Arizona republican., 1917-03-27
NEW HOUSE TO BE ORCAN|zEnn
 BY DEMOCRATS
Republican A ?. Leased Wirel

Republican .. Leased WireI 1 WASHINGTUN. March 26.-Organi- zation of the new house by the demo- l crats was declared to be assured to- night by Representative Randall of Cal ifornia, prohbitionist and one of the five so-called independents upon whom the political complexion of the house seemed to hinge.
 1 Mir Randall returned to Washington tonight from Los Angeles. On reading a statement issued during the day by Republican Leader Mann, offering to ] retire from the race for the speahership in favor of Speaker Clark in a partisan or non partisan organization were agreed upon. He said MT. Mann was too late, that he was in a position to say that enough of the independents would vote with the democrats to give the latter a majority and assure the administration of control by it's party of both houses of congress.
 There have been indications for sev- eral days that the democratic leaders had received satisfactory information concerning the independents. Speaker Clark and other spokesmen of the party have predicted the outcome apparently with complete confidence.
 Democrats and republicans go into the organization fight with PA mem bers each and 21S votes are required to elect the speaker. So four of the five independents must join the democrats to re-elect Speaker Clark unless there are defections from the republican ranks.
 When Republican Leader Mann, upon his return today from a vacation trip , to Haiti, announced his willingness to withdraw from the speakership race in favor of Speaker Clark, provided demo- crats and republicans could agree to bipartisan or non-partisan organiza- ton of the new house, he drew pro- tests against such program from members of both parties.
 Representative Isenroot of Wiscon- sor, acknowledged leader Of the pro- gressive-r republicans in the house and mentioned as a candidate for speaker against MT. Mann, promptly declared he unqualifiedly opposed the sugges- ton. asakA Democrats, inciudi-~ Speaker Clark, Floor Leader Kitchin, and Representa- tive Garner of Texas said emphatically they would not agree to the Mann plan unless necessary to prevent a dead
 
 their belief that they would organize the house from speaker down and some of them interpreted MT. MannS attitude as an acknowledgement of the republi- cans inability to organize the house. | Representative Mann said he probably would see some of the other republican ! leaders tomorrow to present his views. He is willing. he said, to make the race i for speaker if a majority of the repub i licans favor such a course despite his personal belief that it would be to the country's disadvantage. Partisan af- fairs should have no place in the in- coming house, he said, and whether the country is to have peace or war, it is
 essential that all parties unite at once , to expedite important public business. Democratic plans, it appears, are to ! force tthe organization to victory. A tentative arrangement contemplates the 1 re-na aming. for the purpose of making
 committee nominations, the ten mem bers of the ways and means committee | of the last congress who return to the
 coming congress. The custom hereto l fore has been for the ways and means
 committee to make the formal nomina-
 tions for both sides, although the re- publican floor leader in reality has
 named the republicans. Most of the democrats now here are hopeful that their plan will be acceptable to the dis
 satisfied prohibitionists and the
 northern democrats who have threat
 ened a fight against southern commit tee chairmen. Practically all of the
 new committee assignments are ex- pected to go to these clements.
 Republican organization plans have
 not yet been perfected and probably
 will not be before Saturday. The re- publican conferences originally set for 1 Saturday night was set forward today
 to Saturday afternoon.
 | Confidence is expressed among both democrats and republicans that the house win work --~,oniouslvr after the
 brush over organization. The almost universal opinion among leaders today
 was that the president would not ask congress to consider any question
 which might result in partisan fights. The opinion is general that the session will not last more than two months.
 conference on measures to be in- troduced by the foreign affairs com
 mittee during the coming congress was
 held today between Secretary Lansing
 and Chairman Flood, Representative
 Harrison of Mississippi and Represen-
 tative Ragsdale of South Carolina of the committee.