The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-11-16

they will be able TO muster in tina,
body what is commonly called a
working majority" il still in doubt.
The returns indicate plurality al
four or five members and majority
Of two or three. but tho latter Il cs.
timated on the uncertain assumption
that an independent elected in MasSa.
chusctts and a Progressive elected in
Minnesota will vote with the Repub-
Leans TO organize the House and elect
the next Speaker Il is true both or
Congressman-elect Fuller, the indie
pendent member from Massachusetts,
and presumably true Of the Progress
sive member from Minnesota that both
polled many Republican votes. In the
case Of Mr.. Fuller, however, his elec-
ton is due in part to his vigorous OPP
position TO pork barrel" legislation,
and his courageous condemnation Of
the course Of his opponent in sup
porting the McLemore resolution
which warned Americans off the high
seas. The principal planks Of the
platform Of the Minnesota Progressive
are not known to us, but If il is dis
closed that he took equally positive
ground with respect TO equally vital
questions, we may we'll doubt whether
the Republicans will be able to organ
ize the next House unless they put up
a candidate for Speaker who is accep- |
table TO the two or three-non-R epub-
lican and Democratic members |
who hold the balance of power.
Champ Clark, the present Speaker
Of the House, will be a candidate for
reelection with the solid support of the
Democratic members of the next
House. To beat him the Republicans
must put up candidate who will COM
mand the same sympathetic solidarity
on the Republican side and attract in
addition the two of the three members
with either party. As the
leader of the House since the
Democratic ascendency in the latter
part of the Taft Administration,
James R. Mann of Chicago, is the
who, in normal times,
would be considered the logical can
didate to put against Speaker Clark.
1t must be remembered, however, that
Congressman Mann led more than
one hundred Republicans in support
ing the McLemore resolution, while
Senator Lodge led enough Republicans !
n the Senate in opposition to that pro- !
oosal to enable the Democratic major
ty to defeat it in both Houses. The .
McLemorc resolution, therefore, is out
If the way. Pork barrel legislation,
however, is still live issue and will .
,e very much tothe fore in the next
Congress. Here the attitude of Con- ]
FRESHMAN Mann is much more in his |;
avor, because he has opposed in the !
,ast many raids on the treasury or I
,anized and led by the pork barrel /;
brigade and long ago earned the title
# "The Great Watchdog Of the Treas 4
Try" In case the Republicans put up !
10 candidate more acceptable than the ]
minority leader in the present Con I
-ress, Mr.. Mann's record as an enemy !
f political pork" and his insurgent J
ote against the Payne-Aldrich tariff I
nay win him the one or more indie !
endent votes necessary to make him y
speaker of the next House. Specula I
ion in respect Of the control of the I
ext Congress, however, is based upon .
he returns at hand. The Democrats I
,ill have a majority of ten or twelve
l the Senate but we must await the
nal count and the official announce
rent thereof for an answer to the
uestion, Will the Sixty-Fifth Con-
ress be divided Boston Transcript. u