On Wednesday the new speaker of the House of Representatives plans to offer a package of rule changes that, he says, will give minority-party members more of a say and decentralize power. In short, Ohio Republican Mr. Boehner is promising he’ll be a different figure from many speakers throughout history—from Republican Joseph Cannon a century ago to his immediate predecessor, Democrat Nancy Pelosi—who kept a tighter leash…

“New speakers always say they want to have a more open process,” says Rep. Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat. “Then the sheer demands of making the trains run on time and getting things passed requires that you change your mind.”…

Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the No. 3 Republican in the new Congress, acknowledges that Mr. Boehner’s proposed changes could make the chamber harder to manage, at least in the early going. “You will have some tough times,” said Mr. McCarthy. “People will play games with it. People will use it for mischief. We’ll just have to work through that.”