The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-09-22
Rival Congressional Commit
tees Seek Party Supremacy.
SENATE is ALSO FIGHTING.
Both Political Parties Suffer From
Observation-Disclosures Issue In
Respect to House Chalrmanships
Does Not Exist-General Ainsworth's
Interesting Reading" Must Wait.
BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.


Washington, Sept. 22.-GSpecial. J.
While the candidates for president
and the national committees are bat
Ting for the presidency there are w
men located in Washington who are
making a great political fight, and the
stake is the control of the house Of rep
>esentatives. Frank Doremus of Mich
igan and Frank Woods OF Iowa, at the
head of their respective congressional
campaign committees, are doing their
utmost TO secure party control in the
lower house. Doremus has managed
one successful campaign for the Demo
Gratis. Woods Is somewhat new at the
game, but he shows what a man can do
when he gets down TO hard work.
Both men must let their own districts
take care of themselves, for a man
cannot give much attention to the
whole country and look after his own
district.
Each of these congressional man
ayers has helpers, but there is such n
demand for speakers In the national
campaign that these assistants are
mostly employed by the national eom-
mittee, and Doremus and Woods are
working alone.
House and Senate Separate.
The time was when "A congressional
campaign committee included senators
as well as representatives. but grad
ually Ii has become a committee TO
look after the interests of the house
and is managed wholly by house mem
bers.
This year the Republicans of the sen
ate have organized a committee of
their own to look after the senatorial
elections. The senate committee is
working In conjunction with the Re
publican national committee.
Republican O~verconfidence.
Probably there has not been a cam
paign In years In which the Republic
ans have not been warned of overcon-
fidence. That was particularly true in
the Bryan campaigns and I'm 1901. In
the congressional contest Of 1910 and
the election of 1912 there was nothing
of that kind. But since the Maine
election there has been n warning
against this overconfidence, although
some think il rot needed.
A Democratic Fault.
~Overconiidence Is singularly n Demo
cratic fault. | cannot recollect a cam
paign in which they have not express
ed the greatest amount of confidence
right up to the time of election. They
have never lost anything by making
claims. Said one OF the shrewd Demo
cratic senator's:
I'VE always elect our candidates in
the early part of September, but Octo-
Der Is a long month"
The Sectional Issue.
The Republicans charge that the best
chairmanships go to southern men
when the Democrats are in power. The
Democrats point out that these chair
manships go TO northern men when
the Republicans are In power.
This contention is as old as the hills.
The south is entirely Democratic, the
north largely Republican. The men In
both houses of congress are given
chairmanships on account of length of
service. The men who stay In congress
a long time come to tho top of the com
mittees, and when their party gets con
troll they are given the chairmanships,
In accordance with the custom. SO It
happens that when the Republicans
are In the northern men who are con-
tinued long In service in Republican
states and districts have the chair
fnanshfn1 an6 tho Ennthnpn man FOR +
the same reason when the Democrats
are in power.
Not All One Sided.
Ii should be remembered that, while
the Republicans have decided to make
a dead set to carry the senate, 1t Is not
a one sided fight. There are several
places coming vacant for which cleo
tons are to be held this fall where Re
publicans are sitting, and there are
very warm contests being waged by
Democrats for these seats.
mighty interesting Reading"
LII 1t Is true, as asserted, that one
object James Hay had in relieving re-
tired officers from the operations Of
the articles OF war was to give General
Ainsworth an opportunity to publish
what he thought Of military men, then
a lot of mighty interesting reading has
been postponed until Ainsworth's death
by the failure of Hays proposition.
This intelligent officer has a lot of data
and many ideas as TO what he thinks
should be done with the army and has
a very forceful way of expressing him
self.
A quarter of a century ago this same
AinswOrth came very near being mob
bed after the Ford theater disaster in
Washington when many clerks under
him were killed or injured by the col
lapse OF the ramshacklc old building
In which the government housed its