Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-09-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.


Washington. d. c., Sept. Ii -Tnird
term talk, committee talk, and all the
other signals point toward a reassem-
bling of Congress. The appOintm ent
of the House Committees is one of the
most important jobs as we'll as the most
tiresome that the Speaker has after
Congress assem- bles. and the man who
is going to Oe elected as Speaker usual
ly has bis slate all made out before the
session begins. There is no question
that Speaker Cannon of the last house
will be the Speaker of the next. if he
SO desires. and uDq6estionably he SO
desires, for be said recently in an in
tervlew that he thought the job Of
Speaker Was about as important as
that of President, and that was one of
the several reasons why he has not
been stung by the Presidential bee
One of the other reasons Was that he
could not get the nomination if he
wanted 1t, but that is side issue.
Nobody knows yet how the commits
tee jobs are going to be apportiOned,
but there Is one thing certain, that.
Speaker Cannon has big contract on
hand. There are sixty-tw0 commit
tees that be will have TO fill, and while
the most of these places will go-to the
men who held them in the 18th Con-
gress, there will be number of changes
necessary in the 60th. There are four
teen committee chairmanships that
have been made vacant through death
or the elections. It is needless to go
into detail over these, but the most
important of them number only three. |
They are the Committee on Agricui- |
ture, that on Merchant Marine and
Fisheries. and that on Public Lands. |
The Committee of Agriculture Chair
man in the last House was Wadsworth |
of New York. He it was who so
defended the packers in
the beat investigation and tried to
block the Administration at every
twist of the trail in passing the Meat
Inspection Bill. This was the cause
of his defeat, but it is said that he has
lost nothing materially by it. The
probable successor of WadswOrth is
E. Stevens Henry of onnecticut, and
the next In rank to him is Chase of
Connecticut. If be does not get the
appointment Representative Haugen
of Iowa, will.
The most important of ali the COM
mittee appointments from a public
standpoint is that on Merchant Marine
and Fisheries. for that committee will
have to deal with the ship subsidy bill
when one is introduced, as it unques
tionably will be. The committee was
made up last year purposely so as to
be hostile to ship subsidy legislation,
and as there is prospect of great poll
tical pressure of the passage of such
bill this year, the complexion of the
committee is likely to be materially
changed. The ranking member of the
committee is Green of Massachusetts,,
who is favorable to subsidy and if he
is appointed TO the craftsmanship. it is
fair indication of what may be ex-
pected in this line of legislation during
the session.
The last of the important committees
that will have to have new chairman
| is that on Public Lands. Mondell of
Wyoming. is the ranking member, but
1t is known that he is bitterly opposed
to the Presidents public land policy,
so that it is not likely he will get the
appointment. At least, the President
would net willingly see him appointed,
and it will be an indication of how the
understanding is between the Presi-
dent and the Speaker whether be is ap-
pointed. or not.
The third term talk is in the same