Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-02-13
THEY STAND ALONE
PROGRESSIVES IN NEW HOUSE
WILL DEMAND RECOGNITION
OF THEIR PARTY.
ARE LIKELY TO BE GRATIFIED
Northern Democrats Now Preparing
to Ask as Full presentation on
Committees as Their Brethren
From Southern States.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

by NLItN OIN-
Washington.-The advance guard Of
the Progressive party which has NOV
ed on Washington has made il per-
fectly plain that the first act Of their
pTeseRtatives-elect, OF whom there
are nineteen, on the converting Of the
next house will be to demand recog-
milton as the delegation-elect Of dis
tinct political organization. AS has
been told before in these Washington
dispatches, some of the Democratic
leaders of the present house have
shown symptoms of an intention when
the next congress is organized to
avoid recognition OF the existence Of
the Progressive party as party.
In the new Congressional Directory
which has just been issued the list OF
members-elect of the next congress is
given and, like the list which appear
ed in the last directory which was is
sued early in December, the Progress
sives whose names appear are all set
down as Republicans. The Progress
sives are anxious to learn if this thing
is to be continued when the next dl-
reCtory comes out, which will be the
official book Of the congress in which
they have a part.
In the book which has just come
out Senator Dixon of Montana in his
biography, which like the other sena-
tors and members he has written him
self, appears as a Progressive. Here
tofore he has appeared as a Republi-
can. Senator Miles PoindeXter OF
Washington also appears as Pro
gressive, having with his own hand
erased the designation Republican
and replaced it with Progressive. OF
course in the next directory when the
biographies of all the members-elect
appear those who are Progressives
will so be designated in that part OF
the book which they write themselves,
bat the question they want answered
is whether or not the house commit
tee which rules printing matters Will
continue to put the Republicans and
the Progressives together in the lists
without making any distinction be-
tween them.
sectional question Aooed-
1t must be said, however, that the
belief is here that the house authori-
ties will recognize the ProgressiVes as
a distinct party and if this is done
it will add another factor to the prob
lem of committee appointments which
the Democrats must solve. Not long
ago a Pennsylvania Democratic rep
resentative wrote to Northern Demo
Gratis who have been elected to the
Sixty-third congress, and also ap-
preached the northern members of his
party holding office in the present
house, on the subject of demanding
that the north be recognized as fully
as the south in the matter Of commit
tee assignments. There is interest
among all the members of congress
irrespective Of party in the outcome
of this sectional question.
Naturally most of the chairman OF
tie house committees in the present
congress are southerners, for the rep
resentation of the south is larger than
that of the north, but, more than this,
most of the southerners have been in
congress longer than their northern
brethren and have certain rights &C
corded to them by the rule of senior
ity.
Seniority privileges, however, are
not as we'll recognized in the popular
branch of the national Legislature as
they are in the senate. The house
can do pretty much as it chooses
without making its pillars tremble.
The Democratic leaders have declared
that they intend to do full justice to
the northerners of their party when
the northern representation is as
great as or greater than the southern
representation, and they cite what al
ready has been done for the northern
ers who are in a minority on the
Democratic side in this congress.
Fear Headsman's AK.
Consuls general, consuls, consular
agents, interpreters and other repre-
sentatives of this government in for
eign parts are showing long dis
lance signs OF extreme worry lest
the spirit of civil service reform
which the state department has tried
to breathe into the consular service
shall be denied even spiritual exist
ence when the administration changes
in March. Scores of letters are be-
ing received by members of congress
and officers of the government de-
partments from the minor representa-
tives abroad asking if the headman's
ak is to descend on them in the spring
| time
There are hundreds of government
officials in the foreign service below
the ranks of ambassador and minis
ter. and every one of the seniors
among the hundreds is alarmed lest
after years Of work and hard-won pro-
motion he is to be forced to give his
place to some Democratic political
appointee who never has made out
8 passport nor studied opportunities
for increasing American trade" The
ambassadors and ministers have Meth
er hope nor uneasiness. They know
their fate. But as for the consuls
and consular agents in the remote
parts, when they have learned what
Mr.. Wilson said some time ago on the
subject of civil service in the con-
sular service they probably will be
relieved of most of their anxiety.
The letters from the governments