Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-09
FITNESS WILL DECIDE
Speaker Eaton Says Fitness will
Decide the Membership
of Committees.
Herriott Will Look After Old
Sofdiers..The House Posi-.
tions Slated.
Notables will Speak at Grant
Club Banquet..Cummins
as Toastmaster.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des 1oines, Jan. 9.-Speaker w. l..
Eaton is mingling freely with the MEM
bers as they come in, and making him.
( self familiar with their desires and their
qualifications. He Is pretty we'll ac-
quainted fifth the membership Of the
house, but not with all, and he is put
ting in his time quietly mingling with
the crowd.
You may say" he said to the T.-R.
| correspondent, that l have not made
up a single committee of the house as
yet. l have not definitely appointed any
one to any place. If i am to live thru
this and have the respect of my fellow
men / must establish reputation for at
least trying to be fair in the matter OF
committee appointments. Now the best
way to get that kind of reputation is
to be fair. That is what l want to be.
| am trying to find out all about the
members and to make up the commit
tees in accordance with the fitness or
the members for the different places. l
do no, know all of the members. There
are a great many new ones. am IN no
haste about this committee business
Hence 1t is fact that have not placed
any one on committee yet.
Lieutenant Governor John Herriott Is
pursuing the same policy In the senate.
He is making himself generally agreea-
BILE to the new senators, and OF course
they have smiles for him. Mr.. Herrlote
Is very much reserved as to his plans
One thing may be stated with conn-
dence. however, which is that the old
soldiers in the senate will receive kindly
treatment and the chairmanships VIII
not be distributed much after the fash
ion of two years ago. 1t is going to be
new deal all round.
The lobby tattlers are saying again
that there is a slate all fixed up for the
positions in the house, The latest deal
starts off as follows: Chief clerk, Rush
Benedict. Harlan: first assistant clerk.
!. c. Crockett, Eldora; second assist,
ant clerk. J. A. Cook, Hampton; SER
geant at arms, c. w. Reynolds, Grumpy
Center: journal clerks, r. e. Burns, Os-
cGOla. ana HOIU IlO,N CAL, sA|CS A'ACitSs''
There is more to the slate. but 1t has not
all been definitely decided upon yet.
Representative Furry is authority for
the statement that thus far 1t is correct
and agreed upon. A caucus was heid
last evening of numbe of the leaders
and this plan was marked out. There is
one trouble with the slate. Several VINO
are given positions are among the kick
ers For instance, Cook says he Will not
submit to being moved down notch.
He is a candidate for second place. He
is almost the only one of the candidates
who could properly be classed as anti
Cummins. If he s displaced there Will
be trouble Then Howell is not satis-
fed. He is engaged in business which
prevents him from accepting position
that will shut him up IN the journal
room. He says he has enough strength
for the position of second assistant to
break the slate and he will do it. He
would accept the position of journal
clerk II they would let him perform the
duties of second assistant. And there
you are. This is the petty nature of
the politics which is keeping the early
arrivals busy The very fact that there
Ia no real contest on anything Of impor-
tance makes it hard to consider the pre-
liminary sklrmish as worthy Of men,
ton.
Ex-senator Funk, of Spirit Lake, IS an
interested spectator, also eX-Speaker
Ryers, of Harlan. Byers is here in the
interest of Benedict. Senator Funk says
.hat things are quiet In his corner of the
state.
The Grant Club banquet this evening
will be an event. The reception to Gov
arnor Shaw in the Savery will begin ear
ly and the dinner late. The speaking will
take up a good part of the night. Sena-
tor Allison is to talk on THE Presiden-
cy.' Senator DolIiver on THE Senate.
George d. Perkins on The House OF
Representatives. T.. Rosewater on Ne
braska," President George f. MacLean
on Iowa" and Governor Shaw on THE
Secretary of the Treasury" Col. Pratt,
Of the Grant Club. will have charge of
the banquet and it is on the program
that A. b. Cummins shall act as toast
master Ii will be an event of more than
statewide Importance.
Judge Richard, of Webster City. was
among this legislative crowds yesterday.
He will soon hold his first term of court.
He and Judge Vermillion, in the south
ern part of the state, are among the
youngest of the men on the bench in
Iowa now and both enter upon their du
ties this week.
Jackson day was not noticed by any
body in Des Mones. The few democrats
visible were not thinking of ST. Jackson
yesterday.
The captain of the Red Oak company
OF the Fifty-first Regiment spoke too
soon about not being able to bring the
required number of men to Des Moines
to attend the Inauguration After the
Oskaloosa company had been invited to
come in place of the Red Oak company,
q telegram was received by Adjt. Gen.
Byers taking it ali back. But it was too
late 1t appears that several of the COM
panies of the state were very anxious to
attend the Inauguration. "A curious in
cident of this desire was that a number
OF the officers wrote to Mr.. Cummins
asking that this or that company should