THE ROLL CALL
THE ROLL CALL ON MEN AND MEASURES Reform of the House Rules ON the ninth of this month, twenty-nine Republican members of the House of Representatives submitted a resolution to amend the rules of...
...The selection of this new committee, which is to be the steering and organizing committee of the House, is to be made by the membership of the House in such a way as to secure a fair representation of all sections and all interests...
...Of the present committee the Speaker is chairman and, by virtue of his power to appoint the other four members, dominates the committee,—an arrangement which gives the Speaker an initiative control of legislation almost as important as his absolute power of veto...
...Its effect would be little else than the waste of one day each week...
...At his request this examination will be conducted by the State Civil Service Commission and will be held throughout the state at the same time as the state competitive examinations advertised for February 27, 1909...
...The "insurgents" made a thorough search of the rules and precedents through a committee of their number, composed of expert parliamentarians and the report was that the rules are iron-bound and riveted and absolutely rigid on this point...
...Waldo, of New York...
...Fowler, of New Jersey...
...Foster, of Vermont...
...Madison and Murdock, of Kansas...
...The proposed changes strike directly at the root of the existing system which destroys the representative character of the House...
...The scheme presented for the self-government of the House is practicable, and it would prove effectual...
...Fitzgerald and Sherley are Democrats, who "stand in," and Townsend is one of the "near-insurgents...
...It is first provided in the resolution that, "the Speaker shall not be a member of any standing or conference committee...
...Ellis, of Missouri...
...Currier, of New Hampshire...
...The Idaho Leader says that "Gifford Pinchote, chief for-rester," and F. H. Newell, head of the reclamation bureau, are "more dangerous than all the anarchists combined...
...Howland, of Ohio...
...Gardner and Lovering, of Massachusetts...
...The behavior of the Coast states in rejecting the anti-Japanese bills for patriotic motives indicates that they really constitute, as they say, "a white man's country...
...Chief Shippy please take notice...
...All honor and praise is due the courage and ability with which they have undertaken, against odds and in the face of certain reprisals by the ruling autocracy, the struggle to restore the House of Representatives as an independent, co-ordinate and representative branch of Congress...
...Another important change proposed by the "insurgents" is that Tuesday of each week shall be set aside for action upon important general legislation without the consent, as a necessary prerequisite, of the Speaker or any of his hierarchy of committee chairmen...
...and Sher-ley, of Kentucky...
...The Speaker had the committee already picked and read their names from a bit of paper, as follows: Fitzgerald, of New York...
...Davis, Lindbergh, Steenerson, and Volstead, of Minnesota...
...To do this, the "insurgents" will need nearly the solid Democratic vote...
...Gronna and Marshall, of North Dakota...
...It is next provided that, "the Committee on Rules and Committees shall appoint" the standing committees of the House, in place of the Speaker who now appoints them...
...The reform aims straight at the autocracy of the Speaker...
...If adopted, it will almost confine that official to the exercise of his proper functions of a presiding officer...
...It should be quite obvious that such a change, leaving the appointments of committees and the control of legislation in the hands of the Speaker and his committee chairmen could not operate to promote any important legislation to which the Speaker might be opposed...
...Parsons, of New York...
...The "near-insurgents," whose names appear on this resolution are: Anthony, Campbell and Scott, of Kansas...
...The significance of this move is to show the "insurgents" that they cannot look for the Democratic support that it was thought they expected,— that the system is bi-partisan,—and to show the "near-insurgents" that by being "good" they may earn consideration...
...The names of members that appear upon the resolution are here given...
...It is a roll of honor...
...It is to be composed of fifteen members, nine from the majority and six from the minority...
...In the management of legislation this committee will take the place of the present Committee on Rules...
...Of course, the present rules do not leave any loop-hole through which a resolution presented by twenty-nine of its members could be put before the House for consideration and action without the consent of the Speaker...
...There are several precedents for the introduction of a resolution by several members jointly...
...Examination for Midshipman Senator R. M. La Follette has one vacancy as midshipman in the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis to fill from the state of Wisconsin at large...
...Information (and application blanks) will be furnished upon application to Senator R. M. La Follette or to the State Civil Service Commission, Madison, Wis...
...The resolution was then referred to a committee for consideration and a report...
...Boyd, Hinshaw, Kinkaid, Norris, and Pollard, of Nebraska...
...THE ROLL CALL ON MEN AND MEASURES Reform of the House Rules ON the ninth of this month, twenty-nine Republican members of the House of Representatives submitted a resolution to amend the rules of that body...
...McLaughlin, of Michigan...
...Fitzgerald, a Democrat, from New York...
...This resolution was introduced by Mr...
...Pearre, of Maryland...
...The only way in which the resolution can be brought to a vote would be by a revolutionary proceeding,—overturning the rules for the time being and over-riding the Speaker's rulings...
...Haugen, Hepburn, and Hubbard, of Iowa...
...Townsend, of Michigan...
...But, with a serious insurrection on its hands, the House autocracy may be obliged to re-construe the rules, for if such a practice should pass unchallenged, the speaker might find himself under the embarassing necessity of killing a resolution introduced by a majority of the house...
...Cary, Cooper, Esch, Morse, and Nelson, of Wisconsin...
...He has decided to fill this vacancy by recommending the candidates standing highest in a competitive examination...
...Hayes and McKinlay, of California...
...Under the proposed reform, no member of this important Committee on Rules and Committees can be chairman of any other standing committees...
...Where will the Democratic party in the House of Representatives stand on this proposition to break the autocratic power of the Speaker...
...The first move on the part of the Speaker's forces was "framed up" and "sprung" the next day in the form of a resolution challenging the right, under the rules, of several members to join in the introduction of a resolution...
...There were seven other members who started out with the "insurgents" but now content themselves with presenting a resolution providing merely for a Calendar Tuesday...
...Olmstead, of Pennsylvania...
...Great credit is due to the members who have studied and worked faithfully days and nights, weeks and months to evolve a program of reform...
Vol. 1 • February 1909 • No. 7
