The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-04-29
MANY NEW LAWMAKERS WILL
GET IMPORTANT PLACES IN
NEXT CONGRESS
Senator Ankeny is Almost Assured Of
the Irrigation committee-CIark
on judiciary

The death of Senator Plat of Con.
necticut, made vacant the chairman
ship on judiciary, one of the four lead
| ing committees Of the senate. BY the
rule of seniority, Senator G. D. CLARK
| of Wyoming, will succeed to this va
p, cancy, he now being the ranking re-
publican member.
The promotion of Senator Clark at
tracts attentions for several reasons
Primarily, he is a new senator, as SEN
ators go. He entered the senate ten
years ago, and has not completed his
second term. Senator Plat served Is
years in the senate before he became
chairman of this mighty committee
and Senator Hoar, whom he followed,
had a long service to his credit before
he was honored with this same place.
1t is notable that Senator Clark,
while he will head the judiciary COM
lawyers of the senate, but it is likewise
notable that with the exception of Sem
ator Spooner of Wisconsin, who is a
junior republican member, there is no
profound lawyers on the republican
side of the judiciary committee. From
a point of fitness Senator Spooner
would be entitled to the Craftsmanship
of the judiciary committee, but the
senate recognizes only the rule of Sc
niority, and sometimes, through a
strange turn of fortunes whee1, man
rises to the head of the committee very
rauidly. There are several such in
stances that will come to light in the
next congress.
yet completed mis- first term in the sem
ate; he has been there only since 1900,
yet he is in line to become chairman
of the committee on agriculture. Dol
liver is now fifth member of that COM
mittee but the present chairman will
get a promotion; two senators VINO
rank him already nave better chair
manships, and the fourth senator has
been defeated by his state legislature.
Thus Dolliver climbs into a choice
berth in a remarkably short time.
Senator Fulton of Oregon, and Sen
ator Ankeny of Washington, come to
the senate together in 1902, and have
served but one third of their first
terms. Yet. through the retirement of
some senator's, and because others have
better places, Fulton will become chair
man of the committee on claims, and
Ankeny will become chairman of irri-
CATION when the fifty-ninth congress
organizes. These are not the most i'm
portant committees, but they rank Sec
ond; such chairmanships rarely go to
new men.
Another case of rapid promotion is
the case of Senator Clipp of Minneco-
ia. Senator Clipp was elected to the
senate in 1901; next winter he will be-
come chairman of the committee on
Indian affairs. Two senators who rank
ed him in the last congress went down
to defeat last winter, the other sena-
tor who stands above him has a bet
ter place.
The committee on privileges and
elections, a very important place, US
uaIly falls to the lot of long-term SEN
ators. vet Senator Burrows of Michi-
gan had been in the senate only eight
wears when he succeeded to its chair
manship. Then there is the case of
Senator Beveridge of Indiana, who en-
tered the senate in 1899. In his thlrd
wear he became chairman of the COM
mittee on territories, and almost at
once sprung into prominence, because
that committee then entered upon It's
famous and prolonged statehood hgnt.
Territories has been a leading COM
mittee since Beveridge became chair
man, not because of that fact, but be-
cause of the prominence that has been
given to the statehood question.
And so it runs. Sometimes a sena-
tor at the foot of committee is jump
ed to the very top as the result OF the
senatorial elections of one year; but
as a rule the men who become chair
men of the great committees have to
serve a long apprenticeship, for as
rule the ablest men are placed on the
biggest committees, and such men are
retained in the senate through life.
Mark Alaskan Boundary Soon.
! WASHINGTON, April 29.-Arrange-