Oklahoma State Register. (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 19, No. 24, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 22, 1910 Page: 1 of 8
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Oklahoma State Register
NINETEENTH YEAR
No. 21
GUTHRIE, 0 K L A.,
THURSDAY,
SEP T EMRER
1910
11.00 PER YEAH.
The Haughty Tawney Who "Rebuked"
Roosevelt, Defeated.
St. Paul, Sept. 21.—James M. Taw-
ney is beaten. In this victory insur-
gency scored its greatest victory in
Minnesota, it not in the Nation, for
Congressman Tawney was Speaker
Cannon's right hand man.
The defeat of Tawney is admitted
at noon today by F. E. ("aitside, ex-
member of Tawney's campaign com-
mittee. Gaitside says Sidney Ander-
son, the insurgent Republican, has
been nominated by a majority of 20-
«00 to 2,5000.
Others of Tawney's managers ad-
mit Anderson has a lead of 1,6000, but
they express the hope that later re-
turns will ovecome by two thousand
majority.
The voluntary retirement of James
A. Tawney from Congress is the hard-
et blow in the loss of a single man
that Cannon and his following have re-
ceived this year. If the impossible
could be accomplished and Cannon
could be speaker of the next House
of Representatives he would be almost
helpless without Tawney.
The Minnesota man presided over
the appropriations committee and that
gave him the power to make or un-
make a man who wished an appro-
priation for something in his district.
But more important in many ways
were bis services on the floor. He is
a man of remarkable quickness and
shrewdness in debate and Cannon
looked to him to take charge of emer-
gencies.
Tawney was one of the men, who,
in the last session of Congress, for-
saw like Noah that the flood was com-
ing and asked Speaker Cannon tf
eliminate himself as an issue by tel-
ling the public that lie did not wish
to be speaker again. But
good.
to declare the speaker's chair vacant
and ended with the statement that the
speaker was then ready to enrtertain
such a motion.
lu the confusion the challenge pro-
duced Burleson of Texas, a Democrat,
offered exactly the resolution the
speaker suggested. Democratic lead-
ers begged and demanded that Burle-
son withdraw his resolution. Sherlej
and Sabath, Democrats demanded that
the Norris motion to adjourn be put
while the crowd of Democrats sur-
rounded Burleson and tried to tell him
he was simply playing to Cannon's
hand.
Tawney stood in the middle aisle de-
manding that Burleson's motion be put
The Congressional Record shows that
six times in a very few minutes Taw-
ney had the floor pushing Burleson's
resolution to a vote. He simply took
I it in charge and with the speaker's
help put it to a vote while the Demo-
crats quarreled about it. Champ
Clark told the Democrats to vote yes
The iusurgents did not take time to
consult. Seven of them voted with
the Democrats and the rest voted no
as did the regular Republicans. The
result was the defeat of the motion
to unseat Cannon and jeers for the
insurgents from the side of the regu-
lars.
Later it developed that the insur-
gents had simply avoided a trap. It
was asserted and denied that day that
Tawney wrote the Burleson resolution
Burleson said he wrote it himself, hut
it was generally believed that Tawney
furnished the suggestions. Burleson
is a member of the committee on ap-
propriations of which Tawney is char-
man, and was a good friend of Taw-
it did no | ne.v. It was known with certainty
that before the, last test of strength
i . I
*
At the
i Politicians:
«■ +
t4"fr*5"}' + + 'H'^ + + + + + + ^"!' +
F you had uot
5'
/
&
C. E. TOWNSEND.
Earlier in the session Tawney was there was a conference decided to
credited with having been the man force the hand of the insurgents. If
behind a movement which shrewd poll-1 desired to vote Cannon out of the chair
ticlans believed would sweep the in-
surgents in the Republican party oft
the political map. It was to make
the fight on the Norris resolution to
make the committee on rules an elec-
tive instead of an appointive body and
make the speaker of the House ineli-
gible to membership. The insurgents,
with their democratic allies, had
been compelled to fight their calls and
finally on the third day of the fight,
late Saturday afternoon, had won the
roll call which passed the revised re-
solution putting Cannon off the rules
committee. Norris who had the rights
of the floor, moved that the House ad-
journ. The insurgents had gone as
far as they intended and, under the
rules the motion to adjourn was the
matter in order.
