New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-22
Tammany and Near
Tammany' Members in
Power in Next House.
MUST BE Needed
IN LEGISLATION
But for a Time after March q
President Won't Have "a
Congress on His Hands. y

Washington. Feb. 2l.-Within twelve
DAYS President Wilson's control Of the
House Of Representatives will end and
the balance Of power will shift to a
group Of Tammany and "near-Tsm-
many" members who have hitherto
been more or less overlooked in the
shaping Of party policies.
+ With a Democratic majority OF only
/ twenty-nine in the House OF the 64th
/ Congress, as compared with one OF
more than $40 in the present House,
administration officials must begin 70
count noses before trying 20 put any
/ important measure through the lower
body. A switch OF fifteen Democratic
votes will turn the tide against the ad-
( n.inistrstion, granting that Republican
and Progressive lines remain intact.
There is no disposition 10 denominate
in advance the Tammany members as
insurgents, for there is a smattering
Of insurgency among nearly all Of the
Democratic delegations, but astute pol
iticisns are looking forward 70 troub-
lous times for the party when the next
House convenes. The Tsmmany mem
hers, sc.called, have been left out in
the distribution Of patronage, and sew
ersl Of them felt at the last election
that the administration had not eXerted
itself particularly 10 aid them in New
York Consequently the tie that binds
the Tammany members 10 the White
House is weak and easily may be
broken. The President, 1t is expected,
will find that he must pursue q give
and take policy, making concessions TO
such practical men" in the House as
may demand recognition.
Representative Claude Kitchin, Of
North Carolina, who will be the leader
Of the Democratic majority, has al
ready begun 20 lead in the wrong di-
rection, so far as the administration
ship purchase bill is concerned. He
was in the forefront of the twenty odd
Democrats who stubbornly opposed the
administration in its plans to put the
shipping bill through the House sew
eral days ago. II was with difficulty
that Mr.. kitchin was persuaded not
10 TAKE lllt uOOI III lut NduCuo anu ia
the House and try 70 rally the insur-
gents and overthrow the bill. He con-
tented himself with announcing his OPP
position and voting against the bill,
and declared he would not support
such bill as leader of the next House.
. Although Mr. Kitchin will be the tit
ular leader, members are predicting
that Representative Fitzgerald. chair
man Of the Appropriations Committee
and a so-called "Tsmmany Democrat"
will loom large on the Houses horizon
While the President is believed to
view with concern the smallness OF
the party majority in the next House
some of his friends say he will well
come March . for one reason, at least
On that day the President will not
have "a Congress on his hands" and
in case Of international complications
there will be no danger that hot-head
ed legislators may make injudiciou:
speeches.
It is generally conceded there vii
be no extra session, for the present, a
least. There is still a possibility, al
most a probability, that Congress ma!
be reassembled late in the summer Il
the condition of the finances Of thu
country does not improve and III,
Treasury deficit continues TO grow.