The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-12-13
Question will Come Up At Din
ner BY Mr.. SuIzer.
DEMOCRATS OUTLINE PLAN
Propose to Inform Woodrow Wilson As
To Organization Ways and Means
Committee.

Washington, December 11.-When
number of democratic leaders who
are going to New York to the din.
ner to be given to Governor-elect
SulZer on December 81 get in con.
ference with President-elect Wilson
who will also be a prominent guest,
cording to reports current here, that
it is recognized by house democrats
that much depends on the way the
democratic side of the ways and
means committee is organized after
Mareh34
Notly6hly is this committee the
one that shapes tariff measures for
the house, but it has remarkable pow
err by reason of being the committee
stands in the house now, the re-
publicans on the committee do not
get .'look-in."
How the Committee Stands.
As the committee stands now there
are fourteen democrats and seven
republicans. In the next congress
the number of democrats will be
increased and the republicans de-
creased. s
By reason of vacancies and the
probable increase of the committee
there will be five or six democratic
members appointed to ways and
means. The rivalry for the places
will be great. though candidates and
aspirants are slow about coming out
into the open. .-
AS the democratic side of the com.
mittee stands now it consists of the
following: Oscar w. Underwood, Al.
ALBANIA; Choice B. Randell, Texas
Francis ID. Harrison, New York;
William G.. Brantley, Georgia; Dor.
sey w. Shackleford, Missouri: Claude
Kitchin, North Carolina; Ollie M.
James, Kentucky; Henry r. Rainey,
Illinois: Lincoln Dixon, Indiana; Viii.
4 liam Hughes. New Jersey: Cordell
Huii Tennessee; w. s. Hammond,
Minnesota, Andrew J. Peters, Mass
3chusetts, and A. Mitchell Palmer,
Pennsylvania.
Some Changes Will Be Made.
James and Hughes will become
senators after March 4. Randell ran
for the senate in Texas and was
beaten, and Brantley will not return
to the house after this session. Palm.
err may go into the Wilson cabinet.
This makes five, and if the demo.
cratic side of the committee is en-.
larged by one or two. there will be
six or seven to name. At least there
will be four to be put on, even il
the committee is not enlarged and
Palmer stays in the house. =
The real question is whether pro.
lection democrats or genuine tariff
reduction democrats are going TO
fill the vacant places. The democratic
side Of the committee now leans
rather to tariff revision than to a
comfortable protective tariff. Eight
of the members of the democratic
side of the committee voted for free
wool and six against it.
Not An Accurate Test.
This is not quite an accurate test
and as matter of fact the two
schools are about evenly divided on
the committee.
,Ifith low tariff democrats have
the power to force low tariff men
on the committee to fill the yacan.
cies,t It will mean much with respect
to the shaping up of tariff legisla.
ton. On the other hand, if Under.
wood and the conservatives fill the
vacancies, or controlling number
of them, with conservatives, it will
moan much in another direction
True the house can override the
committee, fbut it is not an easy
task. -- a..
Texas has come to the front with
two ways and means aspirants. One
is Congressman Garner and the other
Congressman Smith: Garner is a
protection Democrat. Judge Smith is
a low tariff man and strong one