THE ROLL CALL
The Roll Call ON MEN AND MEASURES Reeder and the Rules PLACE: Hall of Representatives, United States Capitol at Washington. Time: March 17, 1910. Occasion: Contest over the adoption of the...
...I will not be interrupted at present...
...REEDER...
...Laughter...
...The House will be in order...
...STANLEY...
...Yes, Reeder is for revision of the rules...
...Mr...
...A small minority wants to force the majority party of this House to proceed in a manner it does not regard as parliamentary...
...REEDER...
...For his gallantry at the battle of Brandywine he was made Brigadier-General...
...Mr...
...REEDER...
...Mr...
...Mr...
...It may be very advisable to make this change in the rules, but the method of doing so which is adopted by the insurgents is absolutely unfair and unjust to the people of this great Republic...
...REEDER...
...JAMES...
...Will the gentleman give us his idea in what respects they should be changed, and give us the amendments he would make to the rules...
...REEDER...
...I, among others, think it should be done...
...The Tammany Democrats were put forward for that purpose...
...In the 58th- Congress he voted against striking out the so-called "special facilities" graft in the railway mail pay section of the post-office appropriation bill...
...The resolution embodying the rule revision commended by Reeder as revision "through the Republican majority in Congress" was introduced by Fitzgerald, the leader of the Tammany Democrats...
...Then, probably I could not answer it exactly to my taste, for lack of language...
...Great laughter on the Democratic side...
...Yes...
...On every occasion he has voted consistently for Cannon and the Cannon rules...
...Hon...
...Probably under the rules I had better not answer that question...
...Born in Poland in 17 A8, Pulaski took part in the struggle to free his country from Russia and, when exiled for this, came to this country to continue the battle for liberty...
...Of course I am perfectly conscious of the fact that the gentleman could enlighten me, but I want all the House to participate in the wisdom of the gentleman...
...Mr...
...When you gentlemen get tired, I will proceed...
...I call this method of joining forces with Democrats absolutely unfair to the people of this great Nation...
...I will not suffer an interruption at present...
...Speaker: I am as much in favor of changing the rules of this House as any of the so-called insurgents...
...A calendar Wednesday became a part of the rules by a regular course of procedure of the party in power...
...Reeder picked an opening and sailed in...
...Laughter...
...Mr...
...In the 60th Congress, although himself a country banker, Reeder supported the System emergency currency legislation— the Aldrich-Vreeland bill—designed to benefit Wall Street at the expense of the people and the legitimate commercial banking of the country...
...He declared several more times, that the method being pursued by the Insurgents to obtain a change of the rules was unfair, if not indeed reprehensible...
...He was mortally wounded October 9, 1779, in an attack at the siege of Savannah...
...COX of Indiana...
...In the next Congress he helped the railroads out again, with his vote to repeal the imprisonment penalty for railroad rebaters...
...GRONNA...
...Now, the question would arise, What are the motives of this unseemly coalition...
...To legislate under the principles of the Republican party, and not that a small minority shall say to the majority, 'If we can not rule the majority, we will ruin it.' I will suggest to the gentleman from Indiana, as well as the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr...
...Does the gentleman want an answer to that question...
...We want to have the gentleman tell us how he is inclined to think...
...But I am very much opposed to the methods they employ to gain their ends...
...I for one feel perfectly satisfied with the action that has been taken this afternoon, and I purpose to carry it out to the finish...
...Such action on the part of those who assume the name Republican is absolutely unfair to the people who sent them here on the supposition that they would try to build up that party and, at least, not stab it in the back...
...I want to emphasize, for the gentleman's benefit, what he and others are trying to do in this House today...
...Mr...
...I will accomodate the gentleman from North Dakota if he will wait until I get through with what I have to say...
...Laughter...
...They sent us here as a Republican majority to do certain things...
...I regard it as very much more in line with our duty to our constituents to secure changes in the rules and all else we strive for as we did calendar Wednesday through the Republican majority in Congress...
...GRONNA...
...That is an important question...
...Will the gentleman yield for a question...
...The machine was glad to have anybody speak and especially to have anybody "roast" the Insurgents...
...The Insurgents were amused because of Reeder and his speech...
...Mr...
...They seem to think it proper to join hands with the enemies of Republicanism, to strike down the grand old party of Lincoln, McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft...
...William A. Reeder, of Kansas, addressing the House in opposition to the resolution: "Mr...
...Renewed laughter...
