The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-14
SERIOUS s.! P!l / IN
c. 0. ?. MAJORITY
| LOOKS OM|NOUS
Mann Seizes Control OF
Caucus and Dominates
/ Committee.
lLONGWORTH HOT
Member from Ohio Says
Performance Of Repub-
| leans is Triumph
of Reactionism.
LONGWORTH HOT

Washington. March ia serious
split In tho Republican majority IN
tho house of representatives doomed
stronger tonight than at any time
since Representative Mann. OF Illinois.
seized control of the recent caucus and
became the dominating influence In
he committee on committees. Inc
committee on committees. acting I'M
der the domination of the Mann fac
lon today turned down a proposal to
Increase the mem bership of the steer
ing committee to give representation
to labor and the progressive senti-
nent of tho west.
Following action, Representative
Itongworth, OF Ohio, who has viger-
ously opposed the committees rigid
adherence to the seniority rule In de-
Gliding chairmanships and apportion-
ing committee assignments, declared
he would carry his fight to the Repub-
iican caucus He believes that in the
interest of efficiency In the prepara-
ton OF vital legislation to meet the
needs Of the reconstruction period, as
well as Ia the interest of party har~
mony and solidarity the caucus will
decline to ratify the actions of the
committees.
EXPECT A FIGHT
Leaders of the Mann faction admit
ted they expected a fight In the eau
Gus but asserted that they would have
sufficient votes to uphold the COM
mittees action.
The performance by the Republi-
can committee on committees or ite
mos, important duty, that or select
ing the steering committee the floor
leader and the WHIP" said Mr.. Long
worth" was exactly what ought 70
Hny W. rra
under the. methods controlling. It's
net results was TO make Mr.. James
I-R. MAnu- tina Dominating ftkure y
the next house OF representative
ut Ia the most complete sort OF
triumph for reactionisn.
Tho motion to increase the member
ship OF tho steering committee from
five to nine was made by Represen-
tative johnson, of South Dakota.
Representative Mann. Mondell. OF
wyoming, the new floor leader. and
Moore. OF Pennsylvania. opposed the
motion. and It was defeated 155 to So
TRIUMPH FOR REACTIONARIES
III 1t had been deliberately planned
to restore the conditions existing In
the house ten years as result OF
which the Republican majority be-
came a minority" Mr.. jsongworth ad-
more successfully contaminated.
ut /. idle to talk OF Mr.. Mann's
dec,inatton OF the crown, rendered
ihim in eloquent periods by Messrs
Mondell and Moore. All but the
naked title remains In him as surely
as though his brow was topped with
Its external evidence. 1t IL his record
and not that OF the titular leader.
dubious as 1t In on preparedness and
xar ynaa s.,res which must be Scrutin-
Iized and searched In determining
whether the leadership OF the next
! house OF representatives has been
rightly placed.
III tho Republicans OF the country
want some other leader" continued
Mr.. Longworth. then let them In
struct their representatives to sec to
lit that the programme is modified
ut least to the extent that control OF
the house organization be- placed In
/ the hands OF men who have stood
straight on preparedness and on war
measures and who believe that thu
! Republican party has progressed
/ since 1910"