Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-12-02
b. S. LAWMAKERS
PREPARING FOR
GATH CONGRESS
REPUBLICAN CAUCUS OF HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, WILL TAKE
PLACE AT CAPITOL TONIGHT.
F0REGONE CONCLUSION THAT REP
RESENTATivE MANN OF ILLINOIS
WILL BE CHOSEN THE LEADER.

i<nIl3IOff. lJtt. Int ItlltFflttH
caucus OF the national honSc of TeI'rcScn
tat'veS vii H.. held tonight, for the -
lection of minority Officers of the house
amt such other mat. - ~ uty o, l.,il
bet. 70 the i%tIubli-an leaders. II - A
~foregone conclusion that iIoa James X.
Mann Of Illinois will be ,hO>rl l~.ai:tO
lead the republican .orccS on the floor
Of the house. While Mann has his -ival
for the high honor Of the majority who
would like to see some other header chO-
sen. no serious oppoSitin will be- mani
tested. say republicans who ought To
know the sentiment and the Illinois man
man will undoubtedly again wield his
strong influence 70 put light IN the dark
corners Of legislation and pick the flaws
and Weaknesses in the arguments of the
democratic majority leaders and their
measures.
Ii il also expected that a. in the past
the CAUCUS will delegate to Mann author
ity 10 assign minority member Of the
various standing committees of the
house. The democrats delegate this au-
thority 10 the majority members Of the
Ways and Means Committee. acting a.
a committee on committees. but the re-
publicans do not recognize this principle
Of assignments.
The democratic caucus viii he held on
Saturday. o. call Of Congressman Il. "
Saunders Of Virginia. the chairman.
As to the length Of the session which
will open on Monday. there are varying
views. Many members expect To- be in
Washington until the end Of August. but
there has been considerable discussion
OF the possibility If getting through with
the Legislative programme early III June
on account of the National Conventions
1t is generally agreed that the session
viii continue until midsummer.
Nt"c President and Mrs. Marshall ar
rive III Washington today. after 4 tOlr nf
New England. where the vice president
filled speaking engagements An enor
nous stack of mail letter awaits the vice
president.
Congressman Tavenncr Of Illinois has
announced that he will ask congress Ia
investigate 'trafickerS" in war sup
plies who belong 10 the Navy League.
Col. Robert NJ. Thompson. president Of
the league. promptly accepted Tavcn
ncr,S challenge and demanded that h.
make specific chargcs.
Congressman William j. Cary Of
Cary of Wisconsin saws he will intro
du,c a resolution ~ the opening Of con
gresS for an investigating Of the social
ell ~armor trust" and it, relations with
government officials The resolution
reads:
"NhreaS certain chiefs of the hlrcau
Of ordnance have made misleading re-
ports 10 their SupriorS and IN congress
and
Whereas chiefs Of ordnance have at
tempted 10 deceive congress ON the cf
feet of high explosives. and
Whereas our navy and coast dcfenScS
are being Constructed ~ recommended
BY officers who are dislOyal IA their oii
cial oath. and
Whereas the Armor Trust i being ia
vorcd hy said misleading reports.
Therefore nc il
Resolved That the Speaker III The
House Of Representatives i hereby All.
thorized and directed to appoint a com
mi:tec Of nine members of the House Of
which number five shall H. If The ma
Joritv ana four If the minority.
Said committee il hereby directed M
make an Investigation of the tIhirct
matter embraced, misleading congress bv
false reports.
Sud committee il also directed 10 IN
vcftigate if there has been II cnnSpiracy
between the United States officers ana
the armor manufacturers or other per.
sons in d~efrauding the country or the
government"
The attitude If navy officers toward
congress has been voiced ~ Commander
lateS Stirling. who declares lit i be-
cause the navy has been the ham bone
of POLITICIANS that the United States
mas itself 50 unprepared on the seas"
Commander Stirling in Il recent sneech
III Philadelphia il reported ID have ~.
signed this interference as the real reo-
son OF the navv's present condition
Aside from giving lis ships and men :"
ne continued. we must get action from
congress that will let the navy conduct
rs own affairs. We have had ~ take
what they gave uS-navy wards where
we dldnt want them, ships of a type
We didn't need During the past ten
years We have spent more money on our
navy that Germany. vet the German ma
W = twice n large and twice AZ Ell
1 cinut -