...Does the gentleman believe that a Representative on the floor of the House should faithfully carry out the will of his constituents...
...The SPEAKER pro tempore...
...Mr...
...In the same Congress he voted for the McMillan Bill, giving the railroads millions of public property and public money for terminals in the city of Washington...
...Mr...
...Mr...
...REEDER...
...But the speeches of some of the leading insurgents have indicated something of the motives of at least a few in trying to have the minority of the majority party assume this rule or ruin programme in their attempt to change a rule of this House...
...Now, it will be remembered that the calendar Wednesday rule was forced upon the House at the opening of the present Congress, not as a means of revising the rules, but as a rule to defeat revision, and was consummated through a questionable deal between the Cannon machine and the Tammany Democrats...
...That is, he is for revision with Cannon and Dalzell and Fitzgerald...
...The SPEAKER pro tempore...
...I would be glad to accomodate the gentleman...
...I am inclined to think that the rules—" Mr...
...Mr...
...These rules were much changed by the party in power...
...Renewed laughter...
...Although repeatedly proclaiming himself in his speeches in the House as friendly to the conservation of natural resources, he lined up with the "regulars" against the interests of conservation and voted to have Cannon pack the Ballinger-Pinchot investigating committee, so as to insure a report which should blacken Pinchot and whitewash Ballinger...
...Mr...
...I will wait for order on the Democratic side...
...REEDER...
...He declared several times that he was in favor of a change of the rules of the House...
...REEDER...
...In other words, they would force the majority to do the will of said minority, and in such a manner as to discredit the majority...
...For, with insignificant exceptions, Reeder has been "regular" and has been for the System...
...The Democrats were amused to see a Republican from a progressive western state "scoring" the progressive Republicans of the House...
...The "regulars" were amused because Reeder had been elected to this Congress upon the declaration that he would oppose Cannon and Cannonism in the House...
...When I get through, I will permit interruptions...
...I will not permit any interruptions at the present...
...The gentlemen is in the minority now...
...They are also unfair in this, that the people of this Nation sent Republicans here to legislate...
...ELLERBE...
...Mr...
...Then the gentleman has admitted that it is the duty of a Representative in Congress to faithfully carry out the will of his constituents...
...The gentleman just stated that the rules ought to be amended in some respects...
...the power of that majority so that they can not control legislation...
...COX, of Indiana...
...Has the gentleman been sent here to legislate as a Republican, or has he been sent here as a legislator for the people...
...The majority is sent here for what purpose...
...The probability is that the rules ought to be changed in same respects...
...Mr...
...Mr...
...Let me ask you gentlemen, would you think it proper and just if a small minority, when they found that a large majority of their party were not in favor of a certain principle, should engage in a plan whereby the minority party would be brought into power for the purpose of discrediting that majority, and thereby much improving the minority party's chances to defeat the majority party at the polls...
...I think that every rule of fair dealing—I wish to emphasize that fair dealing—demands that Members sent here by the votes of a party shall not betray that party into the hands of their enemies...
...I apprehend I was sent here because I was supposed to be in favor of Republican principles and to legislate along the lines of the Republican party's established principles and policies...
...Whether it is good legislation or not, I will not now discuss...
...REEDER...
...REEDER...
...I agree with him, and I am glad to hear him make the statement...
...If not profound, Reeder was certainly serious, and even more emphatic than he was serious...
...The gentleman has stated that he does not believe that any of the insurgents believe that they are giving the House a square deal...
...REEDER...
...Mr...
...Mr...
...If the gentleman from Kentucky will come around to my office in the forenoon tomorrow, I will tell him all about it...
...GRONNA...
...If the minority of the majority has been sent here to amend the rules of the House, does he think he is justified in criticizing them in the way he has...
...Mr...
...In his first term in Congress he voted for the System's scheme of settlement of the Union Pacific Railroad's indebtedness to the Government...
...This, however, not strictly, for Reeder expressly declared, and repeatedly, that "the method we adopted to secure calendar Wednesday commends itself, to my Judgment, as a proper method for changing our rules...
...Mr...
...In the same Congress he voted with the machine to pass the Payne war revenue bill, and to defeat the amendments requiring transportation companies to pay their war taxes, and voted against amendments reducing the war tax on necessaries and providing for an income tax...
...REEDER...
...It was a "field day" in the House...
...Laughter...
...I request the Chair to see that the gentleman does not interrupt me at present...
