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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1909)
i MARCH 26, 180 The Commoner. 7 TnnaBirw '-..d.Jb. r tmmm h "--, J ii i .CCURB rn i r u.wmhhuiiiiii m .. -j'Wiiftf 'Wiaww JliWI 'lMHMSfcpdJIarfPl!JW.,fcwlKjWfc JOSEPH G. CANNON was re-elected speaker of the house of representatives. He re ceived 204 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; Loverlng, 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. -r-) EPRESENTATIVE Dalzell, of Pennsylvania, JX 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- jority of the democrats against this Dalzell motion. WHEN THE next motion: to adopt the old ruleg s 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 spealc er. It enables a 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 1 itz 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; 0 Con ell, Massachusetts, P.eters, Massachusetts, Rloruan, New York; Sparkman, Florida. O AS A RESULT Cannonism is practically vic torious. The Washington correspondent for the Philadelphia North American sas. in preventing the house from doing away with tho old nefarious system, two men stand forth as entitled to particular distinction. One of these is Fitzgerald, of BrooMyn, a follower of tho notorious Pat McCarren; the other is Town send, of Michigan, one of the authors of tho 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 here 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 tho five or six Tammany members from New York City went to Cannon's aid is not known definitely, but conjectures are plentiful, especially among the 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 tho minority accepting committee assignments with out the approval of Minority Leader Clark. The 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 Louisiana1, democrats The full committees as announced are as follows: Trules Sneaker, Dalzell of Pennsylvania, Smith wlowaf Clark of Missouri, Fitzgerald of New Ynrk The latter is author of the amendment to the rules adopted: Ways and Means-Payne of New York, Dalzell of Pennsylvania, McCa 1 of Massachusetts, Hill of Connecticut Boutell of IlHnois, Needham of California, Calderhead of Kansas Fordney of Michigan, Gaines of West Virginia Cushman of Washington, Longworth of Ohio, Crumpacker of Indiana, Clark of Mi-Bouri 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 n V L nower and exercised it, to appoint all Uad rnpp both the majority and the minority committees, both tnem 3 T Texas was Se minority leader and under of Tfxasu;vnaf " n i think that the minority Speaker Henderson, i mi regardIng the loaders were conXitamerabers. When Cap S weleoted Weaker and Williams minority leader, the speakor conferred on tho minority leader the favor of appointing minority mem bers on committees with ono 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. Ho has a porfect right to appoint the majority and mlnirlty members, and I am not complaining about it, but IiIb - efforts to punish mo will bo absolutely futile if his purpose is to swerve mo from tho lino of conduct which I think is fcr the welfare of tho democratic party, and, therefore, of tho coun try. Committee assignments do not make and unmake men In tho houso of representatives. I had nothing whatevor to do with tho appoint ment of the commltteo on ways and means and the committee on rules, and I would not have 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 houso of representatives. He did not give mo my place, and he can't take it away from mo." Representative Underwood, of Alabama, would not discuss his appointment on tho ways and means commltteo other than to say: "If Mr. Clark asks me to resign from the committee on ways and means, my resignation will be at tho speaker's desk within two minutes." T) EPRESENTATIVE Ollle James, of Kentucky, It 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. Tho Associated Press Eays: "Tho resolution, quotes President Taft as saying in a speech at Columbus, 0., on August 16, 1907, that 'in times of great national need, however, 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 the treasury by July 1 of $100,000,000. The reso lution asks the president if, in his opinion, the 'times of great national need' have not come, 'when an income tax would bo of great assis tance in furnishing the means by which to carry on the government.' The president Is asked, if ho 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 $20,000 in tho 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 of 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. Rinehart, former cashier of the 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 'Gee Whitaker few know how the 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, 'Gee Whitaker,' and make themselves scarce. That is how tho widely used phrase originated." - . n el immfimt tKMomA;--'