The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-12-11
SEEKING PLACES
ON COMMITTEES
Democrats In Congress Pulling
Wires For Next Session.
HOUSE LIKELY TO NAME Them.
fractional Differences Have Arisen
Among the Democrats, and insurgents
Are Slated For Punishment - Tou
VeIie Envelope Bill Provokes Lively
Contest-Champ CIark's Flower.

VeIle Envelope Bill Provokes Lively
Contest-Champ CIark's Flower.
BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.
Washington, Dec. 8. - Especial -
With nearly the entire membership Of
the house present the wirepulling for
committee places in the next congress
has begun in earnest. The Republic
ans are interested as onlookers, for
they will not have much to say about
the committee assignments. But with
the Democrats it is different.
No Democrat now in the house was
ever chairman of a committee. Men
have attained ranking places on com
mittees by length of service, but in
several instances these ranking mem
bers are not all fitted for chairmen.
Aside from the rank of members, there
is the question of locality as to state,
affiliations and factions to be consider
ed, which will become more pronounc-
ed as the session progresses.
1t is not yet known whether the
speaker will appoint the committees
or the house will elect them. though it
is almost sure the latter plan will be
adopted Most of the Democrats are
on record in favor of taking the power
of committee appointments from the
speaker, and they will be obliged to
stand by their votes. That. being con
ceded, makes the wirepulling now
going Oh interesting, for it is not to
the prospective speaker that they must
look for favors, but to the majority Of
their party.
Fear fractional Fights.
Already the contest has reached a
stage where fractional differences have
arisen. 1t appears to be the intention
of the regulars among the Demo
Gratis to punish the insurgents" OF
their party.
The regulars are those who followed
Champ Clark in his alliance with the
insurgent Republicans when the pres
ent house was organized, and the In
surgents are those who saved Speaker
Cannon and his rules. For long time
they were known rs Cannon Demo
Gratis" There is a disposition to pre-
vent any of them from landing good
committee chairmanships.
Congressman Fitzgerald of New
York. who was the leader of. the in-
surgents, has been picked out for dis
cipline. There are number of
stanch party men who say he shall
not be rewarded with the chairman
ship of the appropriations committee,
of which he is the ranking Democrat
The Tou Velle Bill.
Congressman Tou yelle of Ohio
awoke to find himself famous He is
the author of a bill to prohibit the print
ing of business cards on stamped en-
velopes furnished by the government.
Printers throughout the country com
planned that the government had be-
come such a rival that they could not
compete in the envelope business;
hence Tou Velle introduced a bill re-
stricting the government in furnish
ing such envelopes.
And now comes the other side.
Business men who have been getting
the envelopes are pouring in protests
against the Tou Velle bill. They say
that 1t will make their envelopes cost
dollar more per thousand If they
can no longer be furnished by the
government There is likely to be a
big fight over the measure
Champ and His Flower.
Champ Clark now daily sports a flow
er in the buttonhole of his coat lapel
Many other prominent men In the house
are also provided in this manner, and
1t is noticeable that more flowers ap.
pear on the Democratic side than here
tofore.
There is an old employee in the house
who is a florist farmer Every day he
brings a large box of flowers to the
house, and the leaders are given bios
som as they pass by him. MY daily
BRIDE" remarked Speaker Cannon one
day as he accepted one of the flowers.
Now Champ is particularly favored.
and his buttonhole adornment Is even
better than that of the speaker.
Flowers as well as straws show
Wnlch way the wind blows.
The Hoodoc Seat.
Any seat In the senate Is good enough
for the average man, but / should think
that the man who wants to remain long
would avoid the seat now occupied by
Senator Beyeridge. Henry L. Dawes
occupied 1t and was let out. Then
Dolph of Oregon had 1t for two years
and was defeated. Dubois of Idaho
took it and failed of reelection. Spoon.
er of Wisconsin occupied 1t, and as he
saw the La Toilette handwriting on the
wall he retired Then Beveridge took
II, and now he is soon to become an ex-
senator.
And Just In front Of this hoodoo seat
is that of Senator Frye, who has occu-
pied it for nearly quarter of cen
fury.
Senator Johnston of Alabama and
Senator Hughes of Colorado came to
the front at the beginning of the SEES
sion. Hughes got the seat so long &C.