The Washington times., 1911-04-12
CLARK Of FLORIDA
IS DETERMINED TO
ANNOY DEMOCRATS
Wants to Play Second to
Mann in Role of Great
Objector."
DISGRUNTLED OVER
HEAD OF COMMITTEE
Makes No Effort to Conceal
Chagrin and Threatens
Trouble.

When Minority Leader Mann took the
Republican insurgents in the House into
camp by wiping out old scores and treat
ing them as the equals of the "Old
Guard" members of the House fondly
imagined that insurgency had disap-
peared from their ranks forever.
So far as Minority Leader Mann is
concerned he seems to be the father Of
a happy family. insurgency, however,
has broken out anew, this time in the
ranks of the Democrats, and the revolt
against the k-Underwood organiza-
tion is a lonely. but vigilant one by
Representative Frank Clark of Florida
Clark has a grievance against his
namesake who presides over the House,
and against the men who made UP the
committee assignments, and thus early
in the session he has made it apparent
that he has come to a realization of the
fact that one lone, dissatisfied, disap-
pointed, unhappy, and uncompromising
Democrat can cause his brethren a lot
of trouble.
Euchred Out of Craftsmanship.
Frank Clark, in other words, seems
to be destined for the title role of The
Great Objector' on the Democratic side
of the House. playing hand in hand with
that great objector of objectors, Min
ority Leader Mann. II any bit of legis-
lation subject to point of order or re-
Quiring unanimous consent escapes the
attention of Mr.. Mann, the necessary
confusion will be thrown into the ranks
of Democracy by Mr.. Clark of Florida
and visa versa.
When the Ways and Means Committee
began consideration of committee as
signments, Frank Clark of Florida
cherished the belief that he would be
made chairman of the House Commit
tee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
He was the fourth member on the min
ority side of the committee in the last
Congress. The three men who outrank-
ed him are not members of this Con-
gresS, and, therefore, Clark moved to
the top of the list in point OF service,
and, according to the policy of seniority,
he was entitled to the job.
Clark had rude awakening when he
went into the caucus and heard the an
nouncement that Joshua w. Alexander,
OF Missouri, his Junior on the committee
last year, had been appointed chairman.
Clark has been fuming about the House
ever since, making no effort to conceal
his chagrin and threatening trouble. I
DE began by introducing a resolution
which resumed the retrenchment and
reform where It was left off by the
Ways and Means Committee The res
elution called for the abolition of many
comparatively unimportant committees
in the House, and likewise was intended
TO put an awful hole in the pie
counter"
The resolution was ruled out on point
of order and Clark has now assumed
the role of objector.
Point of Order.
Every time legislation appears in the
House begging for unanimous consent,
Clark bangs it over the head with a
roaring 81 object" and every time legis-
lation is brought in which is subject to
a point of order, Frank is on the job
with the necessary point.
Harassed on the Republican side by
Jim Mann and in their own camp by
Frank Clark, Democratic leaders may
have to enter into a conspiracy to get
Mann and Clark out of the House every
time they want to put through a unani-
NOUS consent proposition. Such a con-
spiracy has never been successful in the
case of Mann, and unless Clark is pla-
Gated it is doubtful If he can be fooled
into smoking a quiet cigar in the cloak
room at a time when he might make it
uncomfortable for the men who euchred
him out of a committee craftsmanship.