The Washington times., 1911-01-21
SCRAMBLE IS ON
FOR COMMITTEES
New Ways and Means Com
mittee Has Difficult Task
in Pleasing Members.

The new Ways and Means Committee
Of the House, under the authority given
1t by the Democratic caucus, next Fri
day will tackle the big problem of NAM
ing the standing committees of the
House so as to please some two hun
dred or more members who are seek
ing good berths.
Already the State delegations are be-
ginning to meet, each State fixing I'D
SLATE" for its own delegation and
vowing to stand by it, The caucus
adjourned in the early morning hours.
and before noon of the same day
Georgia and North Carolina had al
ready held conferences and were ask
ing for committee assignments for
every man in the delegations.
1t begins to look as though Champ
clark was right when he said that
committee appointments were a great
deal or trouble and that he didn't care
Tor the job, anyway. Mr.. Clark de-
clared there was bound to be much
wire pulling. many disappointments,
and some hard feelings.
Where Interest Centers.
The center of interest on the Demo-
cratic side of the House today is the
big committee room where the newly
elected Ways and Means Committee
will sit. Chairman Underwood has
called a meeting Of the committee for
next Friday, and it will proceed at
once to the election of some of the
other standing committees of the
House, for, as the caucus decreed, in
addition to making the tariff. the Ways
and Means Committee in future is to
be known also as the Committee on
Committees.
1t is not proposed to talk about the
tariff question at all during the first
meeting of the committee. The selec-
ton of the members of the Committee
on Rules is first to be taken up. The
tentative slate for the Rules Committee
membership includes the following
Democrats: Henry of Texas, chairman;
Fitzgerald of New York, Stanley of
Kentucky, Graham of Illinois, and
Hardwick of Georgia, ranking in the
order named.
New York Backs Fitzgerald.
The New York delegation is expected
to be squarely behind Representative
John J. Fitzgerald, of Brooklyn. for
the Craftsmanship of the Appropriations
Committee. a berth almost equal in i'm
portanCe to the Craftsmanship of Ways
and Means. Since the defeat of Uncle
Lon llN lISSlOLI OF Georgia, VINO Tor
many years has been ranking minority
member on appropriations. Mr.. Fitzger-
aid steps up to the front rank
Representative BurieSOn of Texas,
however. who ranks just below F'itZger-
aid, is also an aspirant for the chair
manship, and the big Texas delegation
probably will urge his name. Some of
the House Democrats are still inclined
to remember that his calendar Wednes-
day amendment saved the day for
Speaker Cannon two years ago. and that
Fitzgerald and twenty-five other Demo-
Gratis voted with the Republican regu-
lars. 1t was this vote that cost the
political scalp OF Representative Living
ston, and now Fitzgerald probably will
step into the shoes of the veteran
Georgian.
One Committee Badly Wrecked
The Committee on Appropriations is
about the most "shot-to- pieces commit
tee of the new House. Five of its pres
ent members were defeated for re-elc-
tion; one has been called by death, and
one, Judge Smith of Iowa, has been
nominated for circuit judgeship.
The two State delegations which have
already held conferences have picked
out no less than four chairmanshlps.
Representative Pou of North Carolina
probably will be chairman OF the House
District Committee, and Mr.. Adamson
of Georgia probably will be made chair
man of Interstate and Foreign Com
merce, the committee that drafts the
railroad laws. In addition. the GeOr-
gians want Mr.. Hardwick 10 be chair
man of Coinage, Weights and Measures.
and Mr.. Bartlett to he chairman of the
Committee on Accounts.
There are SiXty-two committees in the
House, not more than fifteen of which
are of particular Importance The un-
hesitating manner in which the States
are making demands for representation
would cause one to think that Champ
Clark was right when he said that the
privilege of naming the committees
wasn't such a blessing, after all.