New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-04-02
HOUSE DEMOCRATS
|NDORSE RECIPROCITY
Put Agreement with Canada on
Their Legislative Pro.
gTamno.
ALSO ADOPT NEW RULES
Abolish Six Useless Committees
and Ninety eight Offices
Members of Standing Com.
mittees Announced.
ALSO ADOPT NEW RULES
from The Tribune Bureau


free from strife to-day. approved n leg
islative proerammc which includes Pres
ident Tlfts Canadian reciprocity agree
ment. abolished ninety eight jobs car
rying about S1S3OOO in salaries. and six
useless committees. adopted rules much
similar 10 those of preceding SESSIONS
named the majority members of the
standing committees of the next House
and then adjourned late tonight ready
for the fray which is to begin next Tues
day.
There were some muttcrings on the
rart Of discontentcd Democrats who con
siderod that they had been badly treated
in the way Of committee berths. but they
were racfed by speeches Of harmony
by the leaders.
The legislative probramme. which went
through without opposition. is embodied
in the following resolution:
Resolved. That the Democratic mem
bers Of the various committees OF the
House are directed not 10 report TO the
House during this first session or the
ed Congress. unless hereafter directed
10y this caucus any legislation except In
reference to the following matters:
| Election Of United states senators Dy
! vote of the people.
Legislation referring to the publicity
Of campaign contributions before and
after election.
The Canadian reciprocity agreement.
general tariff legislation and legislation
affecting the revenues of the govern
( WCnt.
! The rCaprortionment Of the House -
| conform to the thirteenth census.
Resolutions Of inquiry and resolutions
touching upon Investigations OF the ex-
/ ecutiVc departments.
The admission of tho territories OF
Arizona and New Mexico.
Any deficiency bills that the exisen-
cies OF the government may require TO
be considered at this time and bills 10
! correct the enrolling of the appropria
tion bills passed March 4. 1911.
Legislation relating to the District or
| Columbia.
This does not mean, according to the
Democratic leaders that these matters
are to he taken up in the order named
! The House will take up the bills or reso-
! lutions as they come from the commit
/ tees. and not as the subjects appear in
the schedule adopted to-day.
ChairransI,ips for New York Men.
The New York members Jared fairly
! in committee chairmanships. Represen-
tative Fitzgerald heads the powerful
Committee on Appropriations. Mr.. Gold
! fogle will be chairman Of Elections No.
= and Mr.. Sulzer the chairman of For
, cign Affairs.
| The most important changes In the
rules of the next House will be that
relating to the discharge of committees
and another providing that hereafter
/ legislation may he carried in appropria-
ticn bills. providing such legislation is In
! the line Of rctrenchment.
! This latter is known as the old Holman
rule. which was in vogue from the 44th
/ to the 18th Congress. while the Demo-
Gratis were in rcwer. and again in the
I'D and I'D Congresses. The Republicans
abrogated the Holman rule by adopting
stringent regulation that no legsla
/ tion of any character must be carried in
an appropriation bill. and making all
such legislation subject to point OF
order. Hereafter the Appropriations
tied power to curtail expenditures and
salaries even though II may interfere
with existing law.
The change III the rule relating to the
calendar for the discharge Of commit
| tees is aimed at filibusteriHg. 1t speci-
J fies that no member may make more than
/ two such motions in any one day. nor
can any member insist on the entire read
? ing of a bill which has the right OF way
on such calendar. The title only Is TO
/ be read
The Democrats learned lesson at the
| last session when Representative Mann.
in order to head off legislation he disap-
proved, had placed at the head OF the
committee discharge calendar his bill 10
revise the postal laws. the reading Of
which would have consumed more than
| day.
Tho Democratic caucus throughout
was a rather mild affair. the only enthu-
siaem appearing when Stokes Jackson.
of Indiana. won. tonight over ex-Rep-
resentative William II. Ryan. of New
York. for the office Of sergeant t-at-arms.
4 hard Jackson-R Ryan fight has been on
for weeks. Jackson, who is chairman of
the state central Committee in Indi-
ana. received ia votes and Ryan re-
ceivcd 81 Representative :. Trim
bic. # Kentucky. was unanimously
elected clerk Of the IeXt House. and
.Ioe" Sinnott. Of Virginia vino has been
= minority cmploye twenty years. was
made dooikeCper. William NJ. Dun
bar. of Augusta. Ga, was elected post
r,aster. defeating Il. &. Bremner. Of
Passa,c, y. j.
Using the Pruning Knife.
As soon as the caucus me-, at 10
c'clpCk this morning, il got cut the
n,uniug knife. Within two hours the
Democrats had abolished nearly hum
dred Jobs under the clerk, the sergeant
! IL. pffs IA