Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1905-12-07
RUSH FOR PLACES.
All Members of Congress Looking
for Seats on Committees.

Washington, Dec. 5.-Senators anC
representatives are devoting mucf
time to the procurement of good com
mittee places and chairmansIips; thai
is, the vast majority are engaged il
this pursuit. Some few of the old
timers who are already comfortably
fixed are not bothered, but their nun,
! Der is comparatively small.
Speaker Cannon is being over.
whelmed by requests for committee
assignments, and is being flooded with
all manner of letters from men of in.
huence, who are working in behalf OF
some of the struggling congressman
He has 40 applicants for every good
committee vacancy, and he probably
has dozen endorsements of every ap-
plicant. But he is gradually getting
to the bottom, and soon will be able to
announce the slate as he intends it
shall stand during the Fifty-ninth con-
gress.
In the senate, where committees are
appointed by special committee, yet
to be selected, there is no such on
slaught as is in evidence about the
speakers office.
Senator Fulton is the only member
of the Oregon delegation who is in line
for promotion, for he is the only MEM
Der who is at liberty to participate in
the work of congress. AS previously in
dicated in these dispatches, Senator
Fulton will probably be made chairman
of the committee on claims, and there
is long chance that he will become a
member of the committee on commerce,
the mighty committee that handles all
river and harbor bills, as well as other
legislation relating to commerce, other
than interstate commerce.
Senator Piles, being a member new
of the senate, will probably not get
very good committees. New mem bers
are never given desirable committee
places. 1t is rule of the senate to
give the best positions to men of the
longest service, and this leaves little
that is desirable for the new senators.
1t is quite impossible to tell what
places Piles will get, though he would
be pleased with membership on naval
affairs, berause of the Puget sound
navy yard.
Senator Ankeny is almost certain to
secure the chaimanship of the commit
tee on irrigation. This is a very desr-
able place for him because he is thor
oughly familiar with irrigation, and
understands the subject. Moreover, as
chairman of that committee he could
doubtless do much to aid the state of
Washington in getting better recogni-
tion under the National reclamation
law than it has received up to this
time.
Over at the house end there is not
much change in sight for the Washing
ton members. Cushman has one good
place, on interstate and
foreign commerce, where he will get
an early chance to go on record on the
railway rate question, and he has one
other committee, private land claims.
Representative Jones is member
If the river and harbor committee and
g perfectly satisfied to remain in that
me place. He don't want anything
better. Mr.. Humphrey Jared very we'll
or a new member two years ago, get
ing place Oh merchant marine and
together with two lesser COM
nittees.
Senator Hepburn, of Idaho was one
# the most unfortunate new senators
n the matter of committee assignments |
wO years ago. He secured the chair
nanship of the committee on manufac-
ures, his most important committee.
lie will be given better committee
ssignments than he had in the last |
ongress. but it is impossible to state
What places he will get.
Senator Dubois, being a Democrat,
s on the minority side of several i'm
'ortant committees, but is chairman
f none, for minority senators have no
His most important
lace at this time is on privileges and
lie ,tions, the committee that will re-
ort on the Smoot case. On that COM
1ittee Dubois is considered the most
rastic anti Mormon member, and he
7ill probably be prominently identified
nth the fight against Smoot.