The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-08
THE COMMITTEES OF THE
CONGRESS.
Notes on the Southwark Course Of
Empire and Chairmanships.

Empire n CnalrmhnsnIps.
WASHINGTON, Sept. Ga Northern
member of the House who was met
here to-day. in commenting on an
editorial article in THE SUN Satur-
day last relating to the prevalence
of Southern members as chairmen OF
important House committees. re-
marked:
! House committee has a Southern chair
man, and 1t is interesting to note that
such will be the case for many ears
to come, almost certainly as long as
Democratic control OF the House con-
tinues without a r~eadjusting interval.
This Is because in these committees
In addition to the chairmen the rank
ing Democratic members are with one
or two exceptions Southerners, and
Southerners further rank Northerners
down the list. in some committees as
far as four, as, for example, the Mill
tary Affairs Committee. Hay of Vir-
GINA Is chairman OF that, and COM
mitteemen rank after him in the fol-
lowisg order: Dent Of Alabama,
Fields OF Kentucky. Mckellar OF Ten
nessee, Howard OF Georgia.
THE reason for this is understood
by members. the South keeps its
members in the House with infre-
quent changes In personnel. This, of
curse. insures length OF service in
which q Representative can advance
from the bottom toward the top as
places above him are made vacant by
the frequent changes in personnel of
Northern members.
John Fitzgerald gained his place at
the head OF the Appropriations Com
mittee because his district kept him
in the House long enough for him to
advance to that rank.
1T Is very seldom that chairman
assignments are not earned In that
way: precedence Is a powerful factor
in the line OF advancement. Favor
counts sometimes; not often. Even
Uncle Joe Cannon is said to have re-
marked once to n favor seeker: It's
a mighty tickllsh thing TO do-kiss a
man into a craftsmanship over one
who ranks him
Mr.. Underwood and his Committee
on Committees refused to give the
chalrmanship of the Committee on
Naval Affairs to Sulzer, although
William, as | recall, was entitled TO it
by rank"
These remarks sent a SUS mar 10
the Congressional Directory" from
which the following table is drawn.
The list of ranking members closes in
each case with the name OF the rank
ing Republican. the other names fol-
lowing the chairmen are, OF course,
Democrats n Southe!ners. The
length Of service in the House. which
is given for the chairman and rank
ing Republican, includes The Sixty
fourth Congress:
observation-disclosures. Asbury F. Le-
yer. south Carolina, fourteen years. Cor.
don Lee, Georgia. Ezekiel :. Gambler. Mis-.
s.ssippi: J Thomas Hehln. Alabama: Gil.
bert y. Haugen. Iowa, eighteen years.
observation-disclosures. J. J, Fiizger.
aid. New York. eighteen years: swagar
sherley. Kentucky: Charles l.. Bartlett.
Georgia; Joseph T johnson. South Caro-
lima. Robert y. Page, North Carolina:
Frederick n. Glliett. Massachusetts. TWEEN
ty-four years.
BASkiNG AND CuBREScr-Chairman. Car
ter Glass. Virginia. sixteen years W. O.
Brown. West Virginia: Everls a. Hayes.
California, twelve years.
ELEcTIoS oP PRESIDENT. vicr. pREsIrrST
AND REPRESENTATIVES, ~ CosGREss-chai.-
man. W. W. Rucksr Missouri. eighteen
years. A. w. GreBs. Texas; Charles X
Cr!sp. Georgia; Carl 4. Mapes. Michigan.
four years.
FoREIGS ArvAIRs-Chairman. Henry d.
Flood. Virginia, fourteen years: Cyrus
Cline. Indiana; Henry 4. Cooper. wiscon-
sin. twenty-four years.
IMMIGRATION AND
/ man. IOhn T.. HuFnsts Alabama .Ivh,..,
years: Aiolph j SABBATH. Illinois: Angus
tus p. Gardner. Massa chusetts, fourteen
years.
1NsrLAR Administrations. W A. Jones.
Virginia. twenty-six years; Flnis J. Garrett.
Texas; Harvey Helm. Kentucky; Horace
VI. Towner. Iowa, six years.
INTERSTATE ASD FoREI0S COMMERCE
Chairman. w. c. Adamson, Georgia.
twenty years: Thetus W. Slms. Tennessee;
i. c. Stevens, Minnesota. twenty years.
Observation-Disclosures. Edwin Y. webb.
North Carolina fourteen years: Charles G.
Carlin. Virginia: ]. C. Floyd. Arkansas
II. Y. Thomas. Kentucky; H.. q. Dupr6.
Louisiana: Andrew J. volstead, Minnesota,
fourteen years.
MILITARY AFFAIRs-Chatrman, James
Hay. Virginia. twenty years; S. II. Dent,
Alabama: W. J. Fields, Kentucky: X. D..
Mcclellan. Tennessee. w. s. Howard, Geor-
-" "s'NS MANN NaEAOihia, tlSHtecN
years.
NAVAL AFrAiRs-Chairman. l. p. Pad
gett, Tennessee, sixteen years; ]. r. c.
Talbot. Maryland A. Estopinal. Louisiana;
Thomas S. Butler, Pennsylvania, twenty
years.
Posi- OFFICE AND Posr Ro,ps-Chairman,
John A. Moon. Tennessee. ,wenty years;
David f. Finley. South Carolina: Thomas
NJ. Bell. Georgia; Samuel W. Smith, Mich!-
san, twenty years.
PUBLIC BuiLpiSGs AND Gnousps-chair-
man, Frank Clark. Florida, twelve years;
John l.. Burnett, Alabama; j. c. Cantrlll.
Kentucky; II. w. Austin. Tennessee. eign
years,
RIVERS And HARBoRs-Chairman, g. NJ.
S~parkmsn, Florida, twenty-five years: q.
y. Burgess, Texas; Il, o.. Humphreys. Mis-
sisslppi; q. W. Taylor, Alabama; Charles
q. Edwards, Georgia: John II. Small, North
Carolina, W. L. Humphrey. Washington,
fourteen years.
RoADs-Chairman. Dorsey w. shackle-
ford, Missouri, eighteen years, Il. W. Saun-
ders. Virginia; C. b. slemp. Virginia, ten
years.
WAYS AND MSAss-Chafrmsn. Claude
Kitchin, North Carolina, sixteen years:
Henry 7. Rainey. Illinois; ]. W. Fordney,
Michigan. eighteen years.
II will be seen from the above table
that two OF the committees considered