The Washington times., 1911-01-16
Democratic Members Are
Expecting Some Good
Assignments.
TALBOT EXPECTED
ON NAVAL AFFAIRS
Friends Hope to See Him Succeed
Foss of Illinois as
Chairman.

1t is a practical certainty that the
Maryland delegation in Congress will
figure bigger in committee assignments
in the next Congress than they do now
or have for a good many years.
In the first place the House will be
Democratic and a majority Of the Mary
landers in that body are Democrats.
Members of this party will control the
committee assignments and the prize
chairmanships which have been held for
fifteen years by the Republicans.
Representatives Talbot and Coving-
ton will undoubtedly be placed on highly
important committees. Mr.. Talbot is
already a member of the COMMITTEES
on Naval Affairs. He should be chair
man Of it. He is the ranking Democrat
in that body. and there is a strong
probability that he will be elevated to
the position now held by Representa-
tive Foss of Illinois. In any event he
will be vice chairman. and will be a
power in shaping the naval legislation
Of the country.
II is already settled that Mr.. Coving-
ton will be put on the Rivers and Har-
bors Committee. This is his ambition.
He thinks he can do more for his peo-
pie and Maryland generally there than
on any other committee of the House.
In Mr.. Covington's district there are
more miles of water front than in any
other district in the United States, ex-
cept one in Maine.
Mr.. Covington's two years service en-
titles him to a good committee berth,
and his associates in the Democratic
caucus have promised him that on the
Rivers and Harbors Committee.
Good Chance for Lewis.
While Representative-elect Lewis, OF
the Sixth, will be a new member, he
will be in the dominant party, and he
stands an excellent chance to land on
one of three important committees. One
Of these is the Committee on Mines and
Mining: another the Interstate and
Foreign Commerce, and the third is the
District of Columbia.
MI Lewis is a practical miner. This
will win him a place on the committee
charged with mining legislation, II he
wants such a place. If he should aspire
to a better committee, that on Inter
state and Foreign Commerce would
proba bly, be the one he would seek.
Maryland is always given a place on
That is because of the proximity of the
District to the State. This committee
appointment goes either to the Fifth
or Sixth Maryland districts. The in
terests Of the District overlap these Sec
tions of Maryland. and for years Rep
resentative Pearre has been an i'm
portant factor on the House District
Committee.
n Mr.. Lewis does not succeed to this
berth, 1t will undoubtedly go to Rep
resentative-elect Parran. OF the Firth
Will Be Provided For.
Messrs. Iinthicum and Kosnig will be
given at least one good committee ap'
pointment. So far the Democratic lead
ers have not indicated just where they
would place the Representatives from
the Third and Fourth Maryland dis
trict. The fact, however, that they arr
of the dominant political party, means
that they will be provided for.
Should Mr. Lewis go on the District
Committee, it is not unlikely that Mr.
Linthicum will be placed on the Com
mittee on Interstate and Foreign Com
merce
In the Senate there is no likelihood OF
important changes. Senator Smith, who
Is now on the Committee on Coast De
fenses, Canadian Relations. District OF
Columbia, Interoceanic Canals, Naval
Affairs, and Printing, will not be
changed unless, perhaps. he should &c
to the Committee on Commerce or on
Interstate and Foreign Affairs.
Senator Rayner now has highly ipI-
portant assignment on the COMMITTEES
on Judiciary. His other committees are
Civu Service and Retrenchment, Educa-
ton and Labor, Conservation. industrial
Expositions, Pacific Islands, and Porto
Rico.
The two Maryland Senators have had
relatively more important COMMITTEES
work to do during the past few Con-
crosses than have the Maryland Repre-
sentatives in the House. They have
held no big chairmanships, but then no
Democrats have. 1t is not probable that
craftsmanship will fall to a Mary
lander in the House in the next Con-
Cress, unless it should be that Mr.. Tai
bott go to the head of the COMMITTEES
on Naval Affairs.