Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-26
Senate Committees Pass Into
New Hands After March 4.
SEVERAL MEMBERS RETIRE
Vacancies Will Be Left in Finance,
Appropriations and Others.
INSURGENTS SEEK POWER
Plot to Unite With Democrats and
Overthrow Custom Of Filling
Vacancies.

vacancies.
Into new hands will pass the direction
OF many Of the most important commit
tees of the United States Senate after
March 4. and this new control will be ef-
fective IL an extra session is called short
" after the adjournment Of the present
one.
Tho committees the chairmanships OF
which will change by reason OF the re-
a1rement OF the present incumbents are
such important ones as those of appro-
priations. finance, Interstate commerce. IN
teroceanic canals, irrigation and reclama-
ton of arid lands. privileges and elections.
public buildings and grounds. public ex-
penditures, territories and agriculture and
forestry. And the filing of these vacant
chairmanshps Will cause changes in the
chairmanships Of other important COM
mittees. such as those on military anairs.
contingent expenses. Indian affairs, man
ufactures. post offices and post roads
There is much speculation as to who
will get the chairmanshIps of the power
full committees. Should the Senate foi-
low custom-as 1t does in providing qulils
for the senators to write with and IN
keeping we'll filled snuff boxes IN con-
venient place in the Senate .chamber-it
is not hard to pick the chairmen. But
the insurgents are greedy for power-tne
militant ones-and there is plot on 1901
TO get the democrats to unite with them
TO overthrow the t.me-honored custom of
filling the committee chairmanships on
length of service and let the Insurgents
pick some of the desirable burrS out OF
the fire at the beginning of the next ses-
sion.
Some Democrats May Object.
But there are a lot of democratic sena-
tors who have been on the roll call Of the
Senate for a number of years and VINO
have committee assignments that would
give them the desirable committee chair
1nanships when the Jeffersonian party gets
back into power. Therefore, they are
not ready to overthrow the old custom OF
the Senate. which honors length OF serF-
ice. The failure of the plan, 1t is there
fore argued, is apparent.
BY right of length of service on the
committees, Senator Penrose of Penn
sylvania should succeed Senator Aidrich
as chairman of the committee on nnance
and the insurgent Senator Clapp should
take the place occupied by the late Sena-
tor Elkins as chairman of the committee
on interstate commerce. Senator PERKINS
of California is in line for the chairman
ship Of appropriations, but his age and
sll health Indicate that he will remain
chairman of the committee on naval
affairs and that Senator Warren will take
the helm of the committee on approprla-
tons.
should Senator Warren go to appropria-
tons the craftsmanship of the commit
tee on military affairs would be open to
Senator du Pont of Delaware. Whether
or not the fact that the du Point family
has the management OF the so-caiied
powder trust and that the committee on
military affairs has great control over
the operations of the War Department
which buys powder in great quantities
will prevent his appointment to that
Craftsmanship remains to be seen. IL
the steering committee of the Senate con-
cluded that such appointment would be
giving Mr.. dp Pont too much power over
the War Department through the CHAIR
mauship of the military committee it
would probably go to Senator Dixon OF
Montana.
Committee on 1nteroceanic Canals.
To Senator Brandegee Of Connecticut
will probably go the craftsmanship of the
cimmittee on interoceanic canals, which
has supervision over alllegislaton affecting
the Panama canal, including the ques-
lions of tolls and Notifications. made va
cant by the voluntary retirement of Sen
ator Flint of California. Senator Hepburn
of Idaho is in line for the Craftsmanship
of the important public buildings and
grounds committee. which has superyi
sion over one of the two pork barrel
bills passed nearly every year by Con-
gress.
The craftsmanship Of privileges and cleo.
lions will very Likely go to Senator Gam
BILE of South Dakota Mr.. Dillingham; OF
Vermont will be the ranking member
after March 4. but he Will probably be
loath to give up the Craftsmanship of i'm
migration which he now holds.
The irrigation Craftsmanship will prob
ably go to Mr.. Nixon. the recently elected
fSay- fr,- Go nd tow So
practically open, as the three republican
members who will remain-Dillingham o1
Vermont. Nelson of Minnesota and Burn
ham of New Hampshire-are not likely te
want the berth. Senator Burnham may
be regarded as the best bet of the trio
Senator Burnham can have the chairman
ship of the committee agriculture II
he wants 1t. If ne declines. Senator Gug
Kenheim of Colorado will be in line, witt
Senator Page of Vermont on deck ane
Senator Crawford in the hole.
The Craftsmanship of the committee or
contingent expenses-which is one of tn.
pigeonholing committees organized large
1y for the suppression of alert reform<fs
and probers-w.ll probably go to some on,
not now member of the committee
Senators Curtis OF Kansas, Page OF Yer
mont. Smith of Michigan being among
the possibilities.
Other Likely Chairmen.
senator Bourne. jr., of Oregon, one OF
the progressive members of the upper
house. and president of that organization
which the standpatters In the Senate
have dubbed the Band of Hope" anc
the 'Holier Than Thou League. is likely
TO set the craftsmanship of the commit
tee on post Offices. which will be vacated
when Mr.. Penrose shows his preference
for MI. -Aldrich's present berth at the
head Of the finance committed The chair