The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-04
'POSSUM DINNER IF l SENATORS CAUSES|
 NEEDLESS ALARM
Rival Camps Think BanI head and His Chums Werev Holding Caucus in Com
 mittee Room
By HUGH w. ROBERTS

Washington. January S.-tSpecial) How an ordinary 'possum dinner caused anxiety on the part of more than half dozen senatorial politicians who are seek ing party preferment at the present tim. is the subject of continuous jocularit today.
 As is generally known, Senators Smi of South Carolina and Pomerene of Ohiy are contesting for the chairmanship ON the important committee on interstate commerce, made vacant through the death of Senator Newlands, Each gen tleman has claims. Smith has the rank. but Pomerene the longer service on the committee. Because of their differences others are standing ready dark horses to seize the prize. 1t is natural, there fore. that everybody should be watching everybody else. and party leaders. in terested only from 8 party standpoint anxiously keeping their eyes peeled
 GOSSIP STARTS
 Well, yesterday four senators gath cred together in committee room. They were Stone and Reed of Missouri, Smith of Arizona. and Bankhead of Ala bama. Behind closed doors they re- mained for one hour, then two hours The captains of Pomerenes campaign smelied a. mouse, and beat it posthaste to Pomerene quarters. They whispered into Pomerene's ear that four senators were plotting, and that one of them was "Gumshoe" Bill. who never speaks above a whisper Next, the watcher ib the interest of the South Carolinian found out that the four senators were closeted He reached the conclusion that they were preparing to put some thing over. He ran to South Carolina headquarters and told the tale.
 MARTIN .IS SEEN'
 Soon thereafter the perturbed candi- dates communicated with the majority leader. Mir Martin, of Virginia. MT. Martin could not imagine why the four should caucus without him, For among the four were seeeral of his most trusted lieutenants. He inquired of other sena- tors, but they could tell him nothing. These other senators inquired of others still, and in time, the half dozen dark horses received the information Each man, it seems, dispatched a trusted lieu tenant to find out what he could. -And thus 1t happened that as the four sus- poets finally emerged they surprised score of people nonchalantly standing about the door. The score scurried off with the news that Tit was all over, whatever it was.'
 SITUATION WAS ACUTE
 The situation became so acute that the four decided to spread the news broad cast. And thus Senator Bankheadd re- ported:
 "Old Bill Stone telephoned me to come to his committee room. l went and there found Red and Mark Smith. On the table was 8 well Drowned possum of the fat variety. lie was surrounded. with potatoes. To the side was a plate of cracking bread. When I observed \ declared in the language of Briggs. An't 1t a gran-nd and glorious feeling.
 That's all. We didn't have anything to talk about with that 'possum staringl us in the face We simply fell to-. ThCJ time required was due to the size md sweetness of the bird. The world may rest secure in the knowledge that under such~alluring circumstances, no one dis cussed the rival claims of Ohio and South Carolina. As a matter of fact, it is my belief that we didn't even mention the name of Woodrow Wilson,.