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Show Coimtest Over the' Election -of a New II SpeakerrHe Declares, Might Greatly W Endanger Legislation Necessary , pl to. Redeem Party Pledges. W m SAYS HE IS NOT CONSGOUS Of Ejlfl HAVING DONE ANY POLITICAL WRONGS I His Resignation in "and of Itself, He Maintains, feB Would Be a Confession of Weak- P'; ness; an Apology. Asks Enforced Abdication "The speaker has always said that under tho constitution it is a II ti? I X question of tho highest privilege for an actual majority of tho house ''Ia H 'y at any time to choose a new speaker, and again notifies the house that 5 V l' H the speaker will at this moment or at any other time while he remains T VM I speaker, entertain in conformity with tho highest constitutional privi- '.y fl lege a motion by any member to vacate tho office of tho speakership $ jj'U H j. and choose a new speaker, and under existing conditions would welcomo t) fl : such action upon the part of tho actual majority of tho house, so that Y r(V 'ijj H power and responsibility may rest with tho Democratic and insurgent 4 j ? H members, who by the last vote, evidently constitute a majority of this T V ' - H Y house. The chair is now ready to entertain such motion." y Y H T Speaker Cannon tonight declined to comment upon the extraordin- V j i H 4- ary events of the day. He was in his office surrounded by three Or J j';;' '"r.m T four loyal friends when a newspaper man approached him and asked X ' r fl ( what he had to say about his "victory." y 'i ;M fl X "Oh, nothing at all, I guess. There is not any comment for me X, ' ,H X to make. Besides, you will have your papers full in the morning any- " 1- H .j. way, and you don't need any comment from me." .j- jf? H T "But hasn't tho nowly elected speaker any announcement to make T .' ' , H f of his future policy?" ()fl T Tho speaker laughed, "I'll just keep on, speaking and praying," V fa 4 "H j- he said. ! $0 , "fl By Leased Wire to Tho Tribune. WASHINGTON, D. C, March 10. After tho sccptro of power had been torn from him after he had been dethroned, de-throned, after the tumult had subsided. Speaker Cannon gained the attention of the house to mako n speech. When he advanced to the edge of the platform, many thought that he intended to resign. re-sign. But he declined to do this. I3ut he did invite his own dethronement, for he ashed enforced abdication, openly sought deposition at tho hands of the coalesced majority and besought a vote to oust him from- the office he had held so long: Said tho Speaker: Speaker Cannon !s Speech. Gentlemen of the Houso of Representatives Represen-tatives Actions, not words, determine the conduct and sincerity of men In the affairs of life. This Is ii government by tho people, acting through tho representatives rep-resentatives of a majority of the people. Results cannot ho had except by a majority, ma-jority, and In tho houso of representatives representa-tives a majority, holng responsible, should have full power and should exercise ex-ercise that power; otherwise, tho majority ma-jority Is Inefficient and does' not perform per-form Its function. The office of tho minority Is to put the majority on its good behavior, advocating ad-vocating In good faith the policies which It professes, ever ready to take advantage advan-tage of tho mistakes of tho majority party, and appeal to tho country for Its vindication. Minority Becomes Majority. From time to lime heretofore tho majority ma-jority has become tho minority, as In the present case, and from time to time hereafter the majority will bocomo tho minority. The country believes that tho Republican parly has a majority of fortv-four In the house of representatives representa-tives at this time, yot auch Is not the case. ' Tho present speaker of the bouse has, to the best of his ability and Judgment, co-operated with the Republican party and so far in tho history of this congress con-gress tho Republican party has been enabled, by a very small majority, when the test came, to legislate in conformity with the policies and the platform of tho Republican pnrty. Such action, of course, begot criticism which the speaker does noi deprocate on tho part of the minority mi-nority parly. Has Had Party Confidence. The speaker cannot bo unmindful of tho fact, as evidenced by three previous previ-ous elections to the speakership, that In tho past he has enjoyed the confidence confi-dence of the Republican party of the country and of tho Republican members of the" house. But the assault upon the speaker of the house by the minority, supplemented by ll)c efforts of the so-called so-called Insurgents, show that tho Democratic Demo-cratic minority, aided by a number of so-called Insurgents constituting 15 per cent of the majority party in tho house. Is now in the majority, and that the speaker of the house Is not in harmony with tho actual majority of the house, as evidenced by tho vote just taker-Two taker-Two Courses Opon. There are two courses open for the speaker to pursue: One Is to resign and permit tho new combination of Demo- . crats and Insurgents to choose a speaker in harmony with Its acts and purposes. The tit her is for that combination to declare de-clare a vacancy in tho office of speaker and proceed to the election of a new speaker After consideration at this stage of tho session of the house, with much of Impor- taut legislation pending, involving tho V. pledges of the Republican platform, jffid H their crystallization Into law, believing 5' , that his resignation might consume wcoks tjV of time, in the reorganization of tho & ! house, the speaker, being in harmony H with Republican policies and desirous of -ft carrying them out. declines by his own k j motion, to precipitate a contest that i t might greatly endanger the final passago 1 of all legislation necessary to redcom Re- i i publican, pledges and fulfill Republican K- promises. v ! i fl Why No Resignation. Kj' H This Is one reason why the speaker j rjjS does not roslgn at once and another is V. 11 this: In the judgment of tho present tmt speaker a resignation in aud of itself. Is a confession of weakness or. mistake or an apology for. past actions. The speaker Is not conscious of hav- .. Ing done any political wrong. The same . t rules are in force In this house that liavo , t been In force for