The Bottineau courant., 1905-12-22
TN Washing TON
As told by The courant's Special
Correspondent.
COMMITTEES APPOINTED.
The Engagement of Congressman
LongWorth to Miss Alice
Roosevelt Announced.


Washington, D. c.. December 16,
1905. The machinery of Congress is
gradually becoming adjusted for effec-
tive and continuous opera tion. One
of the necessary preliminaries to this
condition, and the most important
one. is the appointment of numerous
committees, which constitute the ac-
tual working forces of the House, and
of which there are ABOUT sixty in the
lower branch of Congress- To these
the bills introduced into the House
are referred for detailed and exhaus-
tive consideration and investigation,
which it would be impracticable if
not impossible for the house as
whole to accomplish. Something of
the magnitude Of the task of complet.,
ing the committee assignments and
the perplexitv incident thereto may be
apprehended when it is realized that
the chief concern of the individual
member after having been elected to
Congress is to secure the best possible
committee places. In the formation
of the committees of the 59th Con-
CESS. Iowa, as usual, was we'll treated.
Hull and Hepburn hold influential
chairmanships, the former having
been reappointed chairman of the COM
mittee on military affairs, and the
later was retained as chairman uf
the committee on Interstate and For
eign Commerce. Lacey is chairman
of the committee on public lands. and
Cousins is chairman of the committee
on expenditures in the treasury depart.
ment. The newer members were also
we'll cared fol. Judge Conner retains
his committee places of last session,
being still member Of the committee
on public buildings and grounds, and
labor and the library. He was offer
ed a place on the judiciary committee,
but as he was we'll up toward the
craftsmanship of the committee on
public buildings and grounds he pre-
ferred to hold that place to accepting
a place even on SO important a com.
mittee as that on the judiciary when
it Involved the sacrifice which it
would entail in this instance. Judge
Smith is an Important member of the
appropriations committee. Dawson
was assigned to the committee on Ma.
val affairs. Hedge retains former
position, as does also Haugen, of the
fourth district. One of the most i'm
portant committee triumphs of the
new arrangement is that of Conrgess-
man Tawney, of Minnesota. who is
made chairman Of the committee on
appropriations. He is recognized as
one of the most forcefut and vlrile
members of the House.
Committe Assignments.
The intensity of the desires which
some members entertain for the COM
mittee assignments of their choice
may be illustrated bv the now famous
clash between minority leader. John
Sharp Williams on thu one hand of
Congressman Lamar, of Florida, and
Shackleford, of Missouri, on the other.
The latter gentlemen held places on
the committee on interstate and for
eign commerce at the last session Of
congress, but owing to the fact that
they disagreed with and antagonized
the four other democratic members of
that committee the minority leader,
who, by the courtesy Of the speaker,
has the power of appointing all the
democratic members of all the COM
mittees, deemed it wise to supplant
them with members more in harmony
with their colleagues. This course
aroused the ire and spleen Of the
sslighted members, and in spite of all
attempts to pervent them from airing
their grievances on the floor Of the
House, they succeeded in being recog-
MID by the chairman in the commit
tee Of the whole, and proceeded to fur
nish entertainment for crowded CALLER
les, and q full attendance Of the House
! membership. Mr.. Lamar lead the at
tack, and his speech was replete with
charges and denunciation, lasting
nearly an hour. Williams Immediate
IL arose to reply. Those who were
familiar with the biting sarcasm Of
the minority leader. and his ability
and intrepidity in debate, were some
what prepared for the severe castiga.
tion which he unmercifully admins
tered to the gentleman from Florida,