Speaker Cannon asked Mr. Norris
to withhold his motion until he, the
speaker, could make a personal
statement that would not take more
than three minutes. Norris agreed.
That personal statement was a chal-
they would be compelled to join with
the democrats in reorganizing the
House. If they voted for a Democrat
it would put them out of the Republi-
can party, and it was the belief of the
party managers that it would mean
the end of insurgency as an element
in the Republican party. If the in-
surgents failed to "bite" it would give
the regulars the chance to claim one
victory, which they very promptly did.
Tawney has been credited with the
authorship of the scheme to make
the insurgnts read themselves out of
the Republican party and iijto the
Dmocratic camp.
Whatever may be the truth of a
story which came from a source that
would know that Tawney prepared
three copies of the resolution to un-
seat Cannon and gave them to differ-
ent Democrats, the Congressional Re-
cord shows for itse'f that Tawney
Burleson and Cannon did "team
work" that day which could hardly
be expected without a previous un-
lenge to the insurgents and Democrats derstanding
>1 \Skl l.l, SI NKS
KEl'RKSKNT A'I'IVK
(finiiot Attend the Railroad Meeting
Because of Unties.
George Henshaw, attorney for the,
Oklahoma corporation commission
and democratic nominee for corpora-1
tion commissioner, will represent Ok-,
lahoma at the conference which has i
been called at Topeka to discuss rail-
road rates. Governor C. N. Haskell |
was invited by Governor Stubbs but
will not attend owing to pressing du-
eles at home.
.Mr. Henshaw stated that he would
not present any matters relating to'
local rates in Oklahoma as the confer-
ence is called to deal with matters of j
interest regulation. "Oklahoma hopes
however, by participating lu the con-
lenence," said Mr. Henshaw today, "to
get concerted action among the friends
of the policy of proper railroad re-
gulation. This can only be done by
getting together the progressives or
insurgent element of the republican
party and the democrats,. With this
lu view the corporation commission
of Oklahoma looks on Governor
Stubbs's effort very kindly believing
it a step In the right direction on the
right kind of a proposition.
"The insurgent republicans and
democrats forced a provision in the
last railroad regulation bill prohibit-
ing one federal judge from further
J
enjoining the interstate or state com-
missions and this was the first light.
The insurgent movement in the re-
publican party is the geatest move
in the interests of the people in many
years."
IP TO T1IE CABINET
Richard Bnllingcr will Let*his (<il-
ieagues decide his Retirement.
Washington, Sep. 16.—Whether R.
A. Ballinger's resignation as secre-
tary of the Interior will follow, im-
mediately upon the meeting of the
cabinet September 26, to attend which
he is now on his way from Seattle;
or whether he will retain his position
Indefinitely—at least, until after the
delivery to congress of the reports of
the committee which investigated his
stewardship of the public domain
depends now upon the attitude of his
cabinet associates.
Mr. Balllnger Is coming to Washing-
ton, his friends insist, wholly un-
conscious of any act on his part for
which he should be condemned and
has determinedt o force his chief and
his official colleagues to be, in effect
his judges. If they concur in the view
at present attributed to Mr. Taft, that
the accused secretary shall be sus-
tained as an innocent and persecuted
man, he will retain his position; if
they fail to bnck him up, ho will re-
sign. That this is Mr. Ballinger's po-
sition was learned hero today upon
authority hardly to be questioned.
looked up the
record of
Charles E. Town- ;
send of Michigan, j
who recently de-
feated .lu I Ins O.-l
Burrows for the j
scnatorship. >1 u (I ,
was asked to Jiaz- j
aid a guess as to f
his age you could
not come within a mile of It. With
Uls clean shaven face he looks to he a
man of forty or under, but as a matter 1
of fact he is Just fifty-four, having |
been born on Aug. 15, 185H. It was
only as far back as 181)5 that Mr.
Townsend was admit ted to the bar
and began to practice law in Ills home
town. Jackson. Mich. He had been
born on a farm in Jackson county and
attended the public schools there, hav-
ing a year In the literary department
of Michigan university when he had
about reached his majority. He has
the hardy constitution that allows him
to overwork himself whenever long
'tours and concentration of effort are
necessary in a congressional situation
>r in a legal case.
Mr. Townsend's sudden appearance
in the limelight of publicity was In his
first term of congress, when his atti-
tude on the subject of rate legislation
brought him into close relation with
-ho president, placed him in a con-
spicuous place in the house of repre-
sentatives ami gave him a national
reputation greater than that for which
many of the older members have
worked for a lifetime.
