The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-25
HARMONY RE|GNED.
At PARTY CAUCUS
Democrats Agreed on Method Of
Appointment Of Com
.mittccs.
HAY MADE FIGHT FOR PLAN
Three Big CFairmanships Tor
Members OF Virginia
Delegation.
HAY MADE FIGHT FOR PLAN

Washington, January 24-The recent
Democratic caucus is said by those
who participated in it, to have been
the most satisfactory and in the end
the most harmonious caucus that has
ever been held By the Democratic mem.
bers OF the House in the past twenty
years The gratifying results OF this
caucus. however, were not secured
without great deal of work on the
part of those who undertook TO so
shape It's proceedings as to give
confidence to tho public and strength
to the party.
When Congress convened OH the 9Th
oil last December there was by no
means majority OF the old members
favored the selection Of the commit
tees OF the house by a committees A
number of the members, however, took
the position that whether this reform
Democratic party or not, the voters
OF ti,c country so understood 1t, and a
failure TO comply with this under
standing on the part Of the public
intentions of tie Democratic party
The leader of this latter View was
Congressman James Hay. of Virginia.
and although 1t seemed at first that he
l.
tate to assume the esponsibility FOR
this REFORM and go forward and make
the fight for it. Those who prompts
came TO his aid We're congressman
Dorsey Shackelford, OF Missouri:
Mitchell Palmer. OF Pennsylvania;
Cordell Hull, OF Tennessee; Claude a
Kitchin. OF North Carolina William
hughes OF New Jersey. and II. d.
strong and sincere in the position they
took that they daily gathered recruits
and; ana especially esp from among the mem.
Sress for the first time.
I.oEicnl Committees.
Alter became evident that ma
1ority OF the members to tire
sixty second Congress would ofrer some
OF the committees by q committee, a
great number Of propositions were
brought forward. but Mr.. Hay and
his friends determined upon the WAYS
and Means Committee as the most log
icai committee for the selection of the
other committees 1t Is extremely de-
Slrabie to have Il committee composed
of men who could not be charg ed with
using their power for the purpose Of
promoting their own ambitions and no
member OF the House would be willing
to serve on the Committee on Com
mittees and not be eligible for any
cthcr committee OF the House. In
deed, the Ways and Means Committee
was thought TO be the only committee
upon which members. would agree to
serve with the Understanding that they
should be ineligible for any other com
mittee assignments 1t took q great
deal Of labor to bring the caucus al
most unanimously to this conclusion,
but this labor was expended, and when
the caucus assembled on the 18th, the
votes for any other proposition were
few, indeed, and those men who were
selected beforehand as the fourteen
Democratic members of the Ways and
Means Committee, were chosen by ac-
clama ton. X
Mr., Hay was offered place on the
Ways and Means Committee. as was
Mr.. Flood Both Of them declined, he
cause they expected to get chairman
ships which they could not surrender
for a position on Ways and Means. Mr..
Hay presided over the caucus. and his
fairness and knowledge OF parlia-
mentary law won the applause Of every
participant In it.
Baltimore paper has published a
list of the men who Will he chairmen
of the fifteen important committees in
the House. OF these Virginia is named
for three chairmanships--M Hay, for
chairman or AIilit>.y Affairs; Mr.. Flood.
as chairman of Foreign Affairs. and
Mr.. Jones, as chairman OF Insuar At
fairs Attention is called 10 the fact
that Virginia is the only State which
will get three big chairmanships. The
position Virginia has taken in the
House is extremely gratifying to the
people Of the State.
Prominent in sennte.
Virginia will not only take a prom
inent place in the House, but also in
the Senate in the next Congress. SEN
ator Martin has always been very pop
ular with his senatorial associates His
abilities and reliability have given him
q strong hold on the members of the
Senate OF both parties. His commit
tee assignments are such as to make
him Il very important factor in the
future legislation In that body He is
chairman OF the Committee OH Public
Health and National Quarantine. n
committee which is looming UP into
very great Importance at this time
He is the senior Democratic member
OF the Commerce Committee and the
District of Columbia Committee. and
is the second Democrat on the Naval
Affairs Committee, Senator Tllman be-
ing ahead of him. Owing to the state
Of Senator Tillman's health. Senator
Martin has been taking the place and
doing the work OF tho leading Demo-
cratic member Of this committee He
is also on the most important commit
tee in the Senate, that of Appropria-
tons.
Senator Swanson has good committee
assignments for new man. He Is on
the Committee on Public Buildings and
Grounds, Industrial EXpositions and
Library, and Is doing good work, hav-
ing come to the Senate in December
p. II. MEG.