Evening star., 1915-11-29
SENATE AND HOUSE
DEMOCRATS CONFER
Party in Power Takes First
Step for Organization Of
Coming Congress.
CLOTURE MOST IMPORTANT
TO THE UPPER BRANCH
Committee Assignments to Be An
nounced for Lower House
Saturday.


Democratic leaders on both
sides of the Capitol today began
assembling the machinery for the
Sixty-fourth Congress, which will
be formally started next Monday
at noon. A caucus of democratic
senators and conference in deep
secrecy on the part Of democratic
members of the House ways and
means committee today marked
the preliminary steps toward the
final announcement Of committee
assignments, which may mean a
great deal to the ultimate out
come of much Of the legislation
which the administration will ask
the congressional mill to grind.
The biggest thing in front of the
Senate just at this moment is the
the long established rule of unlimited
debate in the upper chamber would be
superseded. The caucus today did not
take up the cloture subject, postponing
action until Wednesday. Senator owen,
chairman of the rules committee ex-
planned that he had been called out of
town and prevented from finishing his
work on a possible draft of a cloture
rule.
On the House side no specific commit
tee assignments were determined upon,
and none will be announced officially
until Saturday, when the House demo
Gratis gather in caucus.
Kern Reelected Chairman.
The democratic caucus of the Senate
met In the room of the Senate finance
committee.
Senator John W. Kern of Indiana
was reelected chairman of the caucus
unanimously He was nominated by
Senator Pomerene of Ohio.
Senator Key Pittman of Nevada was
elected SECRETARY of the caucus. unani-
mousiy. He succeeds Senator Sauls-
bury of Delaware in this office. The
senator from Delaware could have been
reelected had he SO desired. but he de-
clined to allow his name to be consid-
cred for the Office.
The selection of the democratic can
didate for President pro tempore Of the
Senate. to preside over that body in
the absence of the Vice President, was
allowed to go over until Wednesday,
along with the proposed revision of the
Senate rules.
Senator Clarke Of Arkansas, President
pro tempore during the last session of
Congress, said that 1t was perfectly
agreeableto him to have the matter of
agreeable to him to have the matter of
President pro tempore go over
Bolted Ship Purchase Bill.
Senator Clarke was one of the seven
democrats who bolted the administra-
tion ship purchase bill at the last ses-
sion He<and the other six democrats
who acted with him were bitterly
criticised by those democrats who re-
manned solid in favor of the ship pur-
chase BIZ, and since that time 1t has
been common rumor that the demo-
cratic Senators did not intend to e.
pro tempore.
The postponement of action on this
matter today Is taken in some quarters
to indicate that the opposition to the
election of Senator Clarke is diving
senators desire more time to canvass
the situation and select a successor TO
Mr.. Clarke.
senator Swanson of Virginia was
mentioned some time ago as a proba BILE
candidate for President pro tempore
He let it be known today, however.
that he would not allow his name to
be put up for the office.
Forty-seven of the ffty-six democrat
ic senators attended the caucus, and 1t
t.. a
here before the caucus concludes its
work
Steering Committee Authorized.
Senator Kern. the chairman OF the
caucus, was authorized to appoint a
steering committee of eight senators. This
committee will busy itself Immediately
with the question of committee assign
ments. There are six new democratic
senator's to be assigned to committees and
a number of adjustments to be made in
the matter of older senator's.
1t was noticeable today that practi-
cally all of the democrats who bolted
the administration ship purchase bill
last session were on hand to attend the
caucus There was strong feeling
among the senators to wipe the slate
clean and start over again with unit
ed front presented to the republicans
This desire to get together again may
IL Is said. result In the retention. Of
Senator Clarke as President pro tenn
pore.
It is expected that there will be much
discussion over the proposal for cloture
in the Senate. Some OF the democrats
are strongly opposed to cloture, in spite
of the fact that the republicans used fill
clustering tactics with great success at the
last session of Congress.
The senators attending the caucus to-
day were: Messrs. Ashurst, Bankhead
Beckham, Chiffon, Clarke, Fletcher
Gore, Harwick. Hitchcock, Hollis.
Hughes. Hastings. James. johnson of
Maine, Johnson of South Dakota, Kern.
Lee of Maryland. Martin. Myers. New
lands. O'Gorman, Overman, Owen,
Phelan, Pittman, Pomerene, RansdelI
Reed, Robinson, Salisbury. Shafroth
Sheppard, Shields. Simmons, Smith of
Arizona, Smith of Georgia. Smith of
Maryland. Stone. Swanson, Thomas
Tillman. Underwood. Vardaman. Walsh
ators Broussard, Bryan. Culberson
Lane. Lea of Tennessee. Lewis, Mar
tine, Shively and Smith of South Caro-
lima.
Committee Assignments Discussed,
Democrats of the House ways and
means committee discussed committee
assignments in general The confer
ence was held in the ways and means
room in the House office building, and
lasted practically all day. Chairman
kitchin said that Whafevey decfxfop IN