The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-15
Senator Tillman Gets Place ON
Naval Affairs and Is Dis
appointed
DECLARES HE WILL
APPEAL DECISION
Hoke Smith Takes Exception
to Interview in Which Till
man Charged Smith
Betrayed Bacon

WASHINGTON March 14-Sena-
tor Ben Tillman, Of South Carolina,
was today denied the Craftsmanship
Of the appropriations committee of the
senate.
A Democratic steering committee
of nine Of his colleagues
which has been sweating behind clos
ed doors over the disposition of Sena-
tor Tnlman's committee Craftsmanship
decided late this afternoon to set aside
the picturesque and militant figure
from South Carolina.
The committee ignored the rule of
seniority and conferred the chairman
ship on Senator Thomas S. Martin,
of Virginia, who is third in rank In
the Democratic membership of the
important committee.
The steering committee will recon-
mend to the Democratic party con-
ference which has been called TO meet
tomorrow morning that Senator TILL
man be made chairman of the COM
mittee on naval affairs.
Tillman VIII Appeal.
Senator Tillman learned tonight that
his party colleagues had cast him
aside and announced that he would
appeal from their decision to the
Democratic conference tomorrow.
Mr. Tillman feels keenly the ac-
ton that was taken by his party coll
leagues. Before the contest was end
ed personalities were injected into Il
and today Senator Hoke Smith. of
Georgia, who is one of the steering
committee, made a private matter of
the fight against Mr.. Tillman by read
ing peppery Interview THAT Senator
Tillman gave out Wednesday night to
an Atlanta newspape
In this interview Mr.. Tillman
charged that Senator Smith had be-
trayed Senator Bacon, of Georgia. in
the latter's fight for reelection as
president PRO tenn Of the senate
Smith Upbraids TiIlnan.
Yesterday when Senator Smith
learned that MIR. Tillman had given
such an interview he called on the
South Carolina senator and upbraided
him for it. Mr.. TilIman was not in a
conciliatory mood and sharply told
Senator Smith he stood by every word
in the interview.
At the arrival of the Atlanta news
paper today Senator Smith marched
into the steering committee with a
copy
The senator has a letter from Pres
ident Wilson which will be read in
the Democratic conference tomorrow
in which the president expressed hope
that Mr.. Tillman would he chairman
of the appropriations committee. But
this letter was written before the fight
became SO bitter
Tillman's Chance Gone.
After the interview was read to the
steering committee any chance that
Mr.. TiIlman may have had of becom-
ing chairman disappeared. Senator
Smith demanded vindication at the
hands of his colleagues in the steer
ing committee by the setting aside
of Tillman.
It was learned today that Senator
Tillman resented the defeat OF Senator
Bacon for president pro TEN, in
speech he made before the Demo-
cratic conference on the day that
Senator Clarke, of Arkansas, defeat
cd Mr.. Bacon for reelection. Senator
Tillman read the riot act to his party
colleagues declaring that selfish am
bition was at the bottom OF the fight
on the older Democratic senators. and
shaking his finger at Senator Hoke
Smith he told that statesman that ne
would have a hard time explaining to
the people OF Georgia that he had not
contributed to the defeat and humii-
iation OF his colleague.
List of Assignments.
A complete list of COMMITTEES as
signments was agreed on by the steer
ing committee late this afternoon,
which will be reported at the party
conference tomorrow. This list will
not be given out until after ii is ap-
proved by the conference.
Resolutions were adopted by this
steering committee which will be rec
commended to the conference tomor-
row that will work revolution in the
method of selecting the chairman of
senate committees, filing vacancies.
and providing for conference commits
tees. Here is the first of these reso-
lutlons:
BE it resolved, That a majority OF
the Democratic members of any conn
mittee may call meeting of such
committee and shall select all DEM
ocratic members of conference COM
mittees, and of all subcommittee rep
resenting the committee by a recorded
vote of such members"
Other Resolutions.
The other resolutions are as follows.
First Resolved, That hereafter
the members of the steering commits
tee shall be elected by the confer
ence.
Second That hereafter the ma
jority members Of committees shall
elect their own chairman.
Third That all vacancies on COM
mittees in future shall be nominated
by the steering committee. subject to
the approval OF the conference"
This means that the practice OF sem
iority assignments to committee chair
manships which has prevailed from
the earliest days, has been completely
overthrow.
Other Chairnanships.
The more important Democratic
chairmanships which are now believed
10 have been settled include the fol-
lowing;
Senator Gore. agriculture and for
estry; Senator Bacon, foreign rela-
tons Senator Stone. Indian affairs.
Senator Newlands Interstate CONF
merce, Senator Johnston. judiciary;
Senator Bankhead. postoffice and