The Washington times., 1922-09-10
AOUsELEADERs
.JOCKEY|NGFOR
! SPEAKER 5 JOB
Mann TO Be Entered by Ills
Friends II Republicans
Hold Control. 3D..
BY wINDER n. HARRIS,
Universal Service.

While the House has been
marking time for the last fort
night, waiting for the conferees
to finish with the tariff and bonus
bills, lines have been drawn tight
or in the prospective contests in
the reorganization of the new
House next March.
II is certain now that the
friends Of Congressman James
r. Mann Of Illinois are going to
put him forward against Speaker
Gillett il the Republicans retain
On the Democratic side sup
porters Of Congressfhen Finis j.
Garrett of Tennessee and John
N. Garner Of Texas are striving
to narrow the Speakership. con-
test down to those two aspirants
II the Democrats should recap
ture the House. Garrett now is
acting floor leader and Garner is
acting minority leader on the
powerful Ways and Means Com
mittee.
4 Kitchin Is Factor.
To leave the race to Garrett ana
Garner, however. Representative
Claude Kitchin Of North Carolina,
titular floor leader and ranking
minority member, of the Ways ana
Means Committee, must be elimi.
mated. Kitchin has been absent on
account Of illness for about two
years. and the Garrett and Gar.
ner hackers are waging> their quiet
cafnpaign on the ground that he
will not be physically able to take
an active part In the next Congress.
Reports TO Kinchin's friends feom
his home in Scotland Neck, how
ever, are that he 10 fast regaining
his, health and strength and Is
planning to get back on the job
during the regular session which
begins In December. II he does
come back and succeeds In DEM
or,strating that he is physically able
to serve, he will have to be reck-
oned with in. any plans for reor-
-ganization on the Democratic side.
Kitchin win be the Oldest Demo.
crat In point Of service in the next
House. He has served eleven con.
seuctiye terms. He was majority
floor leader and chairman Of the
Ways and Means Committee while
the Democrats were m control dur.
ing the Wilson Administration.
KitchifSs opponents make the point
that the strongest possible leadership
In absolutely essential during the
Congress preceding the Presidential
election In 1924, and they assert that
even though he Is able to stay on the
Job, he will not be strong enough
to 70 to the mat with the Republi-
cans In the many ough-and.tumble
cembats that are inevitable In the
task of making Presidential cam.
paign material.
Even II the Democrats remain In
the minority, II Is the plain inten-
ton Of some Of the Garrett and
Garner hackers to oppose any move
TO continue him as titular leader.
They assert there has been friction
and q lack Of harmony which makes
impossible a smooth working orgnni-
sation under the arrangement Of the
last two years whereby Garrett has
been acting leader.
friends among the older members
take the view that he ought not to
seek the Speakership II the House
goes Democratic or the leadership
OF his party remains in the minority.
Knowing how Irresistible .is his i'm
pulse TO Jump into the thick Of every
light, one of them said to the Univer-
sal Service correspondent that he
would fear for Kitchin's' life II he
should come back and attempt 20
take an active part in the doing Of
the House.
II Kitchin should agree to retire,
or II the Garrett-Garner combination
should succeed in eliminating him,
tife speakership would 60 to one of
them and the floor leadership to the
other in the event the Democrats
triumph in the November election.
II the Republicans win the fight
will be between the two Of them for
h out df the way.
The Mann. Candidacy.
The Mann for Speaker" move.
fnent has reached the dinner party
stage. A good feed and other things
that 60 along with II make the cigar
and coffee course an excellent time
for broathing, quite casually, to be
sure, the subject Of the next House
( and reorganization plans.
At one Of these little parties n few
nights ago, when h member Of the
Illinois delegation was host, there
were a dozen members of the House
present. Half OF them had been
against Mann four years ago when
Gillett defeated him for the Speaker.
ship. Before the party broke up.
according to some of the Mann folks,
everybody present had pledged him.
self to take off his coat for the II.
llnois man.
Among those at the dinner were
Anthony, Of Kansas. Purnell, Of Tn
diana; woodward. West Virginia;
Clarke, New York, and Williams and
Moore, Illinois. Anthony brought
out Campbell, of Kansas, for the
Speakership four years ago. He was
understood not to favor either Mann
or Gillett. This time. with Campbell
eliminated by defeat in the primary,
Anthony IL counted on by the Mann
leaders 10 round up the entire Ran
sas delegation for their candidate.
Purnell was reported t. have said
the Indiana delegation will be solid
for Mann, woodward and Clarke also
were declared to have come out for
him. The Illinois delegation is
counted on as a matter of course.
There has not been any sign above
the surface as yet Of any move on
the part Of Speaker Gillett's friends.