ROLL CALL
The Roll Call ON MEN AND MEASURES The System and a Democrat EVERYBODY knows now that Congress is run by a machine, manipulated by Nelson W. Aldbich and Joseph G. Cannon and a few trusty...
...Unless Moon can justify every vote he cast with the Cannon machine, independently and upon principle, to the satisfaction of fair men, his record must place him with the Cannon Democrats...
...It would appear that his tendency to Bourbonism recognizes no particular limits, unless they be the exigencies of political necessity in the Third District of Tennessee...
...The claim of Republicanism and Republican leadership as an asset and a source of strength in legislation is not overlooked or neglected by the System managers of Congress...
...What the Record Shows POSSIBLY, Moon's apparent alliance with the Cannon machine during the tariff session was net on his part a conscious alliance with Cannonism and the System...
...I voted with my party," has been the last-ditch defense of every System-serving Conjri essman and Senator, whom Republican voters of the country have kicked out of office from Maine to California...
...In the past, Judge Moon has had the confidence and the support of his District...
...Nor can his District be fairly criticized for electing him to Congress, term after term...
...The salvation of Cannonism depended upon Democratic votes...
...In Congress, he was representing his District as a Democrat...
...It protested...
...Virtually all the great public questions before this country at the present time are united by one common factor—the concentration of capital in a few hands...
...He had a good record as a Judge when he ran the first time for Congress...
...In the postal bank legislation, Moon vigorously opposed the postal bank bills offered both by the Democrats and by the Republicans, and voted against them both...
...Among those Democrats who voted against minority leader Clark's resolution providing for thorough-going rule reform was Moon of Tennessee...
...The cloak of partisanship is made to "cover a null-titude of sins...
...Success for the Insurgents depended upon the solid support of the minority...
...A Democrat With a Large D HONORABLE JOHN A. MOON, Congressman from the Third District of Tennessee, is a Democrat, with a large D— and this is important to note for there are sometimes important distinctions between a Democrat with a large D, and a democrat with a small d. Now, Moon, as we said, is a Democrat with a large D. He is a man of learning and native ability, a man of judicial training received through many years spent on the bench before he came to Congress...
...The Democrats almost unanimously, whether actuated by patriotism or by ambition for party success, complained bitterly of the methods of the Cannon regime, and of the rules...
...Actually, Aldrich and Cannon are not "leaders," or representatives even of the Republican party, but merely shrewd political operators, whom the System has to direct and manage, under orders, its Congressional machine...
...One of the Twenty-three BY the opening of the Sixty-first Congress, Insurgency had become a real force in the House of Representatives...
...Again in the memorable rules fight in March, in which the Insurgent Republicans and Democrats of the House joined hands in the sturdy fight for the adoption of the Norris resolution, Moon was "paired...
...Actually, the organization is not Republican, but bi-partisan and, above all, System...
...The time was at hand when the System organization must look toward the Democratic side of the House when the roll was called on System measures...
...a record which, because of this opposition, is a good record...
...It seemed to be affected by that inherent weakness of Democratic statesmanship, a lack of militant aggressiveness...
...In the last session, when the question arose whether the committee to investigate the Pinchot-Ballinger controversy should be elected by the House to investigate, or should be appointed by Cannon to "white-wash," Moon of Tennessee was "paired" on the roll call...
...At such times the voting strength of the System organization in the majority party may be so reduced that the programs of Big Business cannot be carried out without drawing on System votes in the minority, the so-called "opposition" party...
...But Moon's opposition was for most part, like Democratic opposition generally, opposition merely...
...The insurgent movement, the railroad question, * * * the labor question—all these are the result of the popular revolt against it — MrChire's...
...Thus, it happens, at the present time, that the System operates in Congress principally through the "leaders," so-called, of the Republican, the majority, party, and does business, as far as it can successfully, with so-called Republican votes...
...The mechanism of the oruanization is carefully constructed with reference to this fiction of politics...
...To have the party organization makes things easy for the System anil so long as a majority in Congress will submit blindly to the dictation of the machine manage ment, the rule of Privilege is safe It is better—for the System— and it looks better, to have this majority composed of Congressmen and Senators professing the political faith of the organization "leaders...
