Evening star., 1923-11-24
.[ONGWORTH DEF|ES
LEADERSHIP RIVAL
Warns Colleagues in House
DiSC0rd Will Favor the
Democrats.

Representative Longworth Of Ohio,
whose candidacy for the republican
leadership is being contested by Rep
resentative Graham of Illinois, is in
the fight to stay, he declares in a
letter warning his colleagues that
lack of harmony might place the
democrats in a position to control
developments in the House.
Referring to Mr. Graham's conten-
tion that the continuaSce of Repre-
sentative Gillett of Massa achusetts, as
Speaker with Mr.. Longworth as lead
.er would be looked upon as establish
party's activities in the House, the
Ohio representative finds IT "a little
dlnlcult to see how floor leadership
from Ohio is sectionalism, and leader
ship from Illinois is not"
The republicans, he says. will have
only slender majority in the
House, having lost many OF their
best parliamentarians and fighting
men, while the democrats have a
number of additions of great strength,
making the leadership of the ma
Jority party "a position of peculiar
responsibility and difficulty" in view
of the important bearing the record
of the next Congress will have on
outcome Of the 1924 election.
Acceptance Reluctant.
Mr.. Longworth asserted he had re-
luctantly acceded to the request of
many republican members of the
House that he become their leader
because elevation to that post would
involve giving up the place on the
ways and means committee which he
has held for fifteen years. If selected
leader. he added, he would take up
his new duties with feeling far less
of jubflation than with stern sense
of the seriousness of the respGnsi-
btlities which it will involve
Something has been said about
sectionalism." Mr. LongWorth's letter
continued. Il am as much opposed
TO sectionalism as any one, and II L
could have my way there would not
be section of the country nor A
school of republican thought that
would not be fairly and effectively
represented in the organization OF
the next House.
The Speaker of the next House
will he Frederick II. Gillett Of Ma ssa :
chusetts, as able and fair a Speaker
as has ever presided here. So far
as ] know no man has even been
suggested to oppose him, and no
respectable argument can be made
against his reelection. Under these
circumstances it is little difficult
10 see now moor leadership from
Ohio is sectionalism, and leadership
from Illinois is not.
For Larger Committee.
II have always been and am now
in favor of an enlargement of the
steering committee from its presen Mt
size. in order that there can he no
question that every section of the
country is effectively represented.
and this / shall urge in the committee
on committees. of which l shall be
member.
"One of the most important ques-
tions that will face us at the outset
is the formulation of Il program Of
Legislation that can be carried out.
If we cannot agree early in the
session upon Legislative program
we will run the risk on the one
hand of failing to enact progressive
and constructive Legislation which
the country is demanding, and on the
other hand, risk the enactment Of
legislation of a radical and destruc-
tive character
With the realiZatio of these diff
cultieS l shall, If elected leader, re-
quest each state to name man who
will keep in close touch with the
leader and thu steering committee,
and advise with US as 10 the legis-
lation which his state favors. Such
system will TO my mind do much
to facilitate the adoption of a legis-
lative program which we have the
desire and ability TO carry out