense
of the democratic caucus that no democrat
should accept appointment on any committee
without the previous approval of the present
democratic leader.' This was adopted by a vote
of 135 to 1, one membf-r voting 'present.' Pre
vious to the vote, however, several members had
left the caucus, Including Representatives Fitz
gerald, New York; Moon, Tennessee; Edwards,
Brantley and Livingston, Georgia'."
ON THE DAY following his "victory" Speaker
Cannon announced the ways and means
committee and rules committee. The new mem
bers of the ways and means are: Cushman, of
Washington, republican; Harrison, of New York,
and Broussard, of Louisiana", democrats. The
full committees as announced are as follows:
RUies Speaker, Dalzell of Pennsylvania, Smith
or Iowa, Clark of Missouri, Fitzgerald of New
York. The latter is author of the amendment
to the rules adopted: Ways and Means Payne
of New York, Dalzell of Pennsylvania, McCall
of Massachusetts, Hill of Connecticut, Boutell
of Illinois, Needham of California, Calderhead
of Kansas, Fordney of Michigan, Gaines of West
Virginia, Cushman of Washington, Longworth
of Ohio, Crumpacker of Indiana, Clark of
Missouri, Harrison of New York, Broussard of
Louisiana, Underwood of Alabama, Griggs of
Georgia, Pou of North Carolina, and Randell of
Texas.
AFTER THE announcement of the personnel
of the committees, Champ Clark, the mi
nority leader, said: "Originally the speaker
had the power, and exercised it, to appoint all
committees, both the majority and the minority
members. Under Speaker Reed, when Bailey
nf Texas was the minority leader, and under
Sneaker Henderson, I think that the minority
leaders were consulted a good deal regarding the
annointment of minority members. When Can
ned ww elected speaker and Williams minority
loader, the speaker conferred on tho minority
leader the favor of appointing minority mem
bers on committees with one or two exceptions.
Now the speaker resumes the power of appoint
ing the majority and minority members on com
mittees for tho purpose of punishing mo be
cause I had the courage to fight certain things
that he wanted done. He has a perfect right
to appoint the majority and mlnlrlty members,
and I am not complainlnj about It, but his -efforts
to punish mo will bo absolutely futllo
if his purpose is to swerve mo from the lino of
conduct which I think Is frr the welfare of tho
democratic party, and, therefore, of tho coun
try. Committee assignments do not mako and
unmake men In the house of representatives.
I had nothing whatever to do with tho appoint
ment of the commltteo on ways and means and
tho committee on rules, and I would not havo
cared a bauble if he had put mo on tho tall end
of tho committee on ventilation and acoustics.
Every man makes his own place in tho house
of representatives. He did not give mo my
place, and he can't take it away from me."
Representative Underwood, of Alabama, would
not discuss his appointment on tho ways and
means committee other than to say: "If Mr.
Clark asks me to resign from tho committee on
ways and means, my resignation will be at tho
speaker's desk within two minutes."
REPRESENTATIVE Ollio James, of Kentucky,
is anxious to learn President Taft's pres
ent attitude in regard to an income tax. To this
end ho introduced a resolution In tho house.
The Associated Press says: "Tho resolution
quotes President Taft as saying in a speech at
Columbus, O., on August 16, 1907, that 'In times
of great national need, howevor, an income tax
would be of great assistance in furnishing means
to carry on tho government.' Mr. James refers
to President Taft's tariff message wherein It is
estimated that there would be a deficit in tho
treasury by July 1 of $100,000,000. The reso
lution asks the president if, In his opinion, tho
'times of great national need' havo not come,
'when an income tax would bo of great assis
tance In furnishing the means by which to carry
on the government.' Tho president is asked',
if he does so believe, to submit to congress
recommendations relative to - imposing a tax
upon incomes 'to the end that tho rich may-bear
their proportion of the burdens of the gov
ernment.' "
CONVICTED bankers, now prisoners in tho
penitentiary at Pittsburg, Pa., discovered
an apparent discrepancy of more than $26,000
In the penitentiary accounts. An Associated
Press dispatch from Pittsburg says: "Tho
board of visitors of the western penitentiary
some time ago appointed Henry Reibar, formerly
paying teller o! the Farmers' Deposit National
bank, now an inmate of the penitentiary, to
audit the books of the institution. Finding an
apparent discrepancy and being unwilling to
assume all responsibility, Reibar secured tho
assistance of William Montgomery, former cash
ier of the Allegheny National bank, and J. B.
F. Rlnehart, former cashier of tho Farmers and
Drovers' National bank of Waynesburg, Pa.,
both convicts in the western penitentiary, who
are said to agree with him in his findings."
AN ASSOCIATED Press dispatch from Boston
Mass., says: "Of the thousands, who, when
they feel like 'cussing,' relieve their feelings by
exclaiming 'Geo Whitaker,' few know how tho
exclamation originated and who fathered It.
George Whitaker of Ashford was the man and
his death, at a ripe old age has just been an
nounced. George Whitaker was a famous old
forty-niner' and the first chief of police of New
Britain, Conn. He was a terror to all evil
doers, who, when they saw him coming would
exclaim, 'Geo Whitaker and mako themselves
scarce. That Is how tho widely used phrase
originated."
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