Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-25
CAUCUS IS URGED
TO CUT OUT PIE"
Houses Patronage Committee
Would Retain Efficient En-
pIoyes in Service.
OTHER BIG QUESTIONS
UP TO VEX DEMOCRATS
Budget or No Budget, It Is Predict
ed, Will Cause a Huge Party
Ruction.

| DO not destroy the efficiency of the
| House of Representatives by sacrificing
its employees to the hunger of political pie
! hunters"
| This. in effect. is the report Of the
| House patronage committee, which deliv-
cred its conclusions to the democratic
caucus behind closed doors late this after
noon 1t is a defiance to the many new
democrats who came here demanding that
the old employees of the Capitol building
be turned out and a horde of political
henchmen, eager to serve their country
in any capacity involving a salary, be al
lowed to do the work.
1t will be sure to involve the House
democrats, in caucus today and tonight
in wordy war, as there are thousands
of demands for jobs from men back In
the districts who don't understand the
reason for the slow rewards for the quick
way they rounded up the votes.
The patronage committee. consisting
of Representative Humphreys of Mis-
sissippi, Covington of Maryland and
DoremuS of Michigan, in the face. of in
sistent demand to the contrary, recon-
! mended to the caucus that there
should be no general uprooting of
House clerical jobs. and that efficiency
VI tne SeTNlCe Ue the prime con-
Sideration.
Would Eliminate Politics.
They recommend that politics be
eliminated from the House employees
service as much as possible At the
same time the committee calls atten-
ton to about ninety positions which
can be shifted around without endan-
caring no etfic Of he
The presentation Of this report means
much to $50 House employees, clerks.
! doorkeepers, etc, but it does not mean
the caucus will abide by it.
Whether or not the large democratic
majority will take kindly to the idea
of feeding on ninety jobs. when sew
eral hundred were at one time in sight
is to be thrashed out in the secrecy
of the caucus
This patronage matter, important as
it is. comprises but one of half dozen
big party questions which the democrats
will try to straighten out today.
The Georgetown customs house Is in
volved in the general clamor to extend
the present customs house arrangement
The naval affairs committee wants to
consider law whereby the appointment
of cadets to Annapolis may be contin-
ued on the double scale now permitted
and which will expire this year. A tre-
mendous avalanche of debate is pending
on the question Of whether or not the
Commerce Court should be abolished,
and members of the judiciary committee
| want to be allowed to carry on antitrust
legislation.
Barred by Caucus Rule.
| All of these proposed activities are
| barred by the rules of the first caucus.
rency should be considered-hence the
| trouble. The democrats want get
| busy on their pet schemes.
In the general ruction Representative
| Burnett of Alabama should not be for
| gotten. He says he will be good and
| obey the caucus long as he can, but
| If any of these other committees get
the right to legislate. then he is going
to insist on bringing in his pet i'm
| migration bill again.
The Georgetown custom house is in
volved in the caucus fight on the bill
of Senator Fletcher and similar bill
extend the existing custom house ar
rangement for six months, instead of
allowing President Tafts executive or
der quitting down the service to go into
effect July 1.
Fight Ahead Over Budget.
A fight which is expected to shake
| the democratic party in the House to
| its very foundation will be precpitated
| in the caucus when Oscar Underwood
| presents the scheme of the budget COM
| mittee. Since the last caucus the COM
| ,nttee has been thrashing out the pros
and cons of new method of appro-
priating government money. Represen-
tative Sherley of Kentucky, house
| budget. Representative Fitzgerald.
watchdog of the Treasury" Is dead
set against the budget and wants a COM
mittee Of thirty members to handle all
| the appropriations.
1t is understood that the scheme which
the budget committee has evolved, and
| which will be presented to the caucus to-
day by Representative Underwood pro-
poses that the House shall create a large
| committee of twenty members or so, hav-
ing on it two members of the ways and
means committee, two members Of the
| appropriations committee, the chairmer
and ranking minority members OF all the
other committees which deal with ap-
preparations. such as public buildings and
grounds. rivers and harbors. military,
naval. etc, and the chairmen Of the rules
and judiciary committee.
To Parcel Out Cash.
1t is proposed that this committee shall
get together at the first of each year or
session and parcel out to the other COM
mittees just how much money it can
spend. II the government has a billion
dollars in sight for that year the pro-
posed committee will cut this income into
sections. give to each committee as much
as the leaders think it ought to get and
leave TO the apprOpriating committee the
details of how to spend 1t for the coun-
! trys best interests.
The reason for the assault on the plan
lies in the fact that IT takes away power,
| authority and some prestige from COM
mittees which are now almost supreme.
1t is safe TO say that the strong commit
tee chairmen and those likely to succeed
the chairmen will be against this scheme
| and it will require all of the suavity and
oiling ability which Leader Underwood
has at his control to get the plan through.
STRIKERS SUBMIT DEMANDS