Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-10
nay arise as a result. of the presen. situa-


has been hard at work preparing his recon-
mendations affecting the minority commit
tee representation which he WIN SUD-
mit to Speaker Cannon tomorrow nisnt
and upon which the announccments OF
d. democratic appointments to the various
House committees win be based. And Tor
the past week or so there have been con-
tinued mutterings of discomfort In the DEM
ocratic ranks There is always more or less
Of this sort of thing, however, and 1t was
not until yesterday that the seriousness OF
the situation became apparent.
But when II became generally known yes
tefiay afternoon that the minority leader
had decided to remove Representative La
mar of Florida and Representative Shackle-
ford of Missouri from the House committees
or interstate and foreign commerce as
matter of discipline, and on the ground tnat
they had violated their party caucus held
last year on the Davey rate bill ana had
favored the Hearst measure; that he had
decided to name Representative Sullivan OF
Massachusetts,. whose chief claim to dis
tinoton in the House was his violent and
scourging attads upon Representative
Hearst, to q place on the great ways and
means committee. turning down in the pro-
cess Representative Randeli of Texas, who
was strongly Endorsed. and that he had re-
fused a place on public buildings ana
grounds to Representative Carter Glass or
Virginia. a friend and supporter of Hay,
the leader of last years revolt, the gravity
OF the situation became clearly apparent.
The statement was freely made that Mr..
w
a hand. 1t was even said In this connec-
ton that he intended to remove Representa-
tive Hay from his position on the military
affairs committee. where he Is an active
and a useful member. A Star man sought
out Mr.. Williams last night and asked him
about 1t.
mo such thing" he answered with en-
phasis And you will oblise me by quoting
me saying that that report was started
by some malicious person who knew that
Hay had been fighting me and who thought
I was small enough to fight back"
Lamar and shackleford.
1T is also generally understood" Mr..
Williams was told, that it is your inten-
ton to remove Representatives Lamar and
Shackleford from the committee on inter-
state and foreign commerce"
That" replied the minority leader. is
another matter. There Is nothing personal
in that Lamar and Shackieford violated
the agreement of their party caucus on
the Davey rate BILL
So far as the other important committee
assignments were concerned Mr.. Williams
would say nothing. mentioning that he and
Speaker Cannon had decided not to discuss
the matter prior to the general announce
ment. which will be made by the latter
probably next Tuesday. But 1t Is generally
understood and accepted a fact that
the minority leader will name Representa-
tive Sullivan to fill the vacancy on ways
and means caused by the retirement of
Representative Cooper of Texas and that
he VIII transfer Representative Underwood
of Alabama from the appropriations COM
mittee to ways and means when there is
another vacancy, due TO the retirement of
Representative Swanson of Virginia, who
was elected governor of the Old Dominion.
To I'LL the vacancies on the interstate and
foreign commerce caused by the removal
of Representatives Lamar and Shackleford
the minority leader will recommend the ap-
pointment OF Representative Bartlett OF
md ID -nv,f. too %
Texas. The appointment of Bartlett gives
Georgia a representation of two on this
Committee, Representative Adannson being
already q member, and this makes this
phase of the situation almost unprece-
deuted.
When Glass went to the minority leader
and requested an appointment to puDlic
buildings and grounds Mr.. Williams refus-
Cd, and on the ground that a South Caro-
Huian having made the vacancy, It should
s. by right to his successor. This Is also
extremely unusual expression, In a meas
ure. and establishes precedent. Even when
Representative Taylor of Alabama, a loaS-
time friend and supporter of Williams
went TO him and pleaded for Glass, VIII
hams was obdurate. Glass is warm friend
ana follower of Representative Hay.
But by far the most serious OF the many
charges that are being made informally.
and that later Will be made formally.
against the minority leader, Is that relat-
Ing to his removal of Lamar and Shackle-
merce committee on the ground that they
violated their party caucus agreement. Mr..
Williams contents himself with this SIM
PIE statement, and in opposition to 1t are
arrayed a number of facts that the friends
of the two representatives IN question con-
tend are unanswerable.
AS Is well known the caucus of last year
was not called for any such purpose as the
consideration of the Davey bill That bill,
II has been recalled, was still under con-
sideration by the committee. and as a mat
ter OF fact that body was still taking tes-
timony. Its consideration at that time,
therefore, was entirely unusual.
Facts as to the Caucus.
But as a matter of fact the caucus was
called by Mr.. Williams with the idea, avow-
ed by him at the time, that he might SUBJ
nit his resignation. He had reached that
frame OF mind following the so-caIled re
volt of those democrats who under lead
ership of Representative Hay of Virginia
refused to follow the minority leader In
his attitude on the Gen. Miles matter,
which was then before the House But
between the time that the caucus call was
sent out. Representative Williams having
been one of the first to sign, the minority
leader had attained a different frame of
mind. 1t was apparent. say. the friends
OF Messrs. Lamar and Shackleford, that II
Williams had submitted his resignation at
the time IL would have been accepted and
Williams did not want things to figure out
that way.
But as It was necessary to give some
plausible reason for the cali summonins
the members in caucus, the consideration
or railroad bill was put forward as the
excuse A bill-or rather the mere frame
work OF a btll-consstlng merely of two
sections, so general in their nature that
they might have served as the basis for
almost any sort of a railroad rate prop
ositIon, were put before the caucus and
adopted. Most Of the members believe
democrats attending the caucus believed
that the purpose was not to agree on a bill
nut merely on certain principles, which
should later be included In completed
measure.
This measure OF two sections was the
Davey bill. 1t was admittedly weak In
efficient and lacking in all Of the most
salient features Of the bill demanded by a
democratic constituency. And SO five
amendments We're added to 1t in commit
tee and IL became the minority bill of the
Interstate and foreign commerce committee
Messrs. Lamar and ShackIeford signed
the report on this bill, and these gentle
men, as the minority Of the minority sub
mitted a brief subsidiary report fayorina
certain provisions OF the Hearst bill
The Davey bill as amended was accented
ny the democrats. but even then II was
lacking In some extremely essential points
ard II Is of record that the minority leader
on the moor of the House pleaded with tho