The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1905-12-21
DOWN TO WORK
Naming of Committees Starts Con-
gressional Machine.
IOWA is WELL REMEMBERED


Democrats Have a Lively Quarrel
Among Themselves Over the
Minority Appointments.
Washington, D. c., December 16, 1905.
The machinery of congress is grad
ually becoming adjusted for effective
and continuous operation. One of the
necessary preliminaries to this con-
dition, and the most important one, is
the appointment of the numerous COM
mittees, which constitute the actual
working forces of the House, and of
which there are about sixty in the
lower branch of Congress. To these
the bills introduced into the House are
referred for detailed and exhaustive
consideration and investigation, which
it would be impracticable, if not inn
possible, for the House as whole to
accomplish. Something of the mag
nitude of task of completing the COM
mittee assignments and the perplexity
incident thereto may be apprehended
when it is realized that the chief con-
Germ of the individual member after
his election to Congress is to secure
the best possible committee places.
In the formation of the committees of
the 59th Congress Iowa, as usual,
al tod 11,,11 NHf1,~,o
hold influential chairmanships, the
former having been reappointed chair
man of the Committee on Military
Affairs, and the latter was retained
as chairman of the Committee on In
terstate and Foreign Commerce. La
cey is chairman of the Committee on
Public Lands, and Cousins is chairman
of the Committee on Expenditures in
the Treasury Department. The new
er members were alss we'll cared for.
Judge Conner retains his committee
places of last session, being still a
member of the committees on Public
Buildings and Grounds, Labor and The
Library. He was offered place on
the Judiciary Committee, but as he is
we'll up toward the craftsmanship of
the committee on Public Buildings and
Grounds he preferred to hold that
place to accepting place even on SO
important committee as that on Jul
dietary, when it involved the sacrifices
which it would entail in this intance.
Judge Smith is quite prominent
member of the Appropriations Com
mittee. Dawson was assigned to a
place on the committee on Naval
Affairs. Hedge holds his former COM
mittee place, as does also Haugen.
One of the most important committee
triumphs of the session is that of Con-
gresham Tawney, Of Minnesota, who
secured the Craftsmanship of the COM
mittee on Appropriations He is re-
cognized as one Of the most forceful
and virile members Of Congress.
The intensity of the desires which
some members entertain for the COM
mittee assignments of their choice is
illustrated by the now famous clash
between minority leader, John SHARP
Williams, on the one hand, and Con-
gressmen Lamar, of Florida, anc
Shackleford, of Missouri, on the other.
The latter gentlemen held places or
the committee on Interstate and for
eign Commerce in the last congress,
but owing to the fact that they dis.
agreed with and antagonized the -four
other democratic members of that
committee at that time, the minority
leader, who, by the courtesy of the
speaker, has the power of appointing
the democratic members to all com
mittees, deemed it wise to supplant
them with members more in harmon!
with their colleagues. This cours,
aroused the ire and spleen of the slight
ed members and in spite of all at
tempts to prevent them from airing
their grievances on the floor of tn,
House, they succeeded in being recog
nized by the chairman in committed
of the whole, and proceeded to furnish
entertainment for crowded galleries
and full attendance of the Hous
membership. Mr.. Lamar led the attacl
and his speech was replete with charg
es and denunciation, lasting nearly al
hour. Williams Immediately arose t
reply. Those who were familiar wit
the biting sarcasm of the minorit
leader, and his ability and intrepidit
in debate, were somewhat prepared 70
the castigation which he unmercifull
administered to the gentleman fror
Florida. Lamar afterwards reptile
briefly, in speech which was prompt
ed by wrath, and he INDUCED in abus
and insulting personalities, whic
showed plainly that he had lost hi
self-possession. Mr.. Shackelford fol
lowed with more moderate speech
although he did not hesitate to hurl dc
&,,oo o,d oopdoropo tiop of his ma rt