The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-19
Speaker Will Announce Mem- bers of Committees for
 the Present Session
POLITICIANS INTERESTED
 IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Some Bearing Upon the Presidential Situation Is Expected To Be Evil dent in the Names of the
 Chosen Committeeman.

Washington, December 18.-When the House reconvenes tomorrow, Speaker Cannon will announce his assignments "f members to committees with the exception of those on appropriations, banking and currency, mileage and rules, which have already been made. The House will then be organized and in a position to get down to the business of the session im- mediately after the holiday recess, which will last from the Fist to January 6. The speaker, assisted by his secretary, l.. White Busby, and the clerk at the speak er's table, Asher c. Hinds, has been work ing overtime for week to complete the most onerous task of the session-the or ganization of a new House of Represent tatives.
 Speaker Cannon did not complete his committee assignments until nearly 12 o'clock tonight. To insure the printing of official lists in time for tomorrow's session each committee was sent to the public printer tonight as soon as it was finished.
 John Sharp Williams, who by view of lis minority leadership, had the naming f democrats to the various committees. worked behind locked doors all of yes- erday and today, and this evening sent lis completed list to the speaker.
 Very Heavy Task. sss.s The assignment task was heavier this fear than ever before for two reasons. The creation of about 50 additional com mltteeships by the adding to each of the iv,p rfa nf b. lican and one democr at on account of in- creased membership of the House and the fact that many members forsee in the speakers selection bearing-real or fan- cied-upon the presidential situation.
 Non-return of members of the Fifty ninth to the Sixtieth Congress created ss vacancies in committees, not taking into account the fact that Representative H. Burd Cassell of Pennsylvania, though re- elected, has not yet become member of the House, upon his own statement, until charges against him in connection with the capitol investigation at Harrisburg have been cleared up. Of the 1SS vacan- cies thus created 12 are chairmanships- Additional committeeships provided fer by enlargements of committee member
 
 250, the assignments to be announced by the speaker tomorrow, and the fact that, to quote him, There have been 1s pegs seeking every hole," 'ias not frightened the task of trying to please everybody with out disconcerting the intricate machit.ery of the Congress in presidential year.
 Following precedent, no eng irmar Tn the Fifty-ninth Congress who is a member of the Sixtieth Congress, will be superseded unless through a vacancy elsewhere he has become the ranking member of an- other or more important committee, in which case he is expected to step up.
 No member can be chairman of more than one committee.
 important Committees.
 Among the more important commit tees in which no chairmanship vacancies have been created by non-return of members and whose old chairmen are ex- pected to assume the reins are the ways and means (appointed), Payne of New York; appropriations (appointed). Taw ney of Minnesota; banking and currency (appointed), Fowler of New Jersey; rules (appointed), the speaker; foreign affairs. Cousins of Iowa; insular affairs, Cooper of Wisconsin; interstate and foreign com- merce, Hepburn of Iowa; military affairs, Hull of Iowa; naval affairs, Foss of Ill- nois; pensions, Loudenslager, New Jer- sey; invalid pensions, Subway of New Hampshire; public buildings and grounds, Bartholdt of Missouri; rivers and har- bors, Burton of Ohio; territories. Haml- ton of Michigan; railways and canals, Davidson of Wisconsin; elections (three committees), Mann of Illinois, Olmstead of Pennsylvania and Driscoll of New York; census, Crumpacker of Indiana; immigration and naturalization, Howell of Tx,Af fPotv 01av New York judicial, Jenkins of Wiscon- sin; labor Gardiner of New Jersey; post office and post roads, Overstreet of In- diana.
 Scott Makes Jump.
 It is understood that Representative Charles F. Scott of Kansas will become chairman of the committee on agricul- ture. jumping over Haughen or Iowa, who becomes chairman of the committee on war claims and over Henry of Con- necticut. who is accredited with waiving his ranking member claim in favor of the Prairie state.
 Representative Mondell of Wyoming is the ranking member of the committee on public roads and probably will relinquish the chairmanship of the committee on irrigation of arid lands to step into that place putting Redder of Kansas in first position for the irrigation chairmanship. By the general shuttle incident to new Congress, Representative Ireeh or nassa- chusetts will become ranking member of two committees, on manufactures, and on merchant marine and fisheries. It Is probable that his preference for the chair manship of the latter committee will pre- vail and that McCorran of Michigan will head the committee on manufactures By progression MT. Scott of Kansas would becomc chairman of the committee on minen and mining. but his prospective appointment to the chairmanship of the committee on agriculture opens the way