Robert M La Toilette, who was re-
nominated to the United States senate
recently, rose from a farmer's boy to
the governorship of Wisconsin, serv-
ing three terms in that office. He is a
man of the people, having been born
in a log cabin in Wisconsin fifty-five
years ago and having spent his .early
years in lowly surroundings, lie was
bltrnry standard prescribed, he was
still one of the hardest working stu-
dents ever at the university, had re-
flected credit upon the institution In
the big oratorical contest and would
continue to do so in after life. By a ;
narrow margin the faculty by vote re- \
versed its decision against I.a Pol- i
lette and granted him a diploma.
MI IUMM K IN I.ON4J INTFHVIKW
TELLS 01 rUtTY PLANS
Kansas Congressman in Talk for St.
Louis lJepiihlic Tells of lllstory
Made hj Insurgents.
From the St. Ixnils Republic.
Victor Murdock, insurgent congress-
man from the "Big Seventh" district
in Kansas which extends from some-
where east of Wichita to the western
border of the state, talked freely at
his room at the Planters' hotel
Thursday to a representative of the
Republic of the status and program of
insurgency.
He declared that the modifications
of the house rules already secured
have restored a good part of its right-
ful power to the house. He traces
the loss of popular confidence in con-
gress to the obstructive tactics of the
house machine. He asserts that we
are governed not by laws alone, but
by laws and regulations—the latter
written by the executive department?
which execute the laws; and declares
that many laws are nullified by execu-
tive regulations.
"The insurgent movement," said the
Kansas congressman, "has made a
good deal of history since last fall.
We now have a calendar Wednesday
that is working fairly well. On that
day any committee can call up any
bill it pleases, without waiting for the
permission of the speaker. We have
also gained the right, when a major-
ity of the house so orders, to take a
bill out of the hands of a conmiittet
that has pigeon-holed it and recom-
mit it.
Still Have Much to Do.
"We haven't yet shorn the speaker
of the right of inquisitorial recogni-
tion. When a member rises, thiO of-
ficial may still inquire, 'For what pur
Progressive Forces In New York Hammer-
ing Down "Old Guard."
New York, Sept. 21—Somewhat stag
gereit l>\ losses in Oneida 011 Thurs-
aa> uuu Schenectady tciay the lead
era ol tile republican "old guard" who
aie lighting against Roosevelt domina-
tion ol the Republican state organizat-
tion and the Roosevelt Presidential
nomination in 1U12 tonight went care-
fully over the line-up to date and de-
clared that the fight for control of the
state convention is still a very lively
Vice President Sherman very ( lose.
"We had 110 idea that we would lose
in SchnectaJ>said Timothy L. Wood-
ruff, republican state chairman. "Our
reports from there were of the most
optimistic kind. However, that does
not mean that the tight is over by any
means. Mr. Barnes figured out yes-
terday that we would have a majority
for Mr. Sherman of from forty to fity.
The defeat in one district of Oneida
yk't
s.
f
affair and that it will provide all the and In Schnectady will reduce the ma-
fireworks that the fastidious could jority to fifteen or twenty. This will
hope for. make the race a very close and inter-
There was no attempt to disguise esting one, but Mr. Sherman will be
the fact that 1 old guard* lleaders' elected."
A most careful study of the dele-
gates and a thorough analysis of the
districts would indicate that if the con-
here were surprised and prturbod
about the overthrow of the Barnes
control in Schnectady county. That
Mr. Barnes, the Albany leader, had the
firmest kind of hold on the republi-
can machine of his neighboring coun-
ty was the confident belief of all his
associates. Consequently, there was
astonishment and some dismay when
the word came to the state headquar-
ters that this rapidly growing unit
in Mr. Barnes' political fortress had
elected eleven delegates who were
pledged to vote for Col. Roosevelt for
chairman of the state convention and
against Vice President Cherman, who
is the old guard's candidate for the pla
is the old guard's candidate for the
place.
