The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-19

Columbus, Jan. 1S--Having engag-
ed in a bitter faotionan fight over
the craftsmanship Of the senate
finance committee, some of the Re
publican senator's would IKE to shift
the blame from themselves to the
Democratic minority If they could
because Senator Baker, the Cox can
didate won.
When all the facts are taken into
account 1t is easy to see that the
Republican senators who backed
Senator Rathlbmm have nobody to
blame fo1' their defeat but them
selves, because they were in the
majority and should nave been able
TO settle their row without dragging
II to the floor of the senate. Their
charge that there was n deal betweeB
the Democratic senators anil Cox is
as absurd as II is false, and makes
their position the more ridiculous.
The standing commiStees of the
senate are selected by a committee
specially chosen for THAT purpose.
The five Republican members OF
that committee were chosen by the
caucus of the Republican senators,
and the three Democratic members
were chosen by tine caucus OF DEM
C1ratic senators. As this committee
stood five Republicans to three
Democrats It was absolutely under
the control of a Republican ma
iority of the senate and of the
committee Itself
1t was the Republican ma
iority of this committee which de-
cided how many members the DEM
ocratic minority should have on
each committee, which committees
should have Republican chairmen
and which committees might have
Democratic chairmen.
OF course, the Republican major
ity of the committee reserved all
the important standing committees
for distrfbution of chaimanships
Republican senators, among
Others being the finance committee
which they regarded as the capital
prize in their political lottery.
The assignment of Democratic
senators, as allotted by the Repub-
licans to the minority, was made
in an advisory way only by the
Democratic members of THE commit
tee. The Republican majority of the
was not bound to accep;
the assignments recommended by
the minority, and even went so far
as to make some changes in the
list as submitted by the Democrats
When the Republicans learned thai
the Democratic members of the
committee had personally consulted
each Democratic senator before as
signing him, and that all the Dem
Ocratic senators were satisfied with
the minority list ais submitted by
their colleagues to the majority of
the committee, the changes were cor
'ected and the minority assignments
we're allowed to stand as recon-
The assignment of Republican
to committees was made
entirely by the five Republican
selected by the Republican
The twelve senators who
favored EsathbICn for chairman OF |
he finance committee were ma
icrity of that caucus. The five
senator's, Mather, lawyer, Patterson, /
Baker amid Clevenger, who consti-
luted the majority of this commit |
ee were chosen by the same caucus |
which settled on Burton for United |
States senator, made Mather the
loor leader for the majority In
HE senate, named Nalloy for senate
ferk and decided all the other
,aucus nominations for the organi- |
,ation Of the senate.
If there was amy IDEAL with Cox"
IN the personnel OF the senate fin
lnce committee it was made by |
hose who controlled the caucus OF
Republican senators and traded votes |
or Burton candidates i'm organizing |
he senate for votes in favor Of the |
i've senator's who were to control
he makeup Of committees. 1t Is an
fact that Baker was 4
member of the committee which
Iwarded him the chairmanship or
he finance committee over Rath- |
oun, and he was put there by the
votes of the twelve Republican sena-
tors who bo'ted the report of their
Jwn committee on the makeup or
he finance committee.
From the analysis of the facts |
L is plain that when the list OF
standing committees was reported to |