The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-21
TO CUT OFF DEMOCRATS
CANNON MUST PROVIDE FOR MORE
 REPUBLICANS.
Alabama's Representatives, All of Whom Were Reelected, Should Fare Pretty We'll i'm Committee
 AssignmentE.
Hx R. H. Watkins.


 Washington, Nov. 20.--(Speeial. )- The much discussed decision of Speaker Cannon that the minority representa- tion on the House committees in the Fifty-ninth Congress shall be cut down is taken generally to mean that he in- tends to add to his power as Speaker. The Republican majority is 112. the House being divided into 249 Repub- licans and 137 Democrats.
 Under Republican Speakers since the time of Speaker Reid practically entire control of legislation has been in the hands of the very few men constituting the majority of the Committee on Rules. Tn the last House the Republican mem bers of this Committee were Speaker Cannon-the Speaker is always chair man of that committee-Dalzell and Grosvenor. The Democrats were John Sharp Williams and De Armond. The Democrats, when in the minority, have been permitted to cut no more figure in determining the methods of procedure for the House, which the committee un- dertakes to decide, than If they were members of the Board of Aldermen of Yazoo City.
 The reduction of the minority repre- setnation on the other important com mittees, where they were wont indeed to exercise a modicum of their consti- tutional rights as members of the House of Representatives, will still further minimize the powers and enfeeble the vitality of the minority. Democrats are naturally resentful. When they controlled the House, as in the Fifty second Congress, by much larger ma Jority than that the Republicans now have, they were fairer and more gener- ous to their opponents.
 PerceHtage Not True.
 The largest standing committees have seventeen members. The proportion of the Democratic membership in the House is nearly S6 per cent reduc- tfon of the minority membership on these committees by one member cuts them down to 29 per cent, the new ap- portionment being twelve Republicans to five Democrats.
 The Republican majority is so large that the danger of embarrassment to it by the Democrat is greatly less than 1t was in the last House, when the mi- nority representation on the commit tees were nearly in equable proportion to the House membership. The infer ence is unmistakable that Speaker Cam non Is after something else besides suppression or humiliation of the mil nortty, which he has no occasion to fear. He feels that he needs more pow ec. Taking 1t from the Democrats and giving 1t ostensibiy to his own side he increases his influence with his own kind.
 The augmented power will accrue to the Committee on Rules. With the Re- publicans in control that Committee is constituted as were the three consuls of the French Republic after the Revo- lution. Your Uncle Joe like Napoleon, is to be first Consul. and the other two, DalzAll and Grosvenor, exercising only advisory functions and representing his will on the floor of the House.
 There will be busy and troublous times at the coming session over rail- way rate legislation and efforts to get at the tariff iniquities. and Speaker Cannon's plain purpose is 10 rule as ab- solutely as possible, not only rendering the minority an utterly inocuous quan- tity, but by exaltirg himself in the supremest among his own party people.
 Alabama and the Committees.
 Alabama's nine members having all been reelected and all except MT Hefiin having served more than two full terms should fare very we'll in com mittee assignments. as they did in the last House. MT. Bankhead. the dean of the delegation, in the last Congress was senior Democrat of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. of which he was chairman during Demo- cratic control of the House, and was second on the Committee on Rivers and Harbors, MT. Underwood. who is next in length of service in the House, was last Congress on the Appropriations Committee, of which MT Taylor was also member MT. Taylor was the senior in length of service on that com mittee. As its minority membership will be reduced by one, it is not unlike ly that Mir. Underwood will be trans ferred elsewhere.
 There will hardly be any change of the Judiciary Committee, of which MT. Clayton was a prominent member, as in the last House. Mir. Bur nett occupies the position of senior Demorat of those reelected on three different committees, those on Public Lands, Alcoholic Liquor Traffic and and Canals.
 Mir. Richardson was well up and prominent member of the minority of | tha Committee on Interstate Commerce.