Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-23
IOWA SENATOR
TO WAGE FIGHT
ON SENIORITY
Iowan to Tackle Present
Form of Committee AS
signments in Line With
Democratic Stand. a..
(BY e. H. HANSON.)


tor Kenyon Is considering seriousl
the question of starting a movement
to do away with seniority in the Sc
lection of minority members of tn
senate committees for the sixty-thir,
congress.
The chief factor which Senate
Kenyon hopes to abolish is the inter
linking system of committee places
which has thrown the control of tn,
senate into few hands. The demo
Gratis have served notice that the,
will abolish this system as far as the,
are concerned, and the Iowan Is plan
ming to proceed so that in the even
OF return OF, a republican majority
the control of the senate will NJ
longer remain in the hands of a few
republicans
The progressive democrats have
succeeded already to such an extent
that the older democrats have an
nounced that they will be content i
they can hold the chairmanships Of
the committees they have longed tt
head during years of republican con
troll. .,
Unless Senator Kenyon succeeds
in his fight, it Is probable that he will
have very poor committee assign
ment for next congress, and it is even
more probable that those senators
who voted for Roosevelt or did not
act particularly enthusiastic in the
Taft campaign, will find themselves
with practically nothing.
Has But Small Chance.
Of the present republican member
ship of the senate, thirty-eight mem
bers are certain to retain their seats
in the 63rd congress, and one, Senator
Warren of Wyoming, is fighting des-
perately to retain his, with the
chances favoring him. To these thir.
ty-nine republicans and the few who
may be elected between now and the
converting of the congress, there will
be apportioned rs committee chair
manships of minor Importance, and
minority places on all Of the large
committees. 1t is to prevent these lat
ter from being packed that Senator
Kenyon will take up his cudgel He
stands sthirty-fifth in line Of seniority
so is not entitled to a chairmanship
Senator Cummins stands twenty-first,
and might get one if the republican
caucus favored him.
The senators in order of seniority
are Gallinger, Lodge, Perkins, Clark
Of Wyoming, Warren of Wyomins,
Nelson, Penrose, McCumber, Dilling-
ham, Clapp, Smoot, LaFollette, Bran
degee, Sutherland, Du Pont, Smith of
Michigan, Borah, Stephenson, Wet
more, Page, Cummins, Bradley, Bris-
tow, Burton, Crawford, Jones. Root,
Oliver, Groons, Lippitt, Mclean,
Poindexter, Townsend, Works, Ken
yon, Catron, Fall, Sanders and Mas
sey.
Committee Assignments.
The principal committees in the
senate are finance, judiciary, appropri-
atoms, foreign relations, commerce,
naval affairs and military affairs.
A glance at the senior mem bers will
show they control all of these COM
mittees now.
Senator Cullom of Illinois, who re-
tires March 4, is the father of the
senate. He is chairman of foreign re-
lations and a member of finance.
Senator Gallinger is chairman Of
the district committee (being inter
ested in various local enterprises) and
a member of appropriations, finance,
printing and rules.
Senator Lodge is chairman of i'm
migration and ranking member on
foreign affairs, and a member of
finance and naval affairs.
Senator Perkins is chairman of ma
val affairs and member of appro-
priations and commerce.
Senator Clark of Wyoming is chair
man Of judiciary, and member of
finance railroads, public lands and
of national resources.
Senator Warren is chairman of ap.
and member of mill.
tary affairs. He is particularly inter-
ested in the work of the latter be.
cause his son-in-law is in the army.
his influence his relative has
jumped many numbers in his promo
ton
Senator Penrose Is chairman OF
finance and a member of railroads.
naval affairs, post offices and post
roads, and immigration. Every one of
these deals directly with the great
protected industries of Pennsylvania
Dr. the Pennsylvania railroad, whose
tool Penrose is alleged to be.
Senator Nelson, alleged to be Jim
Hills senator, Is chairman of COM
merce, and a member of judiciary,
public lands, railroads and rules.
Senator Cummins has place On
he judiciary committee, the most
assignment of either sena-
or. He is chairman Of the civil SER
vice and retrenchment and member
If the interstate commerce, census,
library, manufactures, rules and the
University of the United States.
Senator Kenyon is chairman of ex-
oenditures in the state department.
As democrats will head all expendi-
ure committees, he must necessarily
give this up. He is member Of Gu
IAN relations, District of Columbia,
,ducation and labor, geological sur
,ey, patents, Philippines. printing and
privileges and elections. sst
II Senator Kenyon wins in his ef !
orts, it will be impossible for man
ike Warren, say, to be member Of
military affairs and
everal other committees at the same
ime. Every senator will have to be
ontent with one big assignment