The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-02-09
dent It Is not . Roosevelt move OF
which more hereafter.

members of the mouse Ol EopIesSula'
tives discharged its appointed business
without acrimony, Nnd proceeded to its
desired end as smoothly and swiftly
as a 28,OOO-ton battleship glides down
well-greased ways to the embracing
waters all men marvelled and congress
sional Democrats exulted.
For once" cried the unterrihed,
I'VE have held caucus, formulated
policy, chosen the members of the
most important committee and prac-
tically elected the speaker not merely
without a dissenting vote, but almost
without one single voice raised In
criticism"
Democratic Row Impending.
All of which was true, but those
who shouted the glad tidings should
have observed the precaution dear to
the superstitious and Knocked wood"
For the row now impends. Indeed, II
there were a political seismograph to
measure the underground rumblings
of political earthquakes its needle
would be very violeptly oscillating at
the present moment.
From a source, apparently in close
touch with the powers that are or
ganizing the house of the sixty-second
congress, there was put out recently
the following partial slate Of commit
tee chairmanships:
Appropriations, Fitzgerald Of New
York; census, Robinson of Arkansas;
agriculture, Lever of South Carolina;
District of Columbia, Johnson of Ken
lucky; insular affairs, Jones of Vir-
ginia; interstate and foreign COM
merce, Moon of Tennessee; Judiciary,
Clayton of Alabama; military affairs,
Hay of Virginia; naval affairs, Padgett
Cf Tennessee; pensions, Richardson
Of Alabama; post Offices and post
roads, Lloyd of Missouri; public
buildings, Sheppard of Texas; rules,
Henry of Texas; rivers and harbors,
Ransdell of Louisiana.
This Slate" If slate 1t be, compre-
hends only IA Of the 62 committees
of the house, but 1t includes the more
important ones. The biggest of all,
ways and means, has already been ap-
pointed by caucus.
Criticisms of Committees Slate.
To the onlooker the one criticism
that suggests itself is that only one
Craftsmanship goes to the North, and
that to Mr.. Fitzgerald of Brooklyn,
who, despite his acknowledged abil-
ity, is frequently at odds with his
party and in the last session voted
with the Cannonites.
But the members who are grum-
bling point out that Missouri gets the
speakership, a place on the ways and
means (really two, for the speaker
was made a member ex-officio), the
craftsmanship Of the post office CON-
mittee, regarded as a luscious plum,
and the Craftsmanship of the Demo
cratic congressional committee. 1t is
generally understood, however, that
| Mr.. Lloyd, who now holds the latter
position will resign 1t If made chair
man of the post Office and post roads
committee That Is he will try to re-
sign, but his colleagues are little like
ly to relieve the only manager of a
congressional campaign who won a
Democratic house in the last four.
teen years.
The complaints are also made that
Virginia, with three chairmanships
has overplayed her game; that Ten.
nessee Is no state to furnish the
chairman of so purely a salt water
committee as naval affairs: that Hay
of Virginia has been arbitrarily jump.
ed over the head of Sulzer of New
York, now ranking member of the
committee on military affairs; that
Sparkman of Florida, for many years
ranking member of the rivers and
harbors committee, has been set aside
for Ransdell of Louisiana; Henry OF
Texas. who is without experience or
the committee on rules, is to be made
chairman of that great and powerful
committee to the exclusion of mem
bers who have served long.
All of which may be too technical
for that hurried and Indifferent man
the average citizen" But 1t al
touches his interests nearly, for the
chairmen of these committees exert g
prodigious influence upon congress
sional legislation and can make OIL
mar a measure or a policy. ChamI
Clark, who has been called "the soft
pedal statesman" probably rejoicel
that the situation is out of his hand!
and up to the committee on commit
tees.
Bryan Grooms Champ Clark.
After all the Clark relief from re
sponsibility is rather apparent thar
real. There IS a well-founded repor
that all these tentative selections fo
committee chairmanships are subject
ed to the speaker-to-be for his ap
proval. His hand is on the throttle
all the time. But more. They do sa!
that the hand Of William ]. Bryan Il
on that of Clark and guides its ever!
motion The publication of certain
! letters from Bryans brother Charlie
to some public men led an excitabl'
Washington newspaper to announces
the other day that Bryan was back II
politics-as if he ever was out! Th'
fact appears to be that he has though
, better of his earlier determination tt
! throw his influence in the next cor
vention to Folk, and will groom
Champ Clark for the race instead