...He plead the cause of Cannon and Cannonism...
...In the tariff session he voted for the passage of the Payne upward-revision bill, and for the worse Payne-Aldrich tariff bill on final passage...
...Mr...
...The Speaker and the "regulars" were filibustering, under a pretense of discussing a point of order raised against the Norris resolution—delaying the proceedings of the House, which waited upon a ruling by the Chair, until every effort should be exhausted to get enough votes to sustain the ruling, which it was known the Speaker would make, holding the Norris resolution out of order...
...The whole country is standing on tiptoe to-night to find out how the gentleman would change the rules, and how he thinks they ought to be amended...
...It would be unfair to the House for the gentleman to enlighten me alone when he might enlighten the House and the whole country...
...I believe he ought...
...GRONNA...
...He has spent thirty minutes in criticizing the minority of the majority side...
...For an hour, more or less, he spoke in denunciation of the Insurgents...
...While in his speech during the protracted controversy of the past session over the House rules, Reeder declared repeatedly that he was in favor of revision of the rules, but criticized the methods of the "insurgents" in their attempt to secure revision, on every roll call but one, which he missed, throughout the days and nights of that stubborn fight, Reeder voted to perpetuate the reign of Cannon and Cannonism...
...His speech fell upon the House with more amusement than conviction...
...On numerous occasions from the 58th Congress on he has voted System program for ship subsidies...
...Now, the question that I wish to ask the gentleman is this: Will he cite me to a single instance wherein a great reformation has been carried out by a majority...
...Mr...
...Gentlemen will kindly preserve order...
...Even this "revision" of the rules would never have been brought about except for the fight which was made by the Insurgents, and by methods of the character that Reeder in his speech so vigorously denounced, and which forced the machine leaders in self-defense to make a pretense of revising the rules...
...The gentleman says he is inclined to think...
...Laughter...
...In all his speech Reeder said very little, although he said that little a great number of times...
...GRONNA...
...Gronna), that the method we adopted to secure calendar Wednesday commends itself, to my judgment, as a proper method for changing our rules...
...I said I did not believe they considered they were giving their party a square deal...
...that it was an attack on majority rule in the House and upon the Republican party...
...COX of Indiana...
...Reeder, by implication at least, believed that the rules should be revised by their friends,—Cannon, Dalzell, etc...
...HAUGEN...
...Mr...
...I am sure that anybody who knows me or has known me for any length of time would never send me here to legislate as a Democrat...
...REEDER...
...REEDER...
...We have all heard that the tariff should be revised by its friends...
...Speaker—" Mr...
...Mr...
...Mr...
...Mr...
...Laughter...
...JAMES...
...They came here pretending to be Republicans, and the people sent them here supposing they would act with the Republicans...
...Will the gentleman yield...
...GRONNA...
...Occasion: Contest over the adoption of the resolution proposed by Congressman Norrist of Nebraska, to amend the rules of the House...
...Mr...
...Laughter...
...I do not yield at present...
...At the opening of this Congress he voted regularly with the Cannon machine to prevent revision of the House rules and to put through the cannon-Tammany-FITZGERALD resolution—the Reeder ideal of rule reform and the way to get it...
...Mr...
...Mr...
...The gentleman from Kansas declines to yield...
...Reeder's attitude on the rules is consistent with, and is explained by, his record as a regular supporter of the System machine throughout his service in the House...
...REEDER...
...Mr...
...This minority claims that they want a certain thing done— and I believe that it should be done —but these insurgents are taking a means to accomplish it that is contrary to the theory of a majority ruling...
...COX, of Indiana...
...Mr...
...REEDER...
...That is a wonderful inclination...
...After I have informed the gentleman he can make a speech and give the House the information he has gained...
...A small minority say they want a certain thing accomplished...
...I will say this, that a small minority have no right when they are sent here to assist the majority in legislating in favor of the people to go into a coalition to destroy ON MAY 11, President Taft accepted for the nation the statue by Kasimiriez Chodzinki presented by the Polish National Alliance in commemoration of Count Casimir Pulaski, who rendered valuable service to the thirteen colonies in their struggle for independence...
...I do not think that the gentleman from Kentucky thinks he needs information...
...JAMES...
...REEDER...
...Every move the Democrats help the insurgents to make which is contrary to the judgment of the majority of the Republicans of this House betrays the people's will that the Republicans shall rule during this term of Congress...
...Renewed laughter...
Vol. 2 • July 1910 • No. 29
