The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-19
Cannon Would Transfer
McCleary to ways
and Means"
With Standpatters in Con-
troll He Might Block
Tariff Change. ..
Scheme to Defeat Presi-
dents Plans Involves
Shift of Tawney, Too.
By w, w, Jermane.

M ways and means committee
Of the house of representa-
tives, from a ''stand pat' point of
view, in need of reorganization
And If this question is to be
answered in the Affirmative, is it
important, further, from the "stand
pat' point of view, to have the work
of reorganization accomp plished at the
beginning of this session of congress-
thus preparing the committee for the
work of revision whenever the issue
may present itself?
Upon the answers made to these ques-
tions depend, to a large extent, the com
mittee ASST gnments of Representative
McCleary of Minnesota in the Fifty
ninth congress.
Mr.. McCleary wants to be PLACED at
the head Of the committee on appropria
tions; the speaker, if revision is to be
made an issue in congress following the
final disposition of the rate question,
would like to have him transferred to
the ways and means committee; and he
would like, at the same time to get rid
of Representative Tawney as a member
of sxthat committee, because Of MI.
Tawney's pronounced revision views.
What is true of Tawney is true also of
Representative Mccall and Representa-
tive @Babcock, and, so it is asserted, of
Chairman Payne-all of the same COM
mittee.
) Payne's Island Speeches.
Payne made, certain speeches while in
the Philippines, in which he said he had
been converted to the idea of free trade
between the islands and this country.
This is not the orthodox "stand pat'
position. .~ - III
Mccall, when the Dingley bill was
before the house for discussion, in
1897, spoke against. it, and he is now,
supposed to stand with the president in
believing that revision should be
brought about at. as early. a day. as
possible = -
Babcock has for several years been
committed to revision, and at one time
he went so far as to introduce bill
aimed at the sacred steel schedules.
These four men-Payne, Mccall, Bah
cock and Tawney-with the six demo-
Gratis on the committee-constitute a
majority. The committee has seventeen
members, and majority is nine. The
four republicans named, and the six
democrats make ten; or, one more than
enough to report in favor of revision,
should that issue be raised, by execu
tive message following the final adjust
ment Of the rate situation, or other
wise.
Revision and Roosevelt.
While there was no likelihood Of re,
vision, and the attention of the country
and congress was focused on other
questions, it made comparatively little
difference how the ways and means com
mittee stood as to revision; but with
the president threatening to raise the
tariff issue the moment rate-regulatior
is out of the way, it makes world of
difference-to the "stand pat' speake
and his "stand pat' associates in the
house of representatives.
McCleary fits into this emergency IL
! an interesting way as an ardent "stanC
| patter.'' The speaker is understood t.
7 have expressed the wish that he coult
4 get rid Of the revisionist members Of
i the ways and means committee, and il
/ expressing this wish he has mentioned
g them by name. He has also said, going
s partly into detail, that he would like t
B bring McCleary over to the ways an,
Il means committee and put Tawney OF
Il the appropriations committee in hi
Il stead. Obviously, if this switch wer,
4 made, Tawney, whose qualifications ar
conceded to be of high order woul,
II be in line for the committee chairman
ship.
81 But there arises the question of how
Il such switch would affect McCleary il
q Minnesota. "Would the people ther
III look at it In it's true light,' the speake
Il is supposed to ask, 'and recognize tina
2, the change was intended to be compl
\ ment to McCleary, or would they tax
II surface indications and jump to the cor
A clusion that McCleary had been denote
instead Of promoted9'
Cannon Thinking Hard.
4 So the speaker, who is as fond of M
n Cleary as he is Of Tawney, and closer t
him on account Of their community O
"a feeling as to the tariff, is doing som
a serious thinking. He does not intend t
do anything which may look like a sla
81 at McCleary-that is, he has said h
II doesn't, and said it in picturesque Eng
81 lish, with numerous explosive adjective
s. accompaniments.
a But he wants to have the ways an
n means committee strongly "stand pat
4 on the republican side, and the presenc
y of the four men on the committee wh
Il have been named, he believes impair
III the committees ''stand pat' integrit,
" And so he is said to be figuring o
4 the situation with a view to reorgani;
3 ing the committee, if the way shoul
I seem to be open for such course.
81 There is involved, with all that
8 said herein, the general facts regardin
II McCleary's temperamental unftness, i
b sense, to lead such a committee 6
IS that on appropriations. By temper;
ment, Tawney is admirably fitted ft
such a chairmanship. He is jovia
genial, a good mixer, one of I'll
'sboys,' and has as strong person,
n following as any member on the foo
81 4;.,,.dt an % para XII ro1,,