Exhuberant over this overturning
of Schnectady
vention were held today Col. Roose-
velt would have 524 votes as against
472 for Sherman. Niagara county,
which has been classed among the
Sherman counties is thrown in with
the leaders who have agreed to split
the delegates between Roosevelt and
Sherman. In Essex, where it has been
understood that tho six delegates
would be with Roosevelt, itwa s an-
naunced today that five will be for
Sherman but one for Roosevelt. In
Geneseo there is a split. Otsego is
puzzling even tihe leaders. Cayuga)
is claimed by both sides. Saratoga
which is regarded generally as a sol-
Id Sherman county,is claimed by the
particularly as it fol- Griscom forces.
recognition But this power is large-
ly discounted by the nev ly acquired
right of-the majority to discharge a
committee and recommit a bill. At
least, the congressman who has a ma-
pority of his fellow-members with him
lowed the defeat of Vice President And so it goes. The delegates from
Sherman on Tuesday in his own ward republican strongholds like Brooklyn
the leaders of the Roosevelt-Griscom Albany, Onondaga and Monroe will
forces declared that they will easily vote solidly with the old guard, but
control at least 570 delegates in the in sections where the organization is
convention next Tuesday, a majority not as compact and well organized as
of 6.1. They declared that the disin- j in the cities there is wavering and
tegration o'f the old guard had begun, splitting. Persons who have watched
while members of the old guard intl- the drift of things are of the opinion
mated that they still have some trump that the fight will be close until it is
mated that they still have some apparent in Saratoga which side is«
trumps to play, but they admitted, bound to win, at which time ther*
I be a scramble to climb on tha
band wagon.
pose does the gentleman rise?' and if! that today's affair in Schnectady made wi
the purpose displeases, he can refuse the fight between Col. Roosevelt and ba
I.
lav. house to take the initiative in leg- j the house. From a cundition where
islation and a consertive body—the [the individual congressman did not
senate—to hold it in check. But the I have to Inform himself it was an easy
machine kills the truly popular quality step to the next stage, whereh e didn't
in the house and an ultra-conservative care what was proposed, but relied
the desire to act on a measure, does] house means a moribund senate. Now wholly upon the judgment of his lead-
not have to come to the speaker hat free the house of the Incubus of the era. The sense of Individual respon-
in hand and beg for a chance to get speaker's machine, and obstruction as sibiltty, the golden element In any leg-
it before the house. jthe majority methods disappears: ajls'atlve body shriveled entirely away
"Nor have we shorn the speaker of vitalized house will push a recaleit- j in many Congressmen. The studious,
the power of appointing all commit- rant senate. You have transformed
tees. This is the great task remain- congress by awakening the lower
ing for insurgency to accomplish in house.
the reform of congressional organizat-1 This is the first great result to flow
lion. This will go to the very heart from the completion of the Insurgent
of things. reorganization of the house—the mak-
Under the present system, the am-1 ing of congress a truly responsible
liticus congressman, who wants to legislative body. From that will flow
get things done, owes his main alle-'two most important things.
giance not to the people, or even to "First, a restoration of the rightful
the party organization, but to the power and prestige of the legislative
speaker personally. In effect the branch of the government. As citi-
speaker says to him, 'Do as I say ami J zens of the nation we are governed
you'll get a good committee appoint-, by two things, law s and regulations.
ment.' The result is the building up The executive branch, represented by
Cr-
Photo by American Press A^an."tatton.
KOBEltT it. LA FOLLKTTK
aspiring, however, and managed to
obtain a good education and was ud
mitted to the bar in 1SSII. That very
year he Was elected district alturne.\
of Dane county and was re-eic; ted two
years later. After that he was given
three terms in congress, serving in his
last term ou the ways and menus com-
mittee and framing several schedules
of the McKlnley tariff law. lie was
defeated in INK) and then practiced
law for ten years before he was again
summoned to the service of the people.
Senator I,a i'ollette Is a graduate of
the Wisconsin ut.ivi. slty, but he came
perilously near not being. Although n
painstaking and earnest student and
enjoying the respect alike of the facul-
ty and the student body, he never stood
high in his classes. On final examina-
tion he fell slightly below the mark
prescribed for graduation. -
Just before this occurred he won
chief .honors In an Interstate collegiate
oratorical contest, thereby bringing
glory and renown to the great Institu-
tion at Madison. At that time the uni-
versity had as Its president John Itas-
eorn, than whom this country has pro-
duced no more profound philosopher
or broadly learned man generally
President llascom called the faculty
together anil made a fight for young
I.n Follette. He pointed out that, while
I.a Follelte's examination showed that
ho was a little deficient lu some
branches of tho curriculum and that
thus Ills averttg^ was not u" a the or
of a personal machine. Another na- j the departments, does not hesitate to
tural consequence is that this mach- write regulations upon occasion that
ine must keep on increasing its pow- nullify the statutes.