two decades. The speak-cr speak-cr lias construed the rules as he found them and as they have been construed , , by previous speakers from Thomas B. Reed's Incumbency down to tho present t time. Heretofore the speaker has been K4. a member of the committee on rules cov- 11 crlng a period of sixty years and tho , tM present speaker neither has sought new ' , tH power nor has he unjustly used that al- IH ready conferred upon him. tH Czarisni of Spoakor. IH There has been much talk on the part s of the Democrats and of tho Insurgents of tho "czarism" of the speaker vulmlnat- Ing In tho action taken today. The real i! vM truth Is that there is no coherent Hepub- ,. tM llean majority in the house or represcn- f . . tut Ives. Thcrcfroc tho real majority ought i rM to have the courage of Its convictions and logically meet 'the situation that con- fronts it. jH The speaker docs now believe and al- ways believed that this la a government t tH through parties and that parties can act ( ' ' tM only through majorities. Tho speaker . has always believed In and bowed to tho i ' j will of the majority In congress, In cau- '. tH cus and legislative hall and profoundly t believes that to act otherwise Is to dis- organize parties, is to preevnt coherent IH action in any legislative body, is to make fM impossible the reflection of the wishes ' UM ot, tho people in statutes and in laws. IH Might Vacate Office. The speaker has always held that. under the constitution, it Is a cities- tjjH lion of highest prlvilego for an actual majority of the house at any tlmo. to jH choose a now speaker and again notifies tH the house that the speaker will, at this moment, or at any other time, white he j- tH remains sneaker, entertain in conformity with tho highest constitutional privilege, tM a motion by any member to vacate thu offlco if the speakership and choose a fM new speaker, and under existing condi-tlons condi-tlons would welcome such action on tho t i tM part of the actuul majority, also that , . t IH power and responsibility may rest with j the cmocratlc and insurgent, members i Ijm who. bv tho last vote, evidently constl- I tute a majority of this house. Thu chair f. l JM is now ready to entertain such motion. j Champ Clark Talks. ; Minority lender Champ Clark Issued tho ' following: "The great victory of the f Democrats, aided by thu insurgent Re- f , publicans, In changing the number of tiro , committee on rules, and In changing tho . mode of selection and, above all. by ox-eluding ox-eluding the speaker ,from the membership . thereof, is a victory for the cause of good 1 r government. L " , . "Tho great victory, from a Democratic i standpoint. Is that for tho first tune In manv years, tho Democrats, in a great. bitter and prolonged fight, stood together tK llko a stone wall, not a man breaking r U rank, which auKurs well for future har- Mh mony and victory, botn this fall In tho kiisL1' congressional eleeilons, and In 1012. In lifP both Uto presidential tuid. conpcsslonal !H olecilons. Thu country is dissatisfied P tlrH Continued on Page Two. B CANNON DECLINES TO TENDER HIS RESIGNATION TO HOUSE Continued from Pago Ono. with both tho Republican administration and Republican congress. Republicans on Toboggan. 'The Republicans arc on tho toboggan, and If Democrats outside of congress will get together as Democrats In the house have gotten together, our victories this year and In 1011! will bo as sweeping as those of 1800 and 1802. "After the ilstoundlng victory of the Democrats and the Insurgent Republicans Republi-cans in the matter of changing the committee com-mittee on rules, Spoaker Cannon made n great bluff by asserting that ho was ready to entertain a motion to declare the chair vacant and to elect a spoaker to succeed him a motion which he would havo been compelled to entertain without such declaration on his part If ho paid attention to his oath of office. Bluff Was Called. "His bluff was promptly called by the Democrats. Every man lined up. Had the Insurgent Republicans stood by us on that vote to declare the chair vacant and to elect a. speaker, Cannonism, with all the name Implies, would have been as dead as the men who lived before the flood. As It Is. tlio Issue of Cannonism survives In full force, for as sure as a gun Is mado of Iron. If the Republicans elect a majority of the next housc, Mr. Cannon will bo re-elected speaker. Cannonism Scotched. "In the public mind Mr. Cannon and Cannonism arc synonymous. Tlrtjy cannot can-not be dissociated by any sort of Incantation. Incan-tation. We have In this victory simply scotched Cannonism, not killed It. and tho not result Is that the people, If they really deslro to do away with Cannonism, Cannon-ism, must do so by electing a Democratic Demo-cratic houso. That's tho only way known among men by which to accomplish that result a consummation devoutly to be wished." Majority leader Payno made this statement state-ment tonight: "Tho Democrats, again have demonstrated their Incapacity to take advantage of a situation. They have weakened the Issue of 'Cannonism' If they have not destroyed It altogether. The houso Is left with a coherent Republican Repub-lican majority which will enable us to pass the legislation that President Taft has been urging on congress." Norris Is Content. Mr. Norris of Nebraska said In part: ''Wo have won all that we fought for, all that we oxpocted to get whon wo went into tho last movement that culminated cul-minated in today's sweeping victory." Representative Murdock of Kansas, ono of the leading Insurgents, said he had no comment to mako on his vote against Cannon for speaker. "My vote speaks for Itself." was all he would say. Representative Lenroot of Wisconsin, another insurgent who voted against the speaker, said: "I have always believed that tho presiding officer of tho houso should not be Joseph G. Cannon. I have voted consistently today, that Is all." Representatives Cooper of Wisconsin and Poindexter of Washington expressed themselves similarly. Tho only Republicans who voted In favor fa-vor of declaring tho office of speaker vacant va-cant wore Carey, Cooper. Lenroot and Nelson Nel-son of Wisconsin, Davis nnd Lindbergh of Minnesota, Murdoch of Kansas. Gronna Gron-na of North Dakota and Poindexter of Washington nine in nil. The Democrats voted solidly for the resolution. |