Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-03-12
-FOUR CHA|RMEN
NIL. FBOM VIRGINIA
State Will be a Powerful Fac
tor in Directing Legisla-
tion in House.
STRONG QUARTETTE.
Committee Will Consider Some of
The Most Important Matters to be
Brought Before Congress.

Washington, arch 12-Not within 6
quarter of a century, or perhaps since
the days Of John Goode, John Randolph
Tucker, George D Wise and Charles
r. O'Ferrall, has Virginia occupied
such an influential position in the
House Of Representatives as she will
in the next Congress.
The days of Goode, Tucker and o.
Ferral We're adys when foor-debater
was almost as powerful force as in
the days Of old. These men We're
matters in 10 rough and tumble foren-
sic battle. They could hammer their
ideas through the house with force
that was almost irresistible.
Today things have changed, and the
committees are the influential factors
in shaping legislation. The house is
nothing more or less than legisla-
tive nsSchine. 1t grinds out what the
committees feed it. The big legisla-
tive problems are threshed out and
constructed in the committee room,
and it is seldom that the committees
action is materially changed by the
house.
Upon the shoulders Of members Of
the house from Alabama and Viz
ginia--two Southern States-will fall
the work of constructing and then
guiding through the house the bi9
problems which the Wilson adminis-
tration is pledged to handle. Virginia
will have four important chairman
ships.
Oscar w. Underwood, of Alabama,
chairman of the ways and means COM
mittee, is in charge of the making Of
the new tariff bill. 1t was the tariff
that wrecked the Taft administration
and it was the tariff that brought on
the troubles for the last Cleveland
administration. The next biggest
problem is the construction of a new
monetary system. The handling of
this titanic job will be up to Carter
Glass, of Lynchburg, Va, who will be
chairman of the house committee on
banking and currency.
Mr.. Glass will also be called upon to
follow up the trail of the money
devip whose lair was located by the
Puio sub committee. Thusly, not only
reconstruction of the banking and
currency laws but legislation affecting
stock exchanges and clearing houses
will be complicated questions Mn
Glass and the committee he heads
will have ito deal with.
William A. Jones of the FIRST dis
trict mas the PHILIPPINE problem on his
hand. He is chairman of the insular
affair committee and now has pend
ing in Congress Philippine independ-
ent bill. There are some rocks ahead
of the Legislation. If the bill to give
the island their freedom fails,, it will
he up to Mr.. Jones and his committee
to take step to revolutionize the man.
anement of the PHILIPPINES by the
American government. The Philippine
Question is one of the problems which
the Democratic platform declares shall
be handled by the Wilson administra-
tion.
Henry D. Clayton, Of Alabama, is
chairman of the committee on the ]u'
dietary. of which C. C. Carlin, of the
Eighth Virginia, is also a member
The antitrust Legislative problems
must come from this body. Mr. Car.
lin is the chairman of one Of The lm'
portant subcommittees OF the Judlcl
ary.
H. D. Flood, of the Tenth Virg1n:a
heads the foreign affairs connmlttes
which has the Mexican and other Cen
trail America troubles on its hands
The Mexican situation looks like /
will be knotty one before tou'
years rolls by.
James Hay, of the Seventh Virgin;
heads the military affairs, now one 0
the n1ajor committees of the house
While not affecting Virginia intimate
ly, this committee will be confronte
with many questions looking to chang
ing some Of the army methods.
Backing up Congressman Flao'
Hay, Jones and Glass as the heaas
important legislative eenaaatbee