er. It canot stand still. It must go |' "it Is not idle fiction—it Is appal-
on until it dominates absolutely. j'ling fact—that requlations written In
"Now the history of the legislative departments are more vitally and in-
bodtes shows that the way the power tlmately determinative of the law than
of a machine works out is In the ob- [ the law Itself. Restore public con-
struction of legislation; in fact, to ^ fidence in congress, and you will have
hold power the machine must ob-, opportunity to protest effectively
struct. So only can it make its against the Invasion of the leg's'ative
strength felt. ( domain by the exe
vigilant informed congressman became
the exception.
"Most fatefully ironical has been the
continued complaint of the Cannon
machine that congressmen, to escape
the blame of angry constituents, have
hidden like cowards behind Cannon.
It was the Cannon machine that
taught them how to hide.
"Take away from the house the cus-
tom of 'voting with the committee,*
teach the American Congressman that
he must inform himse'f and do his
own thinking, and there will begin
to grow again the sense of responsib-
ility. And with it will come added
courage, frankness and a determination
to give the people that which they
have not had for many a day—adequ-
acy In the leMer of the law."
Mr. Murdock leaned back drew a
deep breath. "That's the doctrine,"
he said. "That's what we want to re-
store In Congress—responsibility to
the public will. God Almighty, is that
xecutive department of t0° much to ask of the American peo-
. Congress cannot ef- l'le? Surely it's not and we're going
"For example: In 1889 congress j the government. Congre
passed the first important law regula-, feetlvely protest today, for the ex- jto Put il through.
ting railroads—the interstate commer- j ecutive branch
ce bill. In 1897 certain court deds- confidence for >
Ions largely circumscribed the area not.
has enjoyed public
ears, and congress has
The public began to But the greatest thing of all Is this:
of Its operation.
make insistant demand for further. Emancipate the house from machine j
legislation; there were mass meetings, rule, and at once you begin the growth j
speeches, resolutions, editorials, com-j of a new type of congressman. Under , son
plaints, protests. Finally, In 1903, six the machine system which has come j guilty by n jury In the federal court
years later, certain concrete amend-1 to be called "Cannontsm," the stage , here of using the mails to defraud.
The Jury was out two hours. Jackson
I, KF\0 MAX IS OriliTY OF
FUAID.
F. I.. Jarknon cnnricted by Federal
Jury nt Knid.
Enid, Okla.. Sept. 17.—F. I,. Jack-
et El Reno was tonight found"
ments to the law were reported out of: was reached where the adherents of
a congressional committee. In 1905,
certain Inefficient and inadequate
amendments were passed. In 1910 a
measure of effectiveness has finally
been given to the popular will.
"In other words, the machine defied
public opinion for thirteen years.
What Is the result? The people have
been made to believe that legislative
bodies are normally obstructive by
tactics which are only tricks of self-
preservation on the part of a legisla-
tive machine.
"Now note the effect of this on the
relation of the two houses of congress.
The original scheme calls for a popu-
the machine were not expected to
think for themselves. The universal
custom was for the membership, al-
most uniformly to 'votewit h the com-
mittee," which meant that the mem-
bers of congress should blindly fol-
low the lead of the chairman of com-
mittees.
Scores of major measures have gone
through Congress without 5 per cent
of the men who voted for them ever
having read them orheard them read.
I say that not two per cent of the
members of the house cither reail or
heard read the Aldrich-Vreeland cur-
rency bill In Its finalform as It passed
was found guilty on all of the four In-
dictments returned against him. The
maximum punishment for the offense
upon which he was convicted Is sis
years In prison and a fine of $2,000.
Jackson was the owner of the TJttle
Crator company of El Reno. He op-
erated an endless chain system for
disposing of agencies for the Little
Crator Crude Oil burners. Tinder oath
he admitted the business of his com-
pany brought him $75,000 In commis-
sions and about $3,000,000 in licenses
during 1909. The conviction of Jack-
son invalidates $700,900 in notes and
mortgages given for contracts.
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Golobie, John. Oklahoma State Register. (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 19, No. 24, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 22, 1910, newspaper, September 22, 1910; Guthrie, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc112720/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.