The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-20
cENATE INSURGENTS.

II
The spat between Senators Penrose
and LaFollette Thursday has more than
the usual significance which attaches to
such outbursts. There is a little band
of insurgents in the senate. led by the
Wisconsin senator. who are trying to
defeat one or more of the big appro-
priation bills at this session in order TO
force recognition. The attack of La
Toilette upon the postoffice bin was
part of the general plan.
What the insurgents are really after
is 10 force the leaders of the senate,
when that body is reorganized at the
beginning of the special session, to rec
ognize the new senators, and give them
is LaFollette's contention that a newly
elected senator is entitled to as good
committee assignments as a senator
who has been in congress for years. He
maintains that every senator is on
equal footing with all his colleagues,
and that there should be no diserim-
ination against a man because he is
one of the senate youngsters"
The new men who are thus seeking
recognition are Bourne of Oregon, Bo-
rah of Idaho, Brown and Burket of Ne
braska, Cummins of Iowa, Curtis and
Brlstow of Kansas, Dixon of Montana,
Dupont and Richardson of Delaware
johnson of North Dakota, Crawford of
South Dakota and Smith of Michigan
Some of these men viii not be sworn In
until March and, including the Wis
consin senator, they can poll but seven
teen votes. It is said that Beveridge
and Dolliver may join the insurgents,
and the successor of Hopkins of Illinois
may do likewise. There will be fifty
nine votes in the next Republican eau
Gus in the senate, and it would seem to
be futile for LaFOllette and the other
new men TO attempt to override the ma
jority. This caucus meets at the be-
ginning of every congress. selects what
is known as the steering committee"
charged with mapping out & program of
legislation. and the caucus also selects
a committee on committees" which
fills all committee vacancies coming
over from the previous congress, in
addition to assigning new members to
committee places. Nominally, it is the
caucus that lays out the program. and
makes committee assignments. but in
actually these two lines of work are
oil -,
harmony with majority of the eau
Gus, and it is therefore fair to presume
that the action of these committees will
meet with the approval of the caucus,
or rather a majority of the caucus
IT is not TO be denied, however, that
the new men have just cause fol COM
plant. Some of the weakest sisters in
the senate are given important chair
manships on account of length OF serv-
ice. while statesmen of recognized abil-
ity are shunted off with committee as
signments in which their talents can
not be employed. For instance. Clark
of Wyoming is chairman of the judi
ciary committee of the senate, which
body has several of the foremost con-
stitutiOnat lawyers of the country
among its members. Warren of Wyo-
ming is chairman of the military af-
fairs committee. one Of the most i'm
portant assignments. Here are two
places held by senators from the same
state for no other reason than the rec
ognition of length of service.
Former Secretary of State Root has
been elected senator from the great
state of New York, and if precedent is
followed, instead of heading an impor-
tant committee, he will land on the tail
end OF the committee on acoustics and
ventilation or revolutionary war claims.
An exception may be made in Mr..
Roots favor. however. and that would
give the insurgents an additional cause
OF grievance.