New-York tribune., 1910-12-18
THE DAyINWA ASHINGTON

without responsibility and without trouble,
are finding that uneasy lies the head" etc.
It has been said that once the Speaker
ship Of the next House and the question
of whether or not there should be COM
mittee on committees were disposed Of all
would be plain sailing. At least that is
what the Democrats have been assuring
themselves and saying to others. Both
these propositions are now out of the way,
but that blessed committee on commit
tees is proving a veritabIe Pandora's box
Of trouble. This fact is bearing out the
prediction of Champ Clark, but that ap-
pears to be no special consolation to him
or to his fellow Democrats Can the best
Democrats in the House be chosen for that
committee. and if they are can they ap-
point themselves chairmen of the best COM
mittees? This is one of the problems which
confront the future majority. If member
ship on the committee on committees is to
preclude men from appointing themselves
to the best places. then no one of the
men who have seen long service wants any
such membership. On the other hand, if
the committee on committees is to be made
up of the younger men, and especially Of
those newly elected, what guarantee have
be recognized? Is long service in the House
TO be regarded as emitting men to commit
tee preferment, or. in view of the fact that
those who have seen long service have at
the same time been drawing at least com
Portable salaries, have the men who time
after time have made hopeless contests in
Republican districts and who have only
now come in for their reward the best
lot,
Of an old Democratic member and you
take your life in your hands. But ask it
of a newly elected member, who probably
has been making 1.-The good fight year
after year almost without hope of reward
and he will Immediately pronounce you
one Of the most intelligent young men he
has met in the national capital.
ARE WE THE DOG ?''-This is the in
elegant but pertinent question which good
many Democrats in the House are asking
themselves, now that they begin to appreci-
ate the difficulties connected with COM
mittee on committees. In the excess OF
their political zeal they sought TO make the
utmost capital out Of the issue of Cannon
ism" and went so far as to commit them
selves practically to a committee on COM
was something the sagacious Republicans
had always refused to do, and now. with
the turn of the political tide. the Demo
Gratis, especially the older members of the
House, are fast coming TO a realization that
the country is bound that the remedy shall
he tried on the dog and that they are
'the dog" To contribute to their discom-
fort, Asher Kinds, the Republican parlia-
mentarian, has been showing them a book
written by Governor-elect Woodrow Wilson,
in which he devotes chapter to Congress
sional Government He relates how the
first Congress adopted the committee on
committees scheme, how completely it failed
and how it was abandoned and appoint
mcnt by the Speaker substituted immedi-
ately following that Congress, the plan
which has been retained ever since. Mean
while. every one is awaiting with intense
interest the caucus called for January 10,
and the impression prevails, even among
democrats, that it may turn out to be one
of the most entertaining political circuses
ever witnessed in Washington. G. G.. II.