Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-02-13
DEMOCRATS CONSIDER HEAD or
INTERSTATE COMMERCE COM
MITTEE.
IMPORTANT BODY OF SENATE
Deals Largely With Trust Matters
Oklahoman Is Ranked by NewIands
and Clarke, Who May Be Passed
Over.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

IS&G IA SSASS
thought is to control the next senate.
1t seems, as has been said n this cor
respondence before, that the Demo
Gratis who say they r of the more
progressive school will be in the ma
jority Of their party in the senate and
will control the COMMITTEES assign
ments and other matters of party mo-
iment. The subject of seniority OF
service and the claim which it has to
recognition in the matter of commit
tee chairmanships also has been dis
icussed and reasons have been given
why Senator TiIlman, who is the rank
ing Democrat, on the committee on
interstate commerce, may not be
chosen by his Democratic colleagues
to preside over that important body.
II Mr.. Tillman prefers the chair
manship Of the naval committee, on
which he Is at present the ranking
member Of the minority side, and fore
goes all claim to the chairmanship OF
the committee on Interstate COM
MERGE, who will be named as chair
man of this committee which probably
will have before 1t for consideration
the most important legislation to be
undertaken by the Democratic admin
istration?
It still seems likely that Senator
Simmons of North Carolina will be
chairman Of the committee on finance,
which Mr.. Aldrich of Rhode Island
ruled so long and which recently has
been ruled by Mr.. Penrose of Penn
sylvania. There are one Or two other
committee chairmanships which have
been decided in advance, but the mat
commerce is still in allegiance
Place Of High Honor.
It was the interstate commerce
committee of the senate which formu-
lated the railroad rate legislation and
which brought into being the interstate
commerce commission. It deals large
ly. with trust matters because the out
put Of trusts enters into the COM
merce between the states. 1t is O
committee Of the first Importance and
its recommendations made to the sem
ate as q whole 81 be q power for
good or evil.
Again, who L. to be the chairman
Of this committee? There is not n
Democrat, o a Republican for that
matter, In the senate who would not
feel honored to sit at the head of the
interstate commerce table, Stephen
B. Elkins Of West Virginia, now dead,
held the chief place in this commit
tee when railroad rate legislation OF
the greatest Importance was enacted.
Mr.. Elkins vas not entirely In accord
with all the provisions Of that legis-
lation, but the Republicans of the
Roosevelt school succeeded in getting
a report from the Elk1ns committee
which was fairly to their liking, and
what they did not like they changed
by amendments.
When Mr.. Taft proposed additional
for the regulation Of com
merce among the states a bill outlin-
ing his views and those Of Mr.. Wick
ersham and some other government
oh1cials was considered and approved
by the senate committee on interstate
In the senate, however,
who succeeded in o~yerthroVing sew
eral Of the provisions OF the commit
tees report. The Democrats say that
when they get control of the interstate
commerce committee they will see TO
It in advance that the party members
In the senate shall stand solidly be-
hind the report when It comes to the
floor.
Gore May De Promoted.
If Mr.. Tlllman does not become
chairman Of this highly important
there are three other Dem
ocrats nov sitting on the minority
side Of the committee who will still
hold Office after March 4 when the
minority side becomes the majority
side. Thomas p. Gore, of Oklahoma,
is a member of the committee. He is
fairly well down on the list, but there
Is a feeling that the progressive Dem
ocrats may attempt to give Mr.. Gore
promotion. The question is how far
they will a r to go in their rejection
Of the claims of seniority Of service.
Senator Newlands Of Nevada and Sen
ator Clarke of Arkansas rank Mr..
Gore In the Democratic membership
Of the present interstate commerce
The Democrats are going to, con-
slider long and deeply before they set
lie the question of the interstate com
merce Craftsmanship. The present
OF the committee Is Moses
3. Clapp, progressive-Republican Of
Holding membership with
him are two progressive Republicans,
Albert B. Cummins Of Iowa and Rob
srt M. La Toilette Fof Wisconsin. IL
these three members Of the present
majority on the commit
tee retain their membership in the
as minority representatives
when the Democrats are In control,
the feeling is that the progressive
in attempting Interstate
commerce legislation may count upon
the support of the progressive Repub-
Leans whose records in the senate
show that they have been for ad-
vanced laws In all matters pertaining
to traffic between the states.