Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-02
DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
A Light Attendance at the
House Today.
Mr.. HENRY OF TEXAS
WAS UNANIMOUSLY CHOSEN
CHAIRMAN
John Sharp Williams Of Mississippi
Selected as the Minority Leader
His Speech of Acceptance.
CHOSEN

The caucus of House democrats called to
consider the election of minority leader,
caucus chairman and other organization
details met in the hall of the House OF
Representatives at noon today. The meet
ing was as tame a Sunday school gath
ering, the only matter arousing much dis
oussion being resolution offered by kep-
resentative Lloyd of Missouri designed 20
bring about a more compact and effective
minority organization on the floor. Less
than 100 of the 137 democrats in the lower
house of the Fifty ninth Congress were
in attendance Representative Hay Of Vir-
sinia, the retiring caucus chairman, called
the members to order and immedia teiy
asked for nomina tions for the chairman
ship.
Representative Clayton of Alabama put
Representative Henry of Texas in nomina-
ton. and his unanimous election followed.
This was not a matter of any surprise.
the arrangement having been previously
conSumma ted
renominated John Sharp Williams as mi
nority leader Representative Macon of
Texas made the second, and Mr.. Williams
was unanimously chosen.
In his speech of acceptance Mr.. Will
liams outlined the democratic policy sspe-
cialiy as being opposed to any ship subsidy
and in favor of strong antitrust legislation
and railway rate legislation. He said that
ne and other democrats had been accused
of following a republican President IN the
matter of railway rate legislation, hut de-
clared that If a republican President took
democratic principles that was no reason
why democrats should abandon them.
After Mr.. Williams speech a vote of
thanks was extended to the retiring caucus
chairman, Mr.. Hays of Virginia. The slate
chosen by the caucus follows:
Tah Chor lia of iy,,f
speaker; w. S. Cowherd of Missouri, clerk
of the House; Robert Taylor of Arkansas,
doorkeeper; Charles A. Edward of Texas,
sergeant-ta-arms, and Robert L. Douglas of
South Carolina, postmaster, and Rev. Aus
tin Crouch of Alabama, chaplain. The
slate also included the following minority
employees: Isaac R. Hill, Joseph A. Finnap,
FELTON, b. Knight and James f. English.
A committee consisting of Representative
Williams of Mississippi, De Almond of Mis-
souri, McNarry of Massachusetts and Smith
of Kentucky was appointed to consider
resolutions. Mr.. McNarry introduced five
important resolutions which provide in
crease as follows:
First there shall be but one calendar of
the House and all bills and reports shall be
considered according to the order of their
reports and unless precedent shall be de-
cided by a two-thirds vote This does not
apply to appropriation bills.
Second. A special rule governing consid-
Grafton of any bill shall go into effect only
on a two-thirds vote.
Third. All appropriations bills coming
from the various committees shall be given
one reading and referred to the committee
on appropriations to prepare a general
budget.
Fourth. Only such remarks and speeches
as are actually made the floor of the
House shall be printed in the Congressional
Record
Fifth Notice of all motions for unani-
nous consent shall be given to the clerks
and printed in the calender in advance with
the date on which such unanimous will be
asked.
The motive for the above resolutions is
easily to be seen, as their passage would re-
iieve the majority of considerable of its
present strength
Representative Bartlett of Georgia offered
a resolution providing that the rules of the
last House should not be put into effect
for more than thirty days
Before adjourning the caucus decided not
to discuss for publication the Lloyd resolu-
ton or the debate that followed its intro
duction. The Lloyd resolution, as stated
provides for a more compact and effective
minority organization.