The Washington herald., 1913-02-23
SPLIT In HOUSE
MAJORITY RANKS?
Wilson to Find a ''Demoralized
Party Organization" in the
Lower Branch.
ECONOMY A FAILURE
Leader Underwood, According to New
York Sun Dispatch, Is Fail
ing to Control

New York, Feb 1.-The New York Sun
tomorrow will say in dispatch from
Washington:
when woodrow Wilson enters the
White House on March he will md
a demoralized party organization In the
House of Representatives. There nave
been plenty of evidences recently OF ap-
preaching trouble for the Democrats, but
it wasn't until to-day that some OF the
leaders acknowledged privately that the
outlook was far from bright The situa-
ton seems to have slipped beyond the
control of Oscar Underwood. the Demo-
cratic leader who ran things so smoothly
at the last session, and there are rum
blings of possible opposition to Mr. un-
derwood's $ leadership at the coming spe-
clal session.
Differences over appropriations and
the economy policy TO which the Demo-
Gratis stand pledged have done more than
anything else to throw the House or
ganization into d state of disorder, but
evidences of discord and lack of control
are appealing in other directions. II
was learned to-day, for instance, that
Leader Underwood has on several oc-
Casions recently been voted down in the
Ways and Means Committee on questions
concerning the tariff revision bill now
being framed as the party measure. Diff
ferences in the committee are said to
have developed to an extent that both
sides have determined to attempt to
make changes in its personnel when the
time comes for reorganiZing the commit
tee at the beginning of the new Con-
gress. Mr.. Underwood himself has in
sisted that these differences in the COM
inittee Were trivial and that they have
not involved any large question OF party
policy. The leaders friends acknowl-
edge. however. that he has been in the
minority on many occasions recently in
framing the tariff bill. Mr.. Underwood
is said to have lacked control of the
Democratic majority of the committee
by only one vote. If Representative
Ansbsrry of Ohio had not been sick.
Mr. Underwood. it is said would prob
ably have been in control of the situa
ton.
The statement was made to-day in
a responsible quarter that the difficulties
iE the Ways and Means Committee were
chiefly responsible for the committee sus-
pending work on the tariff bill for the
present. The plan now is not TO complete
the revision until Mr.. Wilson has reached
Washington and the new Ways and
Means Committee of the House, has been
selected. 1t has become apparent in the
commit re's deIibera tions that the result
frequently hung narrow a margin
that the addition of two or three new
Democratic members to the committee in
the next Congress might bring about
marked change in the bill.
The causes of the differences in the
Ways and Means Committee are not
known definitely, but IL is reported that
a majority of the Democrats have on
several occasions been in favor of making
more radical cuts in the schedules than
MIR. Underwood had been willing to con-
cede
Further evidence of the Generalization
Of the House leadership has been found
in the failure of Mr.. Underwood to effect
any reduction in the public buildings
bill appropriations to bring about even
the semblance of an observance of the
democratic economy pledge in the franz
ing of that measure. The Democratic
leader also made a futile effort to have
the House Committee on Naval Affairs
vote a substantial reduction in the ap-
preparations carried under the naval sup
ply bill. Here again, however, the Demo-
cratic committee members ran rough
shod over the Underwood efforts to
econOmize.
With appropriations mounting up to
unprecedented totals, Mr.. Underwood, as
the responsible leader of the House, finds
himself in a very embarrassing position
in framing the tariff programme. The
party stands pledged to make reductions
ia the tariff. But with the House mem
economy. he finds himself confronted
with the necessity of providing for great
ly increased expenditures. 1t is his fear
that even with the income tax yielding
100000, 900. Congress may not be able to
vote great reductions in the tariff as
II did at the last session. unless the
brakes are set on the reckless extrava-
gance now being INDUCED in.
THE proposition now being advanced
by the Democratic leaders to create a |
budget committee in the House which !,
shall have wide control over appropria- |
tions is likely to be the spark that will |
start fire in the House membership |
early in the special session. The chair |
man of this committee will have great |
power: in fact, some believe tina. he will |
WELD a stronger arm than the present !
chairman of the committee, which names |
the membership of the other commit
tees of the House Mr.. Underwood's |
friends are already beginning to insist |
that he shall be made chairman of the 1
budget committee. but other Democrats |
are raising the cry that this chairman
ship. added to the Craftsmanship of the /
Committee on Committees would place
in the hands of one man a power greater |
than that ever exercised by Gar Cannon
as Speaker Of the House. On the other
hand. II some other Democrat Is named
as chairman of the budget committee
which is likely to lead to a contest for
supremacy between the ehairmen OF
these two important committees of the
House.
The rumors of trouble between WILL
lam J. Bryan and President-elect Will
son have added TO the feeling of alarm
among Democrats in the House. To-day
the air at the Capitol was filled with
rumors of serious differences between
the President-elect and the Nebraska
statesman. Nobody seemed to be able to
get anything definite in regard to these
rumors, but the way in which they per-
sisted led many to believe that there
was something in them.
TT is known to members of the House
definitely that the President-elect and
William ]. Bryan have recently differed
on the proposed action by the House in
regard to the single term resolution. 1t
was learned to-day that Gov. Wilson's
views were laid before the Committee on
Judiciary in such a way as to convince
that committee that 1t was not wise to
press the single term resolution at this
time