Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-04-23
MAJORITY ! ] TOO [: BIG
HOUSE LEADERS
q FIND THEY HAVE UNWIElDf
BODY TO CONTROL.
OBJECTIONS TO BE FEARED ! R

OBJECTIONS TO Be FEARED
Underwood Desires Solid Party Vote
but May Be Disappointed, Though
Defeat Of Major Legislation as
10 Not to Be Feared.
BY GEORGE CLINTON. -sE
Washington-Congr in the first
hours Of its extra session is, in . ma
jority party sense, rather an unwteldy
body. Speaker Clark looks from his
"rostrum" into the faces OF scores
OF members Of his party sitting in the
house for the first time, and Leader
Oscar w. Underwood probably re-
CARDS with some little anxiety the
task Of keeping such an immense fol-
lowing in entire accord with all the
legislative propositions for which the
Democratic party, now in power In all
branches Of the government, must I'M
dertake the responsibility.
Mr.. Underwood Is not only chair
man OF the ways and means commit
tee, but he is also the Democratic
floor leader. It Is not at all to be
wondered at that he fears the possi-
bility OF trouble because Of the enor-
nous majority which the party has In
the new house. It has been recog-
nized by party leaders in representa-
tive assemblies ever since they came
into existence that it is easier to put
things through, as the party wants
them to go through, when the ruling
majority Is just big enough to be
easily handled"
It must be remembered that the
Democratic leaders are confronted
this year with three parties in oppost-
ton, the Republican party, the Pro-
gressive party, and members Of the
Republican party who call themselves
progressive-R epublicans and who, al
though clinging to their old-tfme Re-
publicanism in q party sense. have re-
pudiated many of the Republican doc
trines but yet are not willing to accept
in full those Of the Progressive party.
This puts a new factor into the prob
lem of Democratic leadership, for Mr..
Underwood must learn just where he
Is to look for support on the other
side Of the aisle IL he fears that upon
any great measure some of his own
following may break away and de-
sires to make up for It by, going to
some battalion In the ranks of This
friend the enemy" sl;5. Il s.. I'll.
Underwood Fears OBJECTIONS.
1t lis said to be the fear of Mr.. I'M
derwood that on some tariff matters,
and on some other minor matters, a
part of his following may break away
and refuse to be bound even by eau
Gus section. No one thinks Mr.. Ur-
derwood fears that enough party men
will break away to endanger the pas
sage Of anything Of prime import
ance to the party, but the leader is
anxious that everything that is done
with major legislation shall be done
with solid party vote back Of it.
Very likely trouble will be avoided.
but the means Of securing harmony
are not altogether to the liking, 1t Is
said, OF the leader. Already Demo-
cratic members of congress are max
ing 1t plain to the members of the
ways and means committee that Ger.
tain OF the tariff schedules must be
made thus and 30 or else support will
be lacking. These demands do not
make 1t certain at all that the bill or
bills will be patched with comprom-
Uses, because Mr.. Wilson has taken q
hand with Underwood and Champ
Clark and also with several Of the
more progressive Democratic members
OF the house, and Ia using the force OF
persuasion to get tarin legislation
through which will not show any
symptoms Of patchwork.
+ All the members OF the lower house
Of congress now find themselves sit
ting on benches, as one of them said,
like q pack Of school boys" The
house does not look as It did when It
was In session only q month ago. It
bears some resemblance today to the
house Of commons In England, 50 far
as the matter Of furniture ID; concern
ed at least, but there certainly is one
point of superiority here-the mem
bers do not sit with their hats on.
There are many new members Of
congress and some Of them are men
whose past lives have marked them
out for special interest. There are
some members who have served be-
fore, but have not been In the house
for. q period OF years. In way these
| men are considered as new members,
because they have no rights Of senior
| ity in committee appointments and
nothing except sentiment which at
taches to previous service to give
them any reason to believe that they
1 will be any better treated in the mat
ter Of committees than their fellows
who are serving for the first time.
When Representative Joseph w.
Keifer, Republican. OF Springfield. O..
returned to congress- some time ago
after an absence Of many years. he
was given position on the great
committee Of appropriations. The
Ohioan had been out of service q
long time, but once he was the speak
er of the house, and this singled him
out for special consideration when he
returned after long a1Rence, and so
1t was that Mr.. Cannon, then speaker,
put his predecessor in ONCE and to q
seat in the appropriations COMMITTEES.
Committees Made With Care.
There are no men in this new con-
gress who have former record serv-
ice like that Of Mr.. Keller, but there
are some of them who have followed
certain lines Of endeavor which will
make them particularly qualified for
Electoral Vote.