The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-14
Statement from CannOn's Sec-
 retay Is Given Out
APPOINTMENT IS DISCUSSED
MT. cannon's Secretary Says That Hobsons Place on Naval Commit tee Came Through Recommen-
 dation of Mir. Williams.

Washington, March 13.-Ass bearing on the means adopted to secure the apnoint- iheliI or capt. Richmond P. Hobson of Alabama on the committee on naval af- lalrs, which has been referred to in the conduct of the investigation of the charges or Representative Llley in connection Wiuh the purchase of the government of submarine torpedo boats, the following interview with L. White Busbey, secre- tary to Speaker Cannon, will be of inter- est:
 Have you any objections to stating what influenced placed Captain Hobson on the committee on naval affairs?'' MT. Busbey was asked
 Not in the least. Captain Hobson was recommended for assignment to the naval committee by Hon. John Sharp Williams, the minority leader of the House, and Mir. Cannon accepted Mr Williams statement. On the night of December 8, 1907 Mr. Williams sent his list of minority assignments to MT. Can non. That was 10 o'clock MT. Cannon glanced over the list very hastily and handed 1t to MT. Hinds to incorporate With his own assignments for the ma 1ority side of the House. Mr. Cannon then left his office and MT. Hinds and I
 
 was no discussion and only one change made in MT. Williams recommendations That was not on the naval committed The speaker did not again see the com mlttee lists until the printed copies were distributed in the House the next day
 'Was Mir Williams recommendation of MT. Hobson the only one that came before the speaker?'
 Yes, with the exception that on March ?, 1907 two days before the Fifty-ninth Congress adjourned. MT. Hobson. as member-elect of the Sixtieth Congress, left with me letter addressed to The Speaker expressing a desire for assign nent to the naval committee. That let ter was ndorsed by the members-elect of the Alabama delegation. That was the anly recommendation of MT. Hohson for assignment to the committee on naval af- fairs ever placed before Speaker Cannon, until he received the list of the minority leader the night before the committees were announced to the House Captain Hobson and every other democratic meni- Der of the House understood the custom prevailing since MT. Cannon became speaker of the Fifty-eighth Congress, gv- ing to the minority the organization of its own side of the House, and their as- sgnment to committees by their own leader chosen in their caucus. Under standing this custom, MT. Hobson did not come to the speakers room to talk about committee assignments. He went with all democratic members to MT. Williams because the minority leader had the or ganization of the minority side of the standing committees. Any man who did not know this had a very limited knowl edge of affairs in Washington
 ''This custom was introduced by MT. Cannon in the beginning of the Fifty eighth Congress in 1903, and 1t is so well known that comparatively few democratic members of Congress came to MT Cannon when the Fifty-ninth and Slxtieth Con gresses were organized. Those that did come were courteously referred to MT. Williams as their leader, who would make the minority assignments"