...On the railroad bill, he voted "Present" on the amendment to prevent railway consolidation and on the passage of the bill...
...As a Democrat, too, he was active with and of the "opposition...
...When the System Was Hard Pressed WHEN it came to the tariff revision, the System was in close quarters...
...And it looked not in vain...
...It lacked, for most part, the constructive quality...
...It does not explain itself...
...It u the organization...
...Among the twenty-three Democrats, who came to the aid of the Cannon machine and voted to put through the Fitzgerald subterfuge to defeat real revision of the cannon rules, was Moon of Tennessee...
...Such a record is that of a Democrat who is counted among the System "reserves...
...And they get the votes of other System Democrats—of those who are more willing—enough of them, perhaps, to save the day...
...Nearly all important measures of legislation, session after session, were forced upon the consideration of the House under the Cannon rules and under "special orders" of Speaker Cannon's Committee on Rules, which deprived the minority party of the opportunity even to make an intelligible record of protest, much less any effective opposition...
...Your System Democrat may have a long record of opposition to the Aldrich-Cannon machine...
...Except for a few "verbal changes," perhaps substituting "Democratic" for the word "Republican" here and there, the Judge is inclined to continue the scheme of things very much as they are...
...The rules applied so as to bind the Republican majority under the iron heel of Cannonism, operated likewise practically to eliminate the Democratic minority, even as an effective organization of protest in legislation...
...and then sat down...
...The contest, instituted by the little band of fearless, fighting Insurgents, offered to Democrats as well as to Republicans an opportunity to gain their rights, the rights of freedom and equality, man for man, representative for representative, district for district in the House of Representatives...
...But when the time comes that they do need it, they get it...
...Then is presented the spectacle of members of the opposition party, men who have peihaps for years pursued an unvarying course of criticism of, and opposition, more or less effective, to the schemes of the System machine operating under the name of the majority party, discarding their partisanship and abandoning their opposition, and with or without excuses, coming out in support of the System organization and its leadership...
...On schedules now and then, it needed Democratic votes...
...Nominally, it is a "Republican" organization...
...it made its record...
...On the lumber schedule, notwithstanding the platform pledge of the Democratic party for free lumber, Moon of Tennessee voted five times against free lumber...
...The Session opened with a contest waged by Insurgent Republicans, supported by the great body of Democrats in the House, for a reform of the Cannon rules...
...Judge Moon is abundantly judicial in his temperament...
...While voting against the passage of the Payne-Aldrich tariff, moon found no word of criticism or complaint to utter against the bill...
...It is better for the System to operate under the name of the political party in power than to be obliged to advertise its bi-partisan character by drawing upon its votes in the minority party...
...As ranking minority member of the Committee on Postofrices, he was conspicuous at times in opposing railway and ocean mail subsidy schemes which the Cannon machine put through for Special Interests...
...He is conservative, plus...
...The System was for Cannon and Cannonism, and the System got the Democratic votes...
...Possibly, he can reconcile his record in this Congress with his different record of the Congresses that have gone before...
...The Aldrich-Cannon machine organizes Congress...
...doubtless, Moon's opposition in these instances was of real public service...
...Nominally, Aldrich and Cannon are Republican "leaders...
...Drawing on the "Reserves" BUT there come times of crisis, times when men are elected to Congress who refuse to follow the dictates of the System managers of their party, times of "Insurgency" in the Republican party...
...The record looks bads...
...Among his reasons for voting against the Republican bill was that it was a bill agreed upon in a caucus, and for voting against the Democratic bill, that it had not been agreed upon in a caucus...
...The machine "leaders" may not have needed him and his vote...
...Possibly, he can convince the people of the Third District of Tennessee and the country that his apparent change from public service to System service at a time of crisis for the System was but a coincidence...
...In each election, heretofore, he has gone before his constituency with a good record...
...Among those who refused to attend the Democratic caucus to organize for the fight for rule reform was Moon of Tennessee...
...The Roll Call ON MEN AND MEASURES The System and a Democrat EVERYBODY knows now that Congress is run by a machine, manipulated by Nelson W. Aldbich and Joseph G. Cannon and a few trusty handy-men...
Vol. 2 • October 1910 • No. 43
