The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-03-12
UNDERWOOD'S
FUTURE JOB IS
VERY HARD ONE
WILL HAVE TO NAME COMMITTEE
OF THE NEXT DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESS, AND MANY WILL BE
DISAPPOINTED.

Washington, March 11-Representa-
tive Underwood of Alabama, in the ca
pacity of chairman of the ways and
means committee of the next house,
viii not only be an extremely busy
congressman In matters that strictly
relate to the tariff and government
revenue questions In general, but under
the new order of things his committee
VIII also have practically the making
up of all of the committees.
OF course Champ Clark, soon to be
elected speaker, will be freely con-
suited by the democrats, although the
Missourian does not care to shoulder
the responsibility in this respect that
has heretofore rested upon presiding
officers of the house.
Mr.. Underwood and those associated
with him are said to realize at the
start that it will be no easy job to
satisfy the average ambitious member
who thinks he ought to have this or
that craftsmanship, or ought to be
taken from committee ON which he
has served IN a previous congress and
given a better assignment-one that
win put him more to the front and en-
able him to have the influence he
thinks he should have.
There are bound to be some disap-
pointments. That is always the case
at the beginning OF every new con-
gress. The democrats have been out
of power a number of years, and in
securing control of the house once
more they find themselves in posses
sion with majority OF 81, which to a
certain extent win be an unwieidy one.
Old members naturally insist on hav-
ing the best Of the committee "pfums,"
and the newcomers in the national hall
Of legislation are 50 numerous they
VIII probably feel that they should not
be stuck down at the tail end Of unfm-
portant committees in such large num-
bers in view of their combined
strength.
The plan of making up committees
Is calculated to tempt some Of the
keener ones, serving for eight or ten
years, to try to rip up customs in or
der that certain veteran democrats
may be deprived of chairmanships they
naturally expect will fall to them. If
the right of seniority in service is to be
observed in the next congress ais it
has been in the past.
IF the old custom is permitted to
prevail, Alabama win get relatively
more chairmanships than any other
state that has about the same nurner-
ical strength in its delegation. Ala
bama members through the changes
that have occurred would under the
system that has heretofore been OBJ
served be given the following chair
manships Of house committees, in adj
dition to the heading one for which Mr..
Underwood Is already slated:
Representative Clayton, Judiciary:
Representative Richardson, pensions;
Representative Burnett, immigration
and naturalization, and Representative
Heffin, Industrial arts and expositions.
The pension committee referred to,
and which Judge Richardson is in line
for, is a different one from invalid pen
sions. The latter handles all bills
which relate more particularly to the
civil war; the other has the measures
that relate more to the Mexican and
Indian wars.
The Indications arc that many
schemes and bargains win bob up In
the settling Of the committees. Friends
of Representative Burleson of Texas,
think he should be made chairman of
appropriations He was not the rank
ing democratic member in the last
horr%e as that distinction was held by
Colonel Livingston, of Georgia, who
failed to be reelected, and that left
Representative Fitzgerald, of New
York, next to him.
In behalf of Burleson the claim is
made that Fitzgerald did not always
act with his party in the last congress,
and that on several occasions he and
many of the New York crowd purpose
ly flew the track and helped the repub-
licans to retain the power when the
democrats, under the leadership of
Clark and Underwood, were doing their
utmost. with the help Of the insurgent
republicans, to override Speaker Can
non and the old rules committee.
For Hay of Virginia.
The talk also is that if things can
be so brought about Representative
Hay, of Virginia, will be made chair