Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-16
LAUGHTER IN SENATE SORRY NEXT MORNING
Presidents Brief Message House Democrats May Regret
TckIes Sedate Members. Action Last Night.
FIVE MINUTES IN READING EFFECT Of RESOLUTION
EFFECT OF RESOLUTION
Casting About to Determine What
Has Been Gained.
ASSIGNMENTS TO COMMITTEES
Recall Cannon Was First Speaker to
Accord Minority Leader Right
to Detail Members.

Indications arc that democrats Of the
House of Representatives already are be-
ginning to regret their action i'm caucus
last night when they determined by the
passage Of a binding resolution that no
member of the minority should accept i
committee assignment unless it had the
approval of Champ Clark. their floor
leader. They caucused last night-1::5 OF
the III Of their strength-they were
much heated as a result of the counter
attack led by Representative Fitzgerald Id
and his twenty-odd democratic followers
yesterday, which resulted In the adoption
Of the Fitzgerald substitute for the radi-
cal Clark revision program. and would
have adopted anything. But today they
are asking themselves what they have
gained and what Will be the result of
their action.
though the fact was either overlooked
or minmized last night-that Uncle
Joe Cannon was the first Speaker to
accord TO the minority leader the right
To name the men he wanted on COM
mittees This privilege was accorded not
as right, but as a courtesy, and in
taking il away Speaker Cannon, even the
democrats admit, has exercised no arb
trary power. 1t seems absolutely GER
tain that the Speaker will not consult
champ Clark this year, and the rumor
TO that effect, reaching the democrats in
their caucus last night, resulted in the
action referred to. the adoption Of a
resolution that no democrat should ac-
cep; committee assignment unless ap-
proved by the minority leader.
Only Five Committees Now.
As d matter of fact only five commit
tees of the House will be named by
Speaker Cannon right now. These are
and accounts. The other committees will
be announced about the time that the
special session of Congress is ready to
adjourn.
In making up the committees 1t is
stated on reliable authority that the
Speaker will consult with every member
of the House who desires to discuss as
signments with him. which statement is
taken TO mean that Champ Clark will
have nothing to say to the minority
assignments, a privilege which was ac-
corded his predecessor in the leadership
OF the House democrats, John Sharp
Williams of Mississippi.
The text of the resolution adopted by
the democratic caucus of last night fol-
lows: Resolved, that il is the sense
of the democratic caucus that no demo-
crat should accept appointment on any
committee without the previous approval
OF the present democratic leader
Vote Practically Unanimous.
This resolution was adopted by vote
of l35 to 1, one member voting present"
Previous 10 the vote. however, a number
Of members had left the caucus, including
Representatives Fitzgerald of New York,
Moon of Tennessee, Edwards, Brantley
and Livingston of Georgia and others.
Ii IS 1obable that all of those democrat S
who voted yesterday with Mr. Fitzgerald
which resulted in the passage of the sub
Sttute for the Clark revision resolution
Will not hold themselves bound by the
action Of last nights caucus. Some demo-
Gratis claim that the caucus was incon-
sistent in comforting on Champ Cla k
czariike powers, similar to those which
were so much objected to as possessed
by Uncle Joe" Cannon.
One democrat of the House summed up
the situation Of the minority TO his salts
faction today when he said:
No surprise should he occas!Cned by
the action of the democratic party in
the House yesterday, today at any
time. There is not enough glue in the
world - make the minority stick to-
gether.