Omaha daily bee., 1911-01-17

are busily engaged in prepa rations for the
party caucus 10 be held next Thursday
night and which all democratic repres enta-
tives-elect arc expected 70 attend. In
actual effect e. is intended 10 commit the
democratic majority 81 the next house to
an organization to be perfeced next win
ter
u is expected that q committee on ways
and means the BODY which frames the
tariff laws In their initial stages, will be
chosen; the method OF designing the per-
sonnet ot the standing committee will be
determined and selection will be made
for speaker Of the ho,tse. The selection OF
champ Clark 81 Missouri the present
minority leader seems foregone con-
cuson as more than majority OF the
OF the. next house already have
pledged themselves TO his election.
Nearly all 81 the democratic leaders favor
the selection now Of the membership OF the
ways and means COMMITTEES. in order that
there shall be no delay in beginning work
on the tariff revision program TO which the
democrats are pledged. The majority Of
the committee intends to begin work at
once. although The republican minority Of
the committee probably will not be chosen
until the new house Is organized next win
ter.
Delay \ q Handicap.
This delay will not be a handicap to the
democrats. however. as they intend to fol-
low the custom Of excluding the minority
from the committee during the framing of
q bin. iust as the republicans when they
were the majority excluded the demo-
Gratis until their bill was ready to report.
The slate which seems to find favor with
most Of the democratic leaders gives the
craftsmanship Of the ways and means com
mittee TO Underwood Of Alabama. and dis
poses OF the remaining places as follows:
Peters OF Massachusetts,. Harrison of
New York Palmer OF Pennsylvania, Dixon
Of Indiana. James Of kentucky. Hammond
Of Minnesota Hughes !. of New Jersey,
Shackleford OF Missouri. Randall OF Texas,
Brantey Of Georgia, Kitchln OF North
Carolina, HUI OF Tennessee, and Ralney
Of Illinois The selections aside from
reasons Of fitness, have been made along
geographical lines.
The method Of selecting committees Is not
expected 20 be disposed OF without con-
<st. although the declaration is freely
/made that two-thirds OF the democrats OF
the next house favor the selection by eau
Gus OF a committee on committees" Fitz-
gerald Of New York the ranking member
Of the committee on appropriations, who
was appointed by Speaker Cannon TO hi,
present place on tue COHlnlltee on fulet
after breaking with his own party. prob.
ably will Introduce a resolution providing
for the continuation OF the present method
Of having committees appointed by the
speaker.
Dove Of Peace HOvers over All.
1t may be that the members of the house
will all come back from the harmony con-
ference in Baltimore. which IS to be held
on Tuesday, in such a complscent mood
that fight over the appointment Of COM
mittees can be avoided, although few are
sangulne Of such a result.
In connection ltyithgt the manning of a
COMMITTEES TO frame sltariff bill. the stua-
ton in the senate-is Interesting. In that
house the tariff measures are handled by
the committed on finance, the personne
Of which wiz undergo considerable chang,
in the next session,
Although the senate still will be repub
lcan four OF the republican members o.
the committee, as now constituted. will
not be members OF the next congress
Those who will drop out are. Chairma,
- Aldrich. Burrows. Hale and Flint.
~ There also will be changes In the demo
cratic membership, as Senators Money anc
Taliaferro have not been reelected anC
there 10 a vacancy because OF the dealt
Of Senator Daniels. The total member
ship of the committee is only fourteen
and, therefore in the next session half o
that number viii he new TO tariff making
Insurgent senators are planning to de
mand places on the finance committee OF
the ground that their selection is necessar
to insure downward revision. On thi
issue they confidently count upon demo
cratic support in tho event they are ex
cluded by the republican committee Of
committees. which dominates for Gommitte
places.
Contest ON senate Floor.
II the committee on committees Of tn
senate should recommend for places Of
the finance COMMITTEES only such senator
who believe next year Is too early 10
another revision OF the tariff the prospect
are that there will be a contest on tn
senate floor over the adoption OF the com
mlttee's report A combination of insur
gent republicans and democrats II iB con
coded might easily overturn republican
control OF the senate and allow the demo
Gratis to revise the tariff as they please.
Administration senators have given n
little thought 20 this situation. In case q
a combination such as has been suggeste
In Informal exchanges OF views in cloa
rooms and corridors, the only hope @
senators who oppose radical tariff re
vision is said to be for the executive
veto any tariff measure passed.
There is little doubt that the hous,
srnich will have almost unwield
democratic majority, would promptly pas
the bill over the presidents veto. Til
would not be so easy in the senate, fC
although democrats and insurgent reput
leans could muster a majority IL Is eS
tremely doubtful whether they would
able to get the necessary two-thirds I
pass tariff measure over veto.
Some OF the democrats do not hesitat
20 say such a contingency. from the
party point OF view, presents an Oppol
tunity to them devoutly to be wished. The
say that no issue would forcibly argu
the necessity OF turning over TO theI
the reins OF government, and would al
them In the campaign OF 1912
To save Control Of senate. --
Administration senators will avoid bein
drawn into such a position II they can an
they hope that mutual concessions
standpat and msurgent republican senator