The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1911-04-03
GENERAL HARMONY
SURPRISE TO ALL
Team Work of Democrats in
Preparing Their Pro-
gram Dazes Public.
american News ScrN!ce)

| Washington, April 3.-When con-
gress assembled in special session on
| Tuesday il response TO the call of the
| President. the Democrats OF the new
| house Will have worked out a fairly
| definite program OF congressional ac-
| tion for tie next two years Ever
| since the adjournment of the old con-
| SreSs on March / the Ways and
| Means committee. which is also the
| Committee on Committees and the di-
rccting body of the new house. has
been at work industriously shaping
plans and preparing for the house or
ganzatioH
Thus far there have been no htches
or materla, differences Of opinion
among the members of the commit
tee and there has been witnessed the
surprising thing of fourteen Demo
Gratis coming from all sections of the
| country. and representing all classes
OF people. agreeing and acting in har-
mony. Moreover, they appear to have
adopted q course which will be APP
| proved by their party colleagues in
the house. All that the Ways and
| subject to the action Of the Demo-
cratic caucus which will be held to-
morrow but il seems now that the pro-
gram which has been mapped out will
be indorsed without serious difficulty.
1t Is expected that there will be. here
and there. a mid protest on different
Questiors, but as the leaders seem to
be agreed. it is believed that they will
| bring the rank and file into line.
To Be Historical.
The special session promises to be
interesting and exciting as we'll as his
| torical
The Democrats will have 227 mem.
| bers in the new house, as against Jag
Republicans. and of the latter there
| are between thirty and forty Insur-
| gents. 1t is not possible now to de-
termine the exact number, as the two
| factions are in dispute as to their re-
| lative strength. With this majority
| the Democrats, if they are able to hold
their forces together, will have COM
| paratively easy sailing. The difficult
| ty which they expect is in managing
with an entire new coterie of indi-
| viduals, and not the least of their
troubles will be in directing routine
matters. because it will be necessary
to install an entirely new clerical
force. The present house employees
| have been il office, most of them. for
fourteen to sixteen years, and they
| know the parliamentary ropes. Rou-
| tine matters have been transacted like
clock work. The incoming employees
are all untried, and until they get ac-
customed to their duties, it is natural
to anticipate that the house procedure
/ may be a trifle confused for a few
weeks. This will make progress at the
outset slow, from a purely parlamens
tary standpoint Some of the old en-
| ployes will be retained until the new
| ones are "broken in but as soon as
possible they will have to go to make
| room for hungry Democratic office
| seekers of whom there is a horde.
! SO far as the membership of the
house itself is concerned with their
big majority. the Democrats will be
able to do almost anything they see
fit in the line of reason and good judg-
ment. and the leaders declare that
they intend to make use of both In
order to obtain legislation that is the
actual writing of laws upon the statute
books, they realize that they will have
to trim their sails somewhat TO catch
the breeze from the senate.
Makeup of Senate.
In the upper body there will be fif-
ty Republicans and forty-two Demo-
Gratis. OF the fifty Republicans there
are six known as ultra insurgents.
IIolath op5 bappinacc &c in ctoro for