The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-12
MANN RECEIVED
 GOOD TREATMENT Given More Consideration Than Any Other Minority NOT A CHANGE MADE Republicans Dissatisfied But Dare Not Blame Democrats, as Whole
 Responsibility Rests With Their Leader
NOT A CHANGE MADE

Washington, April 11-(Special)-Rep-
 resentative Underwood of Alabama, as
 chairman of the committee on commit tees, has treated, the republican leader, Mr. Mann with more consideration than
 any republican House ever treated dem
 ocrat minority. The minority committee assignments announced today are entire ly of MT. Mann's selections. The demo- crats did not make single change. In
 addition the numerical proportion is fair
 enough, considering the big democratic majority In the Fifty-frst House, when
 the republicans had only seven majority cut of 13 places on committees, they gave the democrats but five.
 On the whole, the democratic majority of the House has accorded to the repub-
 lican minority fairer treatment in the matter of committee representation than
 has ever been granted before. The ab-
 soute right to fill the republican places
 on committees has been granted, to the republicans, and has been exercised by Minority Leader James R. Mann, the des- ignated agent of the republican caucus to make the committee selections for the minority. No attempt has oeen mace to revise the nominations made by Mr.
 Mann Nor has there been the slightest
 attempt on the part of the democrats to
 revise the Mann minority committee list.
 The democratic members of the ways
 and means committee. which so sue
 cessfully made the recommendation as-
 signing democrats to committees, in
 formed Minority Leader Mann several
 days ago that it would accept such
 recomm enda tions as he might make for
 the republicans for places on commit
 tees. MT. Mann had been designated by his party colleagues in caucus to
 make these assignments When he had
 done so the democratic members of the. ways and means committee were called together. MT. Mann appeared be- fore them. read his list and it was at once approved by the committee, MT. Mann was informed that the commit tee did not care to check up his list or to change a single assignment that her had made.
 If there is any dissatisfaction among the republicans over their assignments | the democrats cannot be blamed for | that fact The wh ole responsibility for the republican appointments has been l passed over to MT. Mann. the desig- hated agent of the republican caucus. l If the insurgents or any other repub- 1 lican Is not satisfied the fault will | lie with the republican caucus, not with | the democratic ma iority. The repub- | lican caucus did not require MT, Mann
 to submit his recommends tions for ap-
 pointment for ratification. but gave him
 full power to represent his party and l j ,,.t -l.1 1 him the full right to make his ap- pointments absolutely without revision | by the democrats.
 But the feature of the republican committee appointments is the fact that
 for the first time in history the minor | ity has been given the absolute right
 to assign it's members where it pleased. | All the democrats did was to inform Mr.
 Mann how many places would be avail !
 able for the republicans on committees | and within that limit he could shift the l republicans around to suit himself. When MT. Cannon first became speaker, possessed of the absolute power of fill
 ing committees. he told Minority Leader 1 John Sharp Williams he might make suggestions as to how the minority
 democrats should be assigned. MT. Williams made suggestions, but MT. | Cannon changed the list submitted by
 MT. Williams. Before MT. Williams
 stepped down as minority leader, MT.
 Cannon took away from him the priv ilege of suggesting the democratic ap- pointments and this privilege was not
 restored to MT. Clark when he succeed Led MT. Williams as floor leader of the democrats. MT. Cannon, in fact. elected | to use his power in making committee appointm to punish some members.
 democrats as well republicans, for | their public actions, by giving them
 poor assignments and reward others for
 their attitude on certain public ques- | tions. All this has vanished under the new era in the IJorse