The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1905-11-28
MAY LOSE POSITION
MITCHELL LIKELY TO BE DIS
PLACED AS CHAIRMAN.
Active Man Is Needed and Senators
Say Important Legislation Re
quires Another Appointment.

Apparently Senator Mitchell is to
be deprived of the Craftsmanship of
committee ON oceanic canals when
the senate reorganizes next month,
says Washington dispatch to the
Oregonian. This has not been def
nitely decided, but it is the concensus
of opinion of arriving senator's that
Mitchell will have to relinquish his
craftsmanship in order that some
other active member of the canal
committee can preside at its meetings
this winter.
Congress must appropriate money
early in the coming session for con
tinuing work on the Panama Canal
! and must decide whether the canal
STALL be built with locks or at the sea
level. This legislation, together with
all other legislation pertaining to the
canal and the canal zone, must be
considered by the canal committee,
and will Ee one of the most important
topics to be considered. Because of
its Importance, senators believe the
canal committee should have an active
chairman, who cannot only preside
at committee meetings, but can vote
both in committee and in the senate
and who can furthermore take charge
of canal legislation after it has been
reported to the senate.
Mitchell himself admits he will not
come to Washington to participate
in the work of the senate or its COM
mittees, but he has expressed desire
to retain his chairmansliip, and he
also desires that his grandson, John
Mitchell Handy, retain the clerk
ship of that committee. While SEN
ators regret Mitchells unfortunate
situation and extend to him their
sympathy, they feel that he should
not only absent himself from the SEN
/ ate, but relinquish~ the craftsmanship
of the canal committee together with
the clerkship.
If he does not withdraw. voluntarily
it is believed 10y senators who have
been questioned that some other
chairman will be named, and Mitch
ell transferred to some less important
chairmanship, in order that he may,
if he desires, still retain his grandson
as committee clerk. Senators do not
like to take harsh action in this case,
but they feel that Senatorial courtesy
is being stretched too far when
! Mitchell, under existing circumstan-
Ges, asks to retain his chairmanship.
1t is barely possible that he may
| ,,t ha ~ ia raoooil,1n tho
committee on committees may decide
to let him remain, but if its views
concur with the unanimous opinion
expressed by several senator's today,
they will appoint new chairman.
This committee not having been
named, no one knows what action it
will take, but senators. discussing the
matter, say that good business would
demand that the canal committee
have new chairman and new clerk
this winter, when there 81 SO much
business to be transacted.
1t is seldom that senator, after only
two years service, falls heir to SO inn
portant a craftsmanship as that of
Claims, yet that is the lot of Fulton,
of Oregon. Claims is hard working
committee of good standing, handl
ing large sums of money each con
gress. Fulton is now at the foot Of
the committee table, but the senators
who rank him have places which
they do not care to relinquish.
Probably the liveliest scramble this
session will be for the two republican
vacancies on the commerce committee,
| which handles river and harbor legis-
lation. Foster of Washington retired
making ono vacancy and Quaries the
other. The Pacific coast will prob
ably get the Foster vacancy and nat
urally the fight will rest between Full
ton of Oregon and Ankeny of Wash
ington with the chances favoring
Fulton, The chairmansbip OF this
committee is not vacant.
Settle Up.
Those knowing themselves to be i'm