Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-12-09

assigned chambers. This gave the minority sena-
tors chairmanships, but it can be taken for grant
ed that the majority always saw to 1t that the
committees presided over by minority men were
not of a kind to have any great influence on legls-
lation.
Now that the senate Office building is occupied
and each senator has a general office. a private
a Office, a reception room and q bath, 1t Is not nee
essary to provide separate rooms in the Capitol
for all the upper house members. So it Is that
before long it may be that the farce of naming
committees which never have anything to do
may be done away with.
Here is q list of some Of the practically use
less committees Of the senate: Transportation
and sale of meat products;" Revolutionary
claims Transportation rates to the seaboard;'
Investigate trespass upon Indian lands;" and
last. disposition of useless papers in the execu-
tive departments"
There are to- be many changes in committee
chairmanships in March next and in fact there
will have to be a general shaking up in the
committee memberships as a result of changes
in the senate's roll call. Senator Dolliver who
died was the chairman Of the committee on ag-
riculture and forestry, one of the most i'm
portant subsidiary bodies of the United States
senate. Senator Frances E. Warren of Wyoming
is the ranking member of the committee now
that Senator Doliver is dead, but Warren is the
chairman of the committee on military affairs, a
position which he would prefer to hold to that
of the Craftsmanship of the agricultural body. No
member holds two important chairs and so some
one besides Senator Warren must be selected to
take MI. Delivers place at the head of the COM
mittee which looks after the bills in which the
farmers of the country and the forest enthusiasts
are particularly interested.
Eugene Hale of Maine will retire in March. He
is at the head of the committee on appropria-
lions, a position which next to the craftsmanship
of the committee on finance is the most impor-
tant Craftsmanship in the gift Of the senate. No.
body knows yet who will succeed Mr.. Hale as
committee chief, but it can be taken for granted
that if the Republicans hold control of the SEN
ate and the so-called regulars hold control of the
Republicans, Mr.. Hale will be succeeded by a
man of what in these days the country is given
to call the old school of Republican thought.
Senator Nelson W.. Aldrich of Rhode Island, the
Republican leader in the senate, is the chairman
of the committee on finance, which corresponds
to the committee on ways and means OF the
house of representatives. It was the committee
on finance which considered the Payne-Aldrich
tariff bill and which reported 1t to the senate.
Every bill which has to do with the raising of
revenue goes to Mr.. Aldrich's committee. Under
the constitution all such revenue measures must
originate in the house of representatives. but
frequently the United States senate takes house
bills and strikes out everything in them except
the enactfng clause, thus gets around the con-
stitutional question. and frames revenue bills
much as it wishes to. OF course these bills have
to go back to the house for agreement but the
senate despite constitutional inhibition does just
about as much original work in revenue meas
ures as the house itself.
Who is going to succeed Nelson w. Aldrich as
chairman of the most powerful committee in the
senate of the United States? Nobody knows.
Senator julius c. Burrows of Michigan ranks
next to Mr.. Aldrich on the finance m and
in the natural order Of things he would succeed