New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1917-03-31
SENATOR BROUSSARD
INTERVIEWED,

IBERIA on Monday morning on
flying visit from Washingto
stopping with Postmaster Brou
sard. He expects to return
Washington to be on hand Whe
Congress cOnyenes in special Sc
sion on April ID, but eXplaine
that it was necessary for him t
pay hurried visit to the Stat
at this time to attend to certai
urgent public and personal maj
ters that are pressing for immed
late consideration.
In an interview at New Orlean
the Senator said:
" During a service Of 20 year
in Congress | have had the OPP
portunity of studying the import
ant subject Of committee assign
ments from the inside. This il
the most important factor in Con
gressiOnal service, for irrespective
of any ability, industry or pres
tige from long service that a mem
Der or Senator may possess. his
usefulness to his District or State
is measured largely by the com
mittee work that he is called upon
to perform. In the two decades
that I have been in Congress, [
have seen innumerable illustra-
tons of this fact, and therefore,
in indicating my preference for
the Sixty fifth Congress | kept IN
mind the single purpose of secur-
ing places of vantage from which
to press certain just claims which
this State has been urging upon
Congress for many years, but
which have been thwarted by
rival and hostile influence.
cit was impossible for me to
name my preference two years
ago. In the first place newcom-
er has small chance Of selecting
his own assignments in a body
where seniority is the principal
factor in awarding these places;
and, in the second place, on TAX
ing my seat in the Senate [ was
urged by the Democratic members
of that body. in the name of the
party to render certain committee
services that | felt | could not
well refuse.
At that time the country was
Just enterting upon the program
of preparedness. The war in Eu-
rope was not yet a year old.
Statesmen the world over real
lied. however, that it would be
conflict Of many years duration,
and our public men, irrespective
Ct party utilization, united in urg-
ing the expansion of our land and
naval forces to such proportions
as would insure national safety
in the event we were drawn into
he struggle.
I had been a member Of the
Military Affairs Committee Of the
House in 1898, when orr little
army of $4,000 men that had seen
TO service worthy of the name
since the close of the Civil War,
was suddenly expanded to meet
the requirements Of the war with
Spain. Three years later when
the land forces were permanent
" reorganized on broader lines to
mot the military problems re
sented by our newly acquired in
sular possession. I was agaln
member of the House Committee
and participated in the work of
reorganization, so that | was ia
miliar with the subject when | be-
came a member of the Senate.
The Democratic members Of
the Military Affairs Committee of
the Senate as then constituted
had gone through none of these
experiences. and yet the problem
presented two years ago was
vastly greater than that which
confronted Congress at the time
of the war with Spain. The mill
tary experts detailed by the War
Department to collaborate with
the Committees of Congress when
the present crisis arose were to
some extent the same officers who
had assisted in working out the
problems while | was member
of the House Committee, and they
also expressed the wish that |
again participate in the formula
ton of the plans of defense ne
eessitated bv changed conditions.
In Difference to the wishes of
nv party